Title: Use of audio podcast in K-12 and higher education: a review of research topics and methodologies
Author: Hew, Khe
Educational Technology Research & Development; Jun2009, vol. 57 Issue 3, p333-357
I searched this article through the Iowa State Library e-Journals. Since this article is 20 pages long, I will just touch on the topics that were discussed and hopefully you will get a chance to look at the article more closely. The reason I chose this article is because we have been considering using podcast in our literacy classroom at the elementary level. This study focuses more on the use of audio podcast in higher education, but it still gives great information on using podcasts in the classrooms.
First of all, there was a nice general introduction at the beginning which told exactly what a podcast is in technological terms. I'm not going to go through and try to explain this in my own words, but it was interesting and something I did not know.
The article discussed what advocates of using audio podcasts in education believe. First and foremost they believe that audio podcasts give unique educational benefits to learners. Clark and Walsh (2004), cited in the article, state that "listening is instinctual, but reading and writing are not." They also state that the use of podcasts influence learners cognition and motivation. (I thought the quote from Clark and Walsh was particularly interesting!) Another benefit of using audio podcasts is that they can be used anywhere and anytime.
Critics of audio podcasts say that they increase a teacher's workload and also create "absenteeism." "Absenteeism" means that if the content is so available through these podcasts, why would the students come to class? (interesting thought)
The following topics were also discussed: learner's podcast listening preference, learning outcomes, and learner's attendance. Below briefly lists the findings of the studies that were discussed in the article.
*most students use their personal computers at home to listen to the podcasts
*prefer short podcasts (about the same length as the average song)
*most students do NOT multitask while listening
*learner obstacles: unfamiliarity and not seeing the relevence for their learning
*Some studies show positive effect on student satisfaction but there was no effect on students' performance.
*Only 9.1% used the lecture podcasts as a replacement for actually attending class.
This was a nice introductory article on podcasting. I'm hoping for my next article to find one that actually talks about using podcasts in the elementary classroom. Hopefully you get a chance to at least skim this is you don't know much about podcasting and the research that goes along with it.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wikis and collaborative writing
First of all, I apologize because I didn't blog last week. I really don't have any excuse other than I completely forgot! So, this will be my first of two blogs for this week!
After thinking about the different ways we discussed using Wikis in class, I remembered how I have used a Wiki before and decided that it just might work in a classroom. In a previous class that I took, we were put into groups for a project. Because we were all adult learners, with full time jobs and not much free time, one of our group members suggested we use a Wiki to complete out project. This was the first time I had used one, so I was skeptical at first. However, I was willing to give it a try in order to keep me from having to drive to Ames multiple times per week to work on a project (I live in Ankeny). So, we divided up the tasks and each wrote our different parts of the paper. We were then able to go in and edit each other's parts and also post discussions on why we made certain changes and/or asking each other's opinions on our parts. It ended up working really well, and I would definitely use it to complete projects in the future.
Therefore, I would like to see how this would work in the classroom. I can see it easily working with middle and high schoolers, but I'm still unsure at this point whether or not it would work in this certain way with elementary students. One reason I think it would be great for students to be able to work on collaborative projects in this way is because it allows for collaborative work outside the classroom without the students having to arrange times to meet face to face. This is not only easier on the students and their schedules, but also easier on the parents and their schedules. One of the things that teachers would have to think about quite a bit is how they would monitor each group's Wikis. Teachers would want to be sure and keep close tabs on the Wikis to be sure that the groups were staying on task and using the Wiki in appropriate manners.
I can really see this working and I think it's moving towards the type of learning that our students are looking for.
After thinking about the different ways we discussed using Wikis in class, I remembered how I have used a Wiki before and decided that it just might work in a classroom. In a previous class that I took, we were put into groups for a project. Because we were all adult learners, with full time jobs and not much free time, one of our group members suggested we use a Wiki to complete out project. This was the first time I had used one, so I was skeptical at first. However, I was willing to give it a try in order to keep me from having to drive to Ames multiple times per week to work on a project (I live in Ankeny). So, we divided up the tasks and each wrote our different parts of the paper. We were then able to go in and edit each other's parts and also post discussions on why we made certain changes and/or asking each other's opinions on our parts. It ended up working really well, and I would definitely use it to complete projects in the future.
Therefore, I would like to see how this would work in the classroom. I can see it easily working with middle and high schoolers, but I'm still unsure at this point whether or not it would work in this certain way with elementary students. One reason I think it would be great for students to be able to work on collaborative projects in this way is because it allows for collaborative work outside the classroom without the students having to arrange times to meet face to face. This is not only easier on the students and their schedules, but also easier on the parents and their schedules. One of the things that teachers would have to think about quite a bit is how they would monitor each group's Wikis. Teachers would want to be sure and keep close tabs on the Wikis to be sure that the groups were staying on task and using the Wiki in appropriate manners.
I can really see this working and I think it's moving towards the type of learning that our students are looking for.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Voicethread.com
This week, I thought I would share one of the websites we shared at our literacy professional development this past week. My partner, the literacy leader at our building, actually introduced me to this website. The website is called voicethread.com. Because we always want to set a purpose and suggest ways in which the teachers can use things, we chose to show how it could work with teaching fluency.
In Voicethread, you input pictures in order to tell a story. You can text to each picture and/or add your voice to tell the story. We showed an example that the literacy leader had created. We discussed that it would be a great thing to input a reader's theater into. For example...after the students had practiced their parts enough they could choose pictures from either clipart or google images, etc. Then, the students would record their parts into Voicethread to practice/showcase their fluency focus. In the end, the class would have an online story to view and listen to.
This is a free website, but the teacher must create a username and password. Also, there is a limit as to how many items you can have before having to pay; however, all you have to do is delete some to keep using it for free. This is a great website, and I hope you all check it out!!
In Voicethread, you input pictures in order to tell a story. You can text to each picture and/or add your voice to tell the story. We showed an example that the literacy leader had created. We discussed that it would be a great thing to input a reader's theater into. For example...after the students had practiced their parts enough they could choose pictures from either clipart or google images, etc. Then, the students would record their parts into Voicethread to practice/showcase their fluency focus. In the end, the class would have an online story to view and listen to.
This is a free website, but the teacher must create a username and password. Also, there is a limit as to how many items you can have before having to pay; however, all you have to do is delete some to keep using it for free. This is a great website, and I hope you all check it out!!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Professional development
This past week the Literacy Leader and I have been starting to plan the professional development coming up this coming week. One of our main topics for the entire year is student engagement. And, of course one of the most common ways to engage students is through the use of technology. Luckily having technology available is not a problem at the school I am at. However, the problem is whether or not the teachers know how to use the technology. So, our job as the Literacy Leader and Literacy Coach is to lead the teachers through training on how to use the available technology with the hope they will carry it over into their classrooms. The first piece of technology we will be showing is the Smartboard. This is slightly overwhelming due to the fact that we have to be sure we know how to use the Smartboard before the training!! While I have used a Smartboard before, I would definitely not call myself an expert. However, I am a firm believer that you have to start somewhere.
As we were working with the Smartboard ourselves, we quickly became aware that the possibilities are endless!! This in itself can sometimes be overwhelming. We began to discuss that if we simply show way after way that the Smartboard can be used in the classroom, the teachers could quickly become overwhelmed and simply decide not to use the technology at all! So, in the end we decided to pick two different ways to use the Smartboard in the training. Then, we are planning to allow the teachers to have a while in their room to try out the two different options. As the teachers are practicing/experimenting we will be walking the halls offering help/suggestions where it is needed. Wish me luck for my first time giving not only a professional development session, but a training on a piece of technology!!
As we were working with the Smartboard ourselves, we quickly became aware that the possibilities are endless!! This in itself can sometimes be overwhelming. We began to discuss that if we simply show way after way that the Smartboard can be used in the classroom, the teachers could quickly become overwhelmed and simply decide not to use the technology at all! So, in the end we decided to pick two different ways to use the Smartboard in the training. Then, we are planning to allow the teachers to have a while in their room to try out the two different options. As the teachers are practicing/experimenting we will be walking the halls offering help/suggestions where it is needed. Wish me luck for my first time giving not only a professional development session, but a training on a piece of technology!!
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