I remember when I first heard about Podcasts. I was working as a student worker in the admissions college of my undergrad and the assistant director was trying to explain podcasts and how they would be such a cool addition to the website. Me and two of the other student workers were not getting it. I specifically remember thinking no one is going to listen to a podcast or watch short videos on the internet! I clearly was wrong on both accounts.
Using podcasts, videos, and other similar technologies can be useful when used sparingly and when it makes the most sense. I think videos and podcasts are the set of technologies are the highest risk for instructors using technologies just for the sake of using technoligy and not adding to instruction in anyway. Video and Audio is becoming easier to use and I think some instructors can be get excited to use it but if the assignment is ill fit with the subject it can just become cumbersome to the students.
There is also the problem of unless the student is very meticulous about taking it down then those videos and podcasts are out there on the internet for anyone to find. This causes some privacy issues for many. When I was looking for instructor to interview I had the first person back out because they were not willing to have the information they shared be so public. I could also not find one that would be willing to be video taped because of it was on the blog.
One great thing about blogs and podcasts are there is some great information and it is a nice change up from reading if the instructor uses what is available on the internet. It also makes is more portable and easier to get the infomation done. For example, while filing at work, I was able to listen to most of the podcasts. I do this a lot and have often wished that I would be able to get an audio version of assigned readings for while I am in the car, filing, or exercising. It certainly would ease up the amount of time I spend reading! Especially since I already listen to podcasts from NPR and This American Life while I am doing those things.
I hope your interviews projects are all going well!
PS Here is a link to my favorite This American Life. If you like short stories these are very entertaining and will make any hour go faster.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYou make two great points; one, about the public nature of videos and podcasts and two, the ability to use time like driving or exercising to listen to a podcast.
The first issue can be troublesome if the person you want to video or audiotape is not willing to allow their talk to be placed on a public domain like the Internet. This cannot only limit what you can share but it limits who can have the opportunity to experience it. If a teacher gives a wonderful lecture or a speaker gives a must hear talk but they won't agree to have it placed in a public domain, the general public gets cheated in a sense out of experiencing the event. I think most people are getting more comfortable with this idea but not everyone is there yet.
As a runner, I take full advantage of listening to my favorite podcast or eBook while I run. I find it not only helps me pass the time, particularly on those long runs, but I am also more attentive and focused on listening when I am in an active mode.
Great points!
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYou touched on some very good points. First, I can relate to your initial thoughts about podcasts. I think it goes along with the general reluctance people have to new technology. Most people don’t anticipate the future application, since they are focused on the here and now. I have to admit that I fall into the category of people who want to make sure a technology has been tried and proven before I adopt it. I ran across a website that demonstrates this, specifically with educators (though it is a bit dated) - http://www.fno.org/sum99/reluctant.html. I did not realize until reading King & Cox (2011) that podcasting began in the independent music industry in 2004. I can also relate to your comment about your interviewer being leery of having information posted on the world wide web. Fortunately, my interviewer simply modified her content, based upon the fact it would be public. She was not able to discuss specific uses that involved particular faculty members. Nonetheless, I think it turned out fine.
References:
Reaching the reluctant teacher (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fno.org/sum99/reluctant.html
West, J. and West, M. (2009). Using Wikis for Online Collaboration: The Power of the Read-Write Web. Kindle Edition
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI like your points on privacy concerns. Too often this can limit a person's inhibition. I am not sure but the generational divide may lessen some of these concerns as younger people don't seem to have the same privacy concerns for podcasts. But I agree with you 100% the concern over leaving old podcasts on the Net, seemingly for a very indefinite period. Also, Cox and King also do make mention of the fact, I believe chapters 4 and 5, of copyrights, etc. This could also apply to podcasts.
Did you consider some of the benefits of podcasting though? Adds a personal dimension to a course if executed properly. Sometimes on these DL courses the personal element is missing. I have found this to be my own personal experience for this course and I know other studies (I need to look these up) also back-up this point that DL students benefit from viewing other students and the prof.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI think most people in the class have been agreeing on the great uses of audio, video and podcasts in adult learning situations. I was in the same boat as you when it came to finding someone to interview for this week’s project; as soon as I mentioned taping the interview, they pulled back.
I finally got a hold of someone that said I could tape the interview, but before the interview started he said it was fine to turn in to the professor as a project but he would not give me permission to use his recorded voice in a public forum like a blog. So I had to alter my project a little and do an overview of the interview. I think a few other classmates ran into this issue of privacy concerns.
The guy I interviewed said he would have had to get written permission from the university if I would have wanted to put something where the public could access it. I had not really thought about that part of it, but mentioning his name and the school he worked for was basically making him a spokesman for that school. This was always big issue in the military and I understand why.