I have come across this video about podcasting and the way it can be used in schools. I particularly like the idea since the lessons can be made available to students at any time of the day, not only during school hours. Students who, for some reason or other, wish to revise what has been done in a particular lesson can always download it and it is as if they are in class again. Although podcasting can be an invaluable tool if used correctly, what springs to mind is the fact that it can also be abused, in the sense that for example, students may simply decide to miss lessons because they can always have the lesson available as a podcast.
In this video the idea that the podcast is done by the students themselves is also interesting since sometimes students can find ways how to explain principles to their peers which are more effective than the ones used by teachers.
Podcasting is one of the most effective ways of learning, mainly because it can be accessed at any time and place. However, just like everything, it offers both advantages and drawbacks.
ReplyDeleteThe main advantage is flexibility. The fact that the student can access the lesson anywhere and anytime provides a wider variety of learning alternatives. This has nowadays become more popular with the use of netbooks, ipods etc… The use of audio and video makes it more easy for the student to revise the lesson, a far better alternative then just reading a piece of text.
The main drawback is that students might work less as they rely on the podcast material, for instance not attending lessons, or not being attentive during lessons. Also, podcasting requires very large files which can sometimes be quite a problem to upload or access. For instance, a video podcast for a 1 hour lesson would need quite a large amount of storage, which might take a lot of time to upload/access if the user has a slow bandwidth.
For some reason I could not watch this video however I found another: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExkMeQfuLGc&feature=related
ReplyDeleteI agree that these methods of learning could be very interesting, and beneficial for both teacher and student, however I for one would find it very problematic to make use of such a system to which I am completely alien. Perhaps it would be a good idea for us as teachers to be given the opportunity to attend some introductory class on how to make use of such technology. There is also another problem, not all students have the same level of computer literacy, so that might create some problems.
I have had students using their iphones for writing notes so that everything is sent directly on to the right file, which is a good way of saving time and enerygy transfering written notes on to the computer, however there is always the risk that they might be chatting, or sending an sms, rather than following the lesson, so that can also be a disadvantage especially with having a large number of students in class.
An interesting study related to what you were saying can be found in an article called:
ReplyDelete"iTunes U Proves Better than Going to Class"
link: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/itunes_u_proves_better_than_class.php
In simple words a study was conducted in which a group of students learnt a topic by going to normal lessons, while another group learnt simply from pod casts. The last group did better when examined! Besides, they also took better notes...
This surprised me to be honest. But maybe it should not be taken too seriously. It all depends on the type of students, and also the subject/topic. I would bet that such a system would not really work with my students.
Elaine, I was also surprised with the findings. At the same time however, I would not be as pessimistic as to bet that such a system would not work with our students.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Doreen... I agree with you that there is always the risk that such a system would be abused, something also highlighted by Shaz. Although I am not a liberalist at all, I think that in this regard, we cannot control students. The classic case of writing on a mobile or typing at a laptop could immediately raise the teacher's eyebrows. However, we should be very careful not to inadvertently blame technology for this.
The very simple reason is that students who have no technological gadgets also manage to sway away from the lesson if they do not feel like it - they scribble on their notepads, wander off in thought or simply gaze at something. This is proof enough that there are different types of students and different moods which each student experiences.
I would say, let there be more use of important tools such as laptops and podcasts. Students who are motivated to learn will learn, others who are not interested will not learn as much ... irrespective of whether they have notepads, iPhones, laptops, podcasts or a 1001 other brilliant ideas.
Podcasting is just one of the interactive technologies, like blogging and laptops, being used to motivate students.
ReplyDeleteI see that our students are very conversant with technology, we can see this every day. Most of our students either have an MP3 or an iPod. The Washington Post published results of a survey that was conducted to see the popularity of iPods. The survey was carried out amongst 470 high-school students; it resulted that 61% of students had some kind of MP3 player.
Therefore, students can use podcasts to learn using their iPods/MP3 players. As seen from the video this will be interesting. Students can improve in their vocabulary, editing, public speaking and presentation skills. Students can also learn skills that will be valuable in the working world, such as communication, time management, and problem solving.
I also think that students who have the motivation to learn will learn and those who do not have any motivation, will certainly not learn. However there is that portion of students, who have not yet identified and related knowledge with something which goes beyond the classroom setting. What we are having are numbers of students who are apt at carrying out specific tasks outside the classroom, but once they walk inside the school building go on mental shutdown, and learn either for the sake of exams or just because they have no other option. Providing more tools which helps students recognise the true value of knowledge, beyond textbooks and worksheets, may be one direction which an educator might wish to take, in order to stimulate learning outside the "official" classroom setup. Podcasts thus become an interesting tool to use.
ReplyDeletePodcasting should not be a replacement of the traditional classroom face-to-face delivery but an augmentation of the teaching process, i.e. students shouldn't be allowed to miss lessons but encouraged to do research at home even going back on the actual lesson for revision purposes.
ReplyDeleteThis applies to lecturers too, they will find podcasted beneficiary to their lessons plans not a replacement, as they can find podcasts of their subject and learn on the delivery while increase their knowledge on the subject, especially if it is technology related.
I must also mention the problem with 'data protection' which podcasts may infringe. This is important to note as we are constantly be faced with data protection regulations that we, without knowing, are infringing.
This brings to mind an incident just a few weeks ago, when we were informed that a photographer was coming to the institute to take photos of students and lecturers in class. We had to ask permission of the students and those under 18 from their parents if we can take photos (not footage to prodcast). The amount of rejection was enormous, I even had a parent who wrote against the 'filming' of his daughter!
So we need to be careful when prodcasting and use this interactive technology to our benefit.
Podcasting also have a compelling use in education. This technology facility could have a significant place in lecturing. For example students would be able to have recordings of every lecture, which then could be stored (on any other device, such as an iPod), for their review. Thus, podcasting could remove the need for those students who stay in front of a large lecture hall, using recorders to get a crappy audio. Podcasting could produce one single quality feed, which lets every student use it. This could eliminate the fact that lectures are most often a speed-writing test. Moreover, lecturers could set up interviews with external sources (e.g. a professional in the area) and add that recorded to the feed for the class, thus being available to all students.
ReplyDeletePodcasting is a very efficient instrument that could facilitate distance learning. A bigger benefit of using podcasting in education is to facilitate self-paced learning, or else to act as a mediator for slow-learners. Obviously, podcasting is a tool that allows any educational institution to offer motivated learners extra content, whilst it also helps students that have reading disabilities. An interesting aspect of podcasting is that it allows guest speakers to present just once to many classes. In other words, podcasting offers a richer learning environment.
I can agree that pod-casting is quite an effective way to publish and broadcast on-line lecturing to students or non-students. I Tunes U is a quite good and professional in the way it works and looks as well, however you need to guarantee a certain amount of info uploaded/month. I Tunes U is not designed for small institutions with little content, it is actually designed to support organised educational institutions with a platform that support advanced multimedia activity.
ReplyDeleteBenefits of podcasting lies in the archival of lessons/lectures in which a database of subjects can be stored and catalogued in one single digital unit. Nowadays media can allow educational institutes to generate a library of many lectures, talks, workshops and demonstrationthat could be retreivable for any form of economical/distributive rewards. However this matter has been highly controversial in the UK since students pay quite a substantial ammount of money in order to learn. In that case than who is the owner of the classroom content? The student, the institute/university or the teacher?
ReplyDeleteIl-podcasting jgħinek biex tiftakar il-materjal dettaljat li tkun ippreżentajt mal-klassi l-oħra filwaqt li lill-istudenti jżommhom aġġornati ma’ x’qed iseħħ fil-kors, u jgħinhom waqt ir-reviżjoni lejliet l-eżami.
ReplyDeleteFil-każ tiegħi, għal-lezzjonijiet tal-Malti l-podkasts nużahom biex ngħin lill-istudenti jisimgħu aħjar il-Malti mitħaddet, u ngħaddhom ma’ taħdit mid-djalett li ħafna minnhom qed jintesew.
Bħalma wera l-filmat, f’każ ta’ lingwa ġdida, apparti l-fatt li l-istudent jista’ jirrikorri għal-lezzjoni meta jeħtieġ, il-podkast jagħti l-benefiċċju tal-pronunzja jiġifieri l-istudent jista’ jisimgħu u jirrepetih kemm-il darba biex tgħinu jiftakar.
Vantaġġ ieħor hu li lekċer irrekordjata tista’ tintuża minn sena għal sena.