This is an excellent paper on podcasting and useful for novice and expert alike. For the beginner there is a brief exploration about what podcasting is, what it stands for and what’s so special about it. This is then followed by a discussion relating to context of use (preparation material, recording in class lecture). the article refers and makes use of data provided through institutions engaged in researching this area. Some good ideas for teaching with podcasts and a nice refreshing emphasis on student authored podcasting as a learning experience. Good stuff.

On the perceived concern over students missing lectures: “Most students perceive lecture podcasts as a tool for review, rather than as a replacement for attending lectures (Malan, 2007). A small percentage of students indicate that the availability of recorded lectures might make them more likely to miss class, but none of the studies we reviewed report a significant impact on overall attendance (Brittain, Glowacki, Van Ittersum, and Johnson, 2006; Lane, 2006; Malan, 2007).”

On improved performance: “Many students who use recorded lectures for review believe the practice has a positive impact on their performance. In the UM study, 85% of survey respondents who used the lecture archives believed it had a positive effect on exam grades (Brittain et al., 2006). Learning outcomes and”.

“But one of the most surprising findings from these studies—and the most consistently reported—is that a majority of students report using lecture podcasts at home or on a computer, rather than in a mobile environment with a portable device. ” This echoes findings from a recent study by UHs’ Trevor Barker. I’m not that surprised but would be interested in seeing whether lectures are listened to on iPods and the like for those students who have to commute over great distances. But concentrating on these findings does miss the point. Whether students live on or near or far from campus the key element with regards to podcasting is that we are providing flexibility and choice of learning. Mobile learning in its true sense.

In relation to the above “From these studies, we have learned that RSS subscription is a convenient way to download frequently published material, and its availability increases the likelihood that students will download audio/video lecture files.”. This subscription element is the very essence of podcasting.

And on student created podcasting and developing learning communities: “At various points in the semester, students were required to produce a “podcast pair” (two 5-minute podcasts). In the first podcast, the student read a brief passage from a novel. In the second, the student was instructed to provide “discussion of that passage: why the student chose it, what details were most important, what themes and issues the passage raised, and how the passage related to the rest of the novel” All students were then required to listen to several of their classmates’ podcasts related to the current reading assignment before coming to class.”.

“In other words, their goals for the podcast assignments were not only for the students to read, analyze, and comment on the readings, but also for them to engage in a dialogue with their peers.”.

Obviously a great deal more is covered in the paper. Worth reading!

Web Link

By Lyndsay Elliott.

Brief press release on one Uni’s use of podcasting. Worth noting for the emphasis on using podcasts to provide supplimentary or preparation material and so freeing up class time for social based learning activities.

“It will also allow professors more time for in-class activities, instead of lectures. “I find a lot of times I run out of time, and I can use the podcasts to do supplemental things,” Thomas said. “It saves time for more face-to-face and hands-on activities in the classroom.”"

Web Link

It’s still amazes me the amount, variety and format of information one can come across on the net these days. This is quite simply a transcription of a seminar of the educational uses of podcasting (held at ELI Annual Conference in Atlanta, 2007). Nonetheless the ideas,centering around the inverted classroom, on future use and curriculum design are very interesting, (particularly on the final page).

““Inverted classroom”: Usually a student’s ‘ah ha’s’ happen after the class session, but if students view the lecture prior to coming to the class, the ‘ah ha’s’ can occur during class.”.

And for when content is precasted prior to the lecture the possible consequences are:
“What will happen inside the class now:
o Students will be coming to class with questions.
o Synthesis can occur in class.
o Students can contribute to the content of the course.
o Students can build upon the lectures.”

Web Link

For information really. An interview with Robert Craven, education technology coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education in California. The focus is on student produced podcast at school level.

“In the upper grades, students are beginning to produce weekly podcast reviews of the content they studied during the week, which are then being used for review throughout the year. Students are using iPods to interview community members and create oral histories, including images.”.

Web Link

Again brief but some good points.The lecturer essentially precasts the lecture content in which course material is released in audio format prior to class room contact time. The idea is that the students are able to prepare beforehand and arrive at class with a basic understanding of the subject to be covered. They can then engage with the content at a deeper level through socially-based instructional methods such as discussion.

““It all works great together,” said senior Anthony Castellane, one of Salas’ students. “You have her voice so you can understand different emotions — if something’s more important or more of a side note — and there’s only so much you can cover in an hour and a half of class.””.

“Salas reported that the energy in her class has greatly increased since she started using podcasts, with more students participating in discussions, and the quality of work is higher.”.

But I don’t agree with the final statement: ““It’s not just as easy as putting a tape recorder in front of somebody and snapping your fingers,” according to Derloshon.”. It IS easy. Just use a digital voice recorder to produce the audio file. The LMS (in UH case this is StudyNet) will handle the rest.

Web Link

By Brian Lee

Brief article on podcasting. Worth a look if you’re new to podcasting or just getting started. Always of interest are the quotes from both staff and students.

“”The students really enjoyed it,” he said. “It kind of raised the level of the classroom discussion having it recorded.”"

Worth noting is the delineation between different disciplines and their video and audio needs: “History and economics podcasts, with more narrative talks, are the most frequently downloaded, Greenberg said. For video broadcasts, students prefer computer science and engineering courses the most, perhaps due to the importance of equations on the blackboard, he said.”..

Web Link

By Erin Feese.

Short new report on school level podcasting in association with blogging. In terms of the podcasting benefits: “”…it’s a great way to incorporate lessons and relate it personally in our lives – in a context we are familiar with,” she said. “It goes beyond perusing a textbook or taking notes and creates a new way to study.”".

And in terms of bringing the student and tutor closer: “”This is the most valuable class I’ve ever taken because of the way Mr. Ronscavage teaches. He’s not some distant adult you can’t relate to.”".

Web Link

Entering the blogosphere

By Matt Perkins

Brief and I mean very brief article on using blogs at schools. Check out their blog here. It only has 6 entries but the real strength is demonstrated through the comments facility where students add their own observations to the topic. Worth noting that these are 5th grade students.

Web Link

Great article on podcasting written by a student and focused on the student perspective. Particular interest is podcasting in terms of students creating their own podcasts and hence engaging in writing their own learning material.

On the advantages of podcasted lectures: “”Reviewing came in handy, they all say, especially during project or exam times. “[With the podcasts], I’ve got more material to go back to if I wanted to review that module,” Clemen says. “Whereas with the rest of the material, I just have some PowerPoint and my own notes.”.

On involving podcasts as part of in-class instruction: “The key, she says, was that the supplemental podcasts were relevant to the course and the course material. Since the digital material was discussed in class, the students placed value on the podcasts, which became an integral part of the course.”.

On the issue of non attendence (in which students miss class on the assumption they can pick things up through the podcast): “”It was nice to know that if you missed class, you could record the lectures,” she says. “But the iPod didn’t encourage you to miss class. There’s not a chalkboard that you can see or problems that you can see worked out. I think more people show up in a [podcasting] course because it encourages more interaction.” The idea that students would stop showing up to class is “bogus,” Lucic says. “It’s been exactly the opposite,” he says. “I’ve seen attendance increase, mostly because the podcasting has generated interest and enthusiasm. We’re doing interesting, technology-based things in the course.” “.

On student created podcasts: “I would never compare [podcasting] to any paper,” says Vickery. “It’s much better than writing a paper. It’s more interesting, much more fun, and much more creative. You get a lot of time to work on it, and it’s more collaborative because you’re working with other people. You’re creating the performance as you go and then continuously working on it.” Creating a podcast didn’t mean less work, he says. There was editing, song selection, rehearsals, and scriptwriting. But it did mean interacting with the material on a much more intimate level.”.

On videocasting (Vodcasting) and ‘bloopers’: “Throughout the semester, he asks students to craft video podcasts, six to ten minutes long, that recap key lessons from the week. The first group, he says, started by simply reading a script to the class. As the weeks went on, the students discovered new features—screenshots, music editing, PowerPoint slides—and each subsequent podcast incorporated past elements and new ideas. By the end, the students were even tacking on “blooper” reels to get a few laughs.”.

On the benefits of students creating the teaching material through creating podcasts: “”As a student creating the podcasts, I had the chance to learn a lot more than I would have taking a course,” she says. “It’s about learning how to teach the material and how to make a narration out of it. You have this intimate knowledge of the material, and now you know how to show the different sides of an issue.”". And also:”"When you know other people are going to be listening to your programs and those people are just as knowledgeable as you, it makes you really know your stuff and do all the research,” Wheeler says. “You can’t just throw stuff out there for fun.”".

And to wrap things up : “For the professors who have implemented podcasting technology, the most common concern they hear from their peers is that students will stop showing up to class if the material is downloadable. In reality, they say, the opposite is true. The trick, students say, is to make sure that there is something to gain by attending class and downloading the lecture. Podcasts should add a new perspective or offer supplemental material. If lectures are podcast, faculty should use classroom time to facilitate discussion, demonstrate models, or simulate problems. “You’re going to gain something out of the classroom experience—it’s that personal lecture experience,” says Maier. “You get comments from other individuals, and examples are brought to the table by other parts of the class.”"

There’s a lot more, see the link below:

Web Link

“Podcasting Also Popular Among 35-54 Year Olds and Higher-Income and Better-Educated Consumer Segments”.

Okay, so this does not relate entirely to educational podcasts but I thought I’d post here out of interest.

“An analysis of the iTunes podcasting audience revealed that males represented a significantly larger share (63 percent) of the audience than did females (37 percent). In addition, 18-24 year olds represented a substantial share of the audience (29 percent) and were more than twice as likely as the average Internet user to download podcasts. People between the ages of 35-54 represented about half of the podcasting audience and were also more likely than average to download podcasts.”

Tiny report of using podcasting. Interesting because this is from the perspective of students producing podcasts. It’s school level stuff but something to bear in mind as in the next few years these students will be entering HE.

“Bissell has several ideas that he wants to suggest to the class, including an interview with the oldest person in their family, tutorials on how to repair or construct something, and a video of their favorite hobby.”

Full article