The technologies explored this week in my Computer Technology and Multimedia course highlight the reality of classroom walls becoming transparent. Podcasting and sreencasting are taking learning outside the confines of the classroom. Learners can take the podcasts virtually anywhere (Yes, even underwater, check out http://www.h2oaudio.com/ ). What does this mean for the teacher? “More and more students come to school with these skills [podcasting]. This is a language they not only understand but use often on a daily basis” (Campbell, 2005, p.35). Teachers are doing them a disservice if they fail to incorporate them into the classroom (Campbell). Yes, it is a new skill to learn; however, the potential benefits of incorporating podcasts can be substantial.
Podcasts have the potential to make the teacher’s job a bit easier. Students missing instruction due to illness or a field trip can listen to a podcast of the lecture without having to spend face-to-face time with the teacher. As a computer science teacher, I often have to show students several times how to perform a function within an application. For example, layering/arranging objects in Publisher. By creating a screencast of the lesson, students may replay the screencast as many times as they like until they get a firm grasp of the concepts. This saves me time and the student does not have to sit idly waiting for me to come over and answer his/her question.I subscribe to NPRs technology podcasts (http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=1019 ). These podcasts allow me to bring information regarding emerging technologies straight to my classroom without spending precious time searching for them. I use these podcasts as an integral part of my weekly lessons. Students listen to the podcast and then post a response to the weekly discussion board. Although I am in a traditional classroom, I have found this approach useful in meeting the diverse needs of my students. Many of my students have IEPs, and listening to a podcast rather than reading a news article provides them with an alternative to understanding the information.Campbell, G. (2005). There’s something in the air: Podcasting in education. Educause Review pp. 33 – 46. Retrieved October 10, 2008 from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0561.pdf
2 comments:
The purpose of my dissertation is to begin creating the online high school in the Detroit educational system due to the high attendance problem. Students are truant in and out of school. Parents drop them off at the door, but the child either does not go in or skips in the bathrooms or hallways avoiding security. If there were an online component, students would have the option of going to class or attending the missed lessons online. We also have a lot of students out on maternity leave (students... 14 years old and up).
At my school, there are a lot of migrant workers from Mexico. The students come in the fall, leaves around November, and do not return until April. This could greatly reduce the attendance problems for them, especially since when they return in April, they expect to pass the class. Why come back to school? Because they have nothing else to do and no where else to go once their parents return to the states. Therefore, I can really see the benefit of using podcasts and lesson delivery devices. Almost every student has a cell phone in my building. Most of them have Internet capabilities. Students can listen to the lesson and respond to the teacher using their email or creating a podcast of their own. The potential uses for non-classroom instruction are endless.
Response to Tamyra:
I wonder if the students from Mexico have access to the Internet. With online learning it may offer them the opportunity to keep up with the course work.
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