Pros and cons of distributing training material via ipod

Ipods.They're everywhere.You see them in the park while people go jogging.You see them snuck into classrooms by students hoping not to get caught.You see them on airplanes, in malls and around the grocery store.But have you ever noticed them at work?Maybe you've seen fellow employees wasting time while they snuck a movie or a TV show during a break.Or maybe some of your co-workers like to listen to music while they work- their own music and not some mushy elevator music.But have you thought of using an iPod for distributing training material?Let's discuss this new technology and also review some of the pros and cons of distributing training material via iPods.

Nowadays even businesses are starting to use iPods in the workplace.They are being used to deliver training and education materials.Typically a business produces 15 to 30 minute clips for employees to watch and listen to different types of training.The idea is that iPods don't have to be used just for entertainment purposes; they can also be used for learning and mobile education.Another thing that goes along with this is called Podcasting.

Podcasting is a technology that allows organizations and individuals to send multimedia content to an audience on a regular basis with little or no effort on the part of the user. The user simply subscribes to a particular Podcast feed and then the content is downloaded to the user's computer or iPod when a new Podcast episode/program is available. This Podcast can then be played in a computer media player of the user's choice, such as iTunes or an iPod. This means that the user does not have to go and look for information and is not tied into accessing media at specified times.

So now let's discuss some of the pros and cons of using an iPod or Podcasting for distributing training material.

Pros
- Your training material may be sent to all of your employees at the same time without requiring you to have a special office meeting for the topic of the Podcast.
- The training material may be readily viewed by the employees at any time.They won't need to ask you the same silly questions over and over again as long as it's been included in their Podcast.They have access to it forever.
- Once you've created your training material, you won't need to change anything major if you choose to send it out again.Unlike having a training conference where you have to prepare what to say and take everyone from their daily jobs, you will be able to simply make the training material and send it to your employees.You'll have access to it again if you need to change something and then it's easily re-submitted.
- You can tell your employees exactly what they need to know on a certain topic without them going to other sources for help (especially sources that might lead them astray)

Cons
- Your employees will all need to have iPods if you are going to send training materials to them.This could be expensive for your company if you decide to purchase them for your employees, or expensive for your employees if they are required to purchase them on their own.
- Having iPods at work may encourage your employees to do less work.If they have an iPod just sitting at their desks, tempting them to stop what they're doing and watch a movie or listen to a book, they will get less work done and be less productive.

All in all, distributing training materials via iPods can be a great way to keep your employees up to date and ready to be as prepared as possible.