Fishing for learning with a podcast net-weblog 3
Podcast are a component of the Internet, which I have had some exposure to. Of course when IPODS came out, I quickly jumped on the bandwagon and stayed on Itunes downloading my favorite songs and albums. I knew that this technology was capable of a lot, especially the newer versions and yet I had no idea how much until recently. Until recently I saw Podcasts as something soley for social and entertainment purposes, yet in reading literature about them, I realize I was incorrect.
When reading this article, I was surprised at how much I did not know as well as the amount I learned. My first question when engaging in the text, related to how exactly Podcast may relate to academia and myself as an educator. However, I came to understand that even within its infancy stage, there are ways for educators and learners to use Podcast effectively. Podcasts may give students the opportunity to be self regulatory within their learning. It may give them an opportunity to communicate freely and creatively. In retrospect, podcasts may also allow teachers to be self reflective and more creative within their practice. Even so, a question I tend to have is whether or not this method will be effective given the various learning styles students encompass. With this thought, I recognize that Podcast would probably not be used in isolation but more so as a supplement to other methodology. I view Podcast as a possible tool for a new generation of learners, which is a divergence of usual methods and this may prove very exciting and successful.
February 27, 2007 @ 12:28 am
Dear Nicole,
I had a similar thought about using podcasts with students. Language learners can clearly use/view them for self-study and students in almost all subjects could probably view podcasts related to their interests. However, I wonder how we could have students make their own podcasts, possibly as a group project. It seems (as we discussed eaarlier in class) that students’ excitement for using this level of technology is so motivating that we should consider ways to have them create podcasts. Maybe we could have them do their own ethnographies. It was so interesting -the way students wrote about a person who experienced the holocaust and I wonder if there aren’t unlimited fascinating historical stories waiting to be told. This may be one way to integrate interviewing and making a podcast (a kind of mini ethnography where students interview older people that they know to find out about the details of history). This is just my first thought and I bet there are a million others!
Lori
April 1, 2007 @ 2:02 am
very nice