Week 11 - Research

I chose to read articles from the section on “Podcasting and Blogging”. The reason I chose this section is because I have been considering developing a series of short podcasts for employees who work at the facilities owned by the company I work for, HCR ManorCare. These podcasts would focus on ways to improve customer service to our patients and families. Therefore, I felt that these articles may provide some insight into ways to make these podcasts an effective learning method for employees.

The following blog will begin with a brief review of the three articles I read for this assignment. Following the review, I will provide an overview of how I can use this information in the design of podcasts I am considering and how classroom teachers may find this information useful as they consider utilizing this technology to help students learn.

Article 1:
Distance Education Trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student collaboration and interaction By: Yoany Beldarrin

The purpose of this article is to explore the benefits of emerging technology tools such as wikis, blogs, and podcasts to foster student interaction in online learning. According to the author, distance education emerged in response to the need of providing access to those who would otherwise not be able to participate in face-to-face encounters. Technology is responsible for distorting the concept of distance between learner and instructor, and enabling learners to access education at any time and from any place.

The authors covered numerous technology tools (i.e., wikis, blogs, etc) but I was most interested in podcasting so I spent most of my time reviewing this section of the article. The versatility of podcasting may impact the way distance educators deliver instruction as well as the manner in which students are engaged in learning. Although podcasting is not a synchronous activity, it provides students with information that will help them feel connected to the learning community. It may even be pedagogically appropriate in some courses to allow students to create their own podcasts for the rest of the class members.

As educators become more aware of the power of podcasting, not only can they create their own feeds, but they can also tap into the many educational podcasts already available. Pushing information to the learner can be beneficial when the instructor wants to provide course updates, communicate group feedback, or introduce the discussion topic for the week.

The author concludes the discussion in the article by presenting ideas related to implementation. Proactive implementation of emerging technologies is dependent on the comfort level, monetary resources, and visionary leadership. This is a common theme seen throughout the three articles I read. Time is of the essence for both learners and instructors, activities and content must be relevant and up to date.

Today’s workplace requires that individuals create and collaborate within constraints of time and place. These need have given way to technological advancements that allow for real-time communication among peers and co-workers who stay connected over the internet.

Article 2:
The new “Podogogy”: Incorporating podcasting into journalism eduction
By: Michael Huntsberger and Alan Stavitsky

This report documents the results of a pilot study of the use of podcasting technology in a lower division course at the University of Oregon school of Journalism and Communication.

The authors begin the report by discussing how the proliferation of devices, such as Ipods, will continue for several years. As a result, it’s no surprise that educators are experimenting with podcasting to deliver lectures and other content to students. The classroom need not be the end of discourse. Instead, through the Internet and other emerging technologies, students and teachers can engage in continuing, often asynchronous discussions of the topics salient to the day and subject.

The authors also discuss some of the criticisms placed on podcasts. For example, podcast lectures have been criticized as an attractive substitute to class attendance, and some assert that students will skip classes if they have a more convenient method to access course materials. Researchers have found that “most professors who podcast admit that they take special steps to keep students from simply tuning in to class on their IPods”. Concurrently, podcasting professors express concern about their ability to sustain student interest.

Article 3
Blogging in the classroom: A preliminary exploration of student attitudes and impact on comprehension
By: Nicole Ellison and Yuehua Wu

This article was specifically about podcasting but the topic did spur a tertiary interest because I often teach classes as an adjunct professor and have considered implementing blogging beyond simple responses to posts for topics on a platform like Blackboard.

This exploratory study explores student perceptions of blogging in the classroom. Many educators are excited by the potential of new Internet technologies, such as blogs, wikis, and online groups to reinvigorate student engagement and learning. The inclusion of new technologies may be more intrinsically engaging to today’s college students, whose daily media practices may include a wide range of technologies including instant messaging, blogging, downloading media files (i.e., podcasts), and on-line role-playing games.

This article was more of a pure research study as compared to the other 2 articles. The researchers had upper level undergraduate students complete some of the assignments for a class in the traditional paper format and some in a blogging environment. Fellow students then needed to comment on their fellow students’ blogs.

The researchers found that students enjoyed certain aspects of blogging- the novelty and convenience of the medium, the less formal writing voice it encouraged, and the interactivity inherent in the assignment, specifically reading other students’ ideas and getting feedback on their own. They also found that being forced to critique others’ ideas was stressful.

There are several implications of this work. Most importantly, blogging is not a panacea and will not independently or automatically increase student learning. Sound instructional techniques must be developed and practiced in order to achieve increased student learning.

This study also points to several implications for good teaching practice. First, students may come to the classroom with pre-existing notions of what a blog entry should look like and what voice to use. In other words, students believed blogging was less formal and often reported not taking them as seriously as a formal written assignment. Second, instructors should consider which technical implementation of blogging will best support their pedagogical goals and needs of the student. Finally, the data suggests that instructors wishing to implement peer feedback should give students guidance about how to provide constructive feedback.

Concluding remarks
I found these articles to validate many of the thoughts I had about podcasting and blogging but also brought forth some new ideas that I had not considered. For example, I am often asked to conduct training sessions so I am aware of the importance of a good trainer to deliver a message that will be remembered. This is also important when creating podcasts because if the voice on the podcast is dull and boring then the student or, in my case, the employee will tune out. Also, with a podcast, the learner is missing important parts of communication (i.e., the nonverbal aspects) which makes it even more important that the material is engaging and the point is brief.

A good way to understand and differentiate between a good and bad podcast is to listen to a sampling of them. I have downloaded numerous podcasts from ITunes University and some are good while others have interesting content but are delivered poorly. Listening to them will help an instructor to avoid some of these problems.

Another key point I got out of these articles is that technology will not replace a good teacher and good teaching methods. Technology is there to help supplement the material being taught, not to replace the teacher. This is important to remember because some people perceive technology as a “silver bullet”.
The bottom line, to me, is find ways to appropriately use technology to meet your education needs and the learning needs of the students.