The
use of audio/visual podcast technology is not a new concept and/or practice;
however, it has gained more recent attention in higher education as a useful
tool in teaching and learning opportunities (King & Cox, 2011). Another Web 2.0 tool to be explored that
allows for valuable interactions and connections among faculty and students
whether synchronously or asynchronously to enhance learning (King & Cox,
2011).
With
the incorporation of technology comes the many pros and cons that must be acknowledged
and understood in order to move forward with its implementation and success.
Pros
(Luna & Cullen)
·
Convenient
download of instructional information (lectures, graphics, and videos) to a
portable device that may be accessed from anywhere
·
Ability
to access course content for review and the ability to replay/listen to content
as often as necessary
·
Enhances
learning for those audio/visual learners through supplementing with synchronous
environment
·
Provides
a voice/face for the asynchronous learner and a sense of inclusion
Cons
(Luna & Cullen)
·
Limited
or inability to capture a class discussion
·
Content
may be reviewed but an expansion of thoughts and ideas may be limited
·
Equipment
accessibility, server connection, and time-intensive editing
References
Luna,
G., & Cullen, D. (n.d.). Podcasting as Complement to Graduate Teaching:
Does it Accommodate Adult Learning Theories? Retrieved April 23, 2019, from https://files-eric-ed-gov.er.lib.k-state.edu/fulltext/EJ938577.pdf
King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The
professor’s guide to taming technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age
Publishing.
Hi Christa,
ReplyDeleteAlmost done! There is light at the end of the tunnel! Enjoyed your blog, very succinct and easy to follow. The cons that you mentioned resonated with me. I think after obtaining a bachelor's degree and three master's degrees in the traditional classroom setting (geez, shows my age!), I thought about this course and integrated technologies. I see the power of technology and the fact that learning can be enhanced. My only concern which is in line with your cons has to do with student interaction. When lecturing a class, the instructor has the ability to gauge the interest and understanding of the students through reading body language, facial expressions, and other physical queues. The instructor can then re-emphasize or modify how a concept is presented and ask probing questions. (Stetz, T. and Bauman, 2013) An effective instructor along with motivated students can definitely engage in two-way communications. Listening to a podcast has many advantages; however, it is one way communications.
This first course has taught me that integrated technologies in adult learning can be a multiplying factor for enhancing learning. I believe it whole-heartily. I've also learned that it takes effort and the right resources to make this happen!
Congratulations on your program completion!
Stetz, T. and Bauman, A. (2013). Reasons to Rethink the Use of Audio and Video Lectures in Online Courses. Higher Learning Research Communications 3(4), 49-58. Retrieved on April 24, 2019 from https://abvacus.universidadeuropea.es/handle/11268/4606.
OkieKCarrel,
ReplyDeleteThank you! I cannot believe my long, yet knowledgeable journey is about to end! I am thankful for having the opportunity to work along side with you online and wish you luck in your current educational journey.
In addressing your comment about technology enhancing learning, I wish I had sought out podcasting sooner and the fact that I may have had an opportunity to locate some related to adult learning that may have made or helped to assist in making valuable connections, etc.
Best of wishes!
Hello Christa,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this post, it is straight-forward and easy to understand. I would like to comment on one of your cons: "Content may be reviewed but an expansion of thoughts and ideas may be limited". There might be cases where this could be applicable, however, there are many instances where the use of podcasting or audiovisual resources can help expand the topic in the classroom. King and Cox (2011) suggest the development of video for instruction, where the major criteria is the focus on teaching rather the technology fascination, the suggestion of efficient work flow strategies, the proposal of suitable solutions to accommodate different technology users and budgeting suggestions to a moderate range (p.75). One of the quasi podcast format videos that I use in ESL is the "Woodward English" channel, with grammar videos that provide real life examples and uses of the target language. The video format helps us add to the conversation (my students are full of grammar questions!) and in some cases, it helps to clarify some rules or concepts.
King, K. P., & Cox, T. D. (2011). The Professor’s Guide to Taming Technology: Leveraging Digital Media, Web 2.0 and More for Learning (1st ed.). Information Age Publishing Inc.
Elsa,
DeleteThank you for your comment and question on the con I had mentioned. This could have been more concise in that I was trying to imply that the lack of immediate communication/feedback with the use of podcasts and the fact of the one way communication in the moment from a educator posting content information for student viewing. I can see that the context in which you discussed in ESL, podcasting could be quite enriching for those students. Thanks again.
Christa,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, great blog and great post. I do not think that I have been to your blog before. I really like the way that it is set up and how easy it is to use. Your post made a lot of sense. I think the biggest thing that stood out to me was in the cons you mention the lack of ability to have a discussion. That is a great point to bring up. Podcasts cannot achieve discussion or, as one of your other cons points out, expansion of ideas. I am in favor of using podcasts, but I am not sure if they should be relied on too heavily. I see them as more of a supplemental tool that might be good to pull out if you need to help reinforce something that might have just been taught or a concept that is difficult to understand.
sdinse,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog. I would like to explore more podcasts in the future. I did discover when listening to classmates podcasts that I found the audio only to be more engaging for me. I felt that I often got distracted with the audio/video podcasts and lost sight (listening) of the message or interview that was going one.
CLH, as one of your cons to incorporating podcasting in to adult learning curriculum, you mention limited or inability to capture a class discussion. I also focused on this as one of the cons identified, so it got me thinking. What if there was a way for podcasting to become more interactive and synchronous? Perhaps there could be a way to incorporate a polling feature within the podcast that allows for listeners to respond to a poll, then view responses and poll results which are kept in a historical database and updated each time someone posts a new response. This is assuming, of course, that most podcast listeners are using some sort of smart device (cellphone, laptop, iPod etc.) that provides the ability to submit a response. It surprises me how little King & Cox (2011) discuss the use of polling. According to Brookfield (2015), one of the benefits of polling is that it allows students to share with a group their reasons for voting the way they did. I could see this feature being very useful not only in podcasting, but also the learning management systems we use in this program. It’s something that seems to be lacking in our distributed learning environment and would be a great way to learn others perspectives and experiences. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteBrookfield, S.D. (2015). The skillful teacher: On technique, trust and responsiveness in the classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass