Module 5

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

Watch if you dare!

Well, this podcasting adventure has proven quite daunting. I have literally spent days trying to "embed" a vodcast into this blog, and I will be the first to admit that my selection is not particularly educational - far too 'arty' and with no narration [ but clever film technique/technical wizzardry nonetheless]. And you've got off lightly - it could well have been the one on men's crocheting !!

It occurs to me that there are a great many 'out there' podcasts out there. The range is just mind-boggling - they vary hugely in the quality of their content and in the quality of production. I would have thought that having a prepared script and some rehearsal time would pay dividends.

Whilst I am sadly MP3 challenged, too poor to drive an iphone, and can but dream of possessing a PDA, I am able to access podcasts only via computer. Hence I have no way to experience the most popular method of podcast delivery to an audience. I found podcasts were quite slow to download to computer.

Value in education ?

The value of podcasts seems to rest largely in their capacity to deliver information to portable devices, yet interestingly there is evidence to show that the majority of students in fact access their podcasts from a computer or at home. (Deal,http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/resources/PublicationsArchives/StudiesWhitepapers/Podcasting_Jun07.pdf). 

Podcasts will be meaningless in the educational field if they have no learning objectives associated with them.

Lectures are the obvious choice for podcast content in the educational setting. Students could catch up on missed lessons, access additional material for extension work or replay to ensure understanding.

For podcasts to be most successful I think the students themselves should produce them to be shared with other students. For example, a class testing the load-carrying capacity of bridges which they built in class could create a podcast along with comments as a teaching tool.

Because listening can be, for some students, more attractive or less tedious and difficult than reading, podcasts may provide an avenue to better understanding. They would be useful in providing book reviews, especially by their peers; for interviews, to talk about research or group productions, to respond to literature. 

Comments made on other blogs:


Well Jo,
You are real trailblazer! Of course the nature of your subject lends itself so very readily to the podcast medium too. Go girl!

Cath

Hi Helen,

I note your warning about unsuitable content in many youtube downloads. I think we should be very careful in their use as their origin is often suspicious and their educational purpose is not always clear and is sometimes downright misleading.

You're flying along,

Cath

Module 4

[ Image courtesy of Flickr ]

My friend Flickr...

I've been playing around in Flickr all day. I managed to create an account, create a buddy icon, set up a profile and levels of security, and I even managed to allow access to my photos using Creative Commons. I viewed the map feature. I have uploaded some photos, given them tags, titles and descriptions, seen how to crop and rotate them when necessary, and then organised them into sets. I have run these as a slideshow and shown them off to a friend. I am very chuffed.
Here's one of my efforts:

Educational application?

Flickr is easy to recommend for personal use. How could it be used in the school setting?

Upside:

1. Huge range of images for students to access anytime they are required e.g. in presentations, posters

2. Visual Arts students can upload their own work, label images with hot spots by using the add notes option, engage in critical analysis via the comment section, identify art vocabulary within images etc.etc.

3. Geography and Science students could make records of excursions and add notes, and incorporate the use of the map feature 

4. Provides an opportunity for a wider feedback to students about their work

5. Could be used to illustrate the concept of copyright and intellectual rights.

Downside:

1. Tags: Because these are generated by the community, they are subject to the mis­takes of the users who enter them. I understand that there are over 1,000 entries for Mexcio. So if you're looking for Mexico, you will miss quite a few!

2. Copyright: Flickr seems to run a self-regulatory/honesty system for copyright violations, and there are ample opportunities for invasions of privacy by anyone who wishes to do so.

3. Videos can be no longer than 90 seconds - perhaps there are better places to save them anyway.

4. As Flickr is hosted by a commercial enterprise [Yahoo], anything placed there will be subject to that company's continued viability. Nothing is forever.

Comments posted on other blogs:

Hi Jay,

As you know, copyright is a big issue in my line - librarianship. Whilst we'd all love to just go open slather, helping ourselves, it is important to be aware of the legalities of ownership. As member of Flickr, we too are placing our material, our intellectual property, at the mercy of the globe. We can perhaps discuss this with students when they upload their images and when they access other's work.

Cheers
Cath 

Module 3

Ah, the best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley..... I had great visions of working my way stolidly through a few more modules in this Easter break. Technology has let me down - PC does not seem to show all the options when composing blog posts, I cannot find fellow bloggers list any more on the Myclasses course page to comment on their ideas, and when I switch to compose on my laptop, I lose access to the course entirely as I can't even log in!!!!    

Anyhow...Google docs was a revelation. It looks invaluable for quick and simple collaborative work. To work on documents in real time, having control over what you see, eliminating any confusion about updates and versions with all the documents having one 'home', a single place for editing and saving should prove a godsend. Email uploading and downloading issues will be a thing of the past, with the ease of access to one's documents from any internet connection. Added features of docs include presentations and spreadsheets I understand, but I've not trialled them yet. Another feature which may be use for some teachers is the capability to track visits, to check on who has accessed the documents. A tour of the templates feature left me somewhat dazed - there are thousands of them, in many languages, of limited use for students other than perhaps some business plans, resumes and questionnaires which could be adapted for educational use. I'm not sure that these cannot be accessed just as readily via Google main site.

I shared a document with a co-worker and was able to make and track alterations . I see this being especially useful for collaborative work between teachers in designing their programmes, and in the preparation of documents for publication. As one of several support editors to the indefatigable Editor of our College's annual publication,I can envisage Google docs and in particular its ability to compare text files, will prove a real boon. Students could make much use of docs in collaborative compositions and group presentations, whereas currently it is a physical difficulty all cramming around one computer. I find docs is more reliable than sending emails from home to work  - but with one major drawback. Whilst it was designed as a text utillity, Google docs has a low upload limit which may impact on some presentations. Perhaps this will be increased in later versions. 



Comments on other blogs:

Congratulations, Brett

You've mastered the docs spreadsheet feature. I hadn't considered the possible usefulness of docs for revision and notes sharing during school holidays - means more work for the teachers too if you include them in the loop. So what's new?

You're motoring ahead.
Cheers
Cath

Module 2

 

Well, as I hope you can see, I have been playing around in the

vast virtual void, searching for interesting print presentation styles and alluring images. Unfortunately, I have observed that this can become a high priority for some students, taking precedence over content and consuming much of their allocated time. 

Blogging has many applications in education: it can involve and engage young minds, inititate discussion and a sharing of ideas. It offers instant feedback and by maintaining an archive of comments, it provides a history of the conversation. It can become another mode of delivery for resources, providing a central source for a variety of mediums - a combination of videos, slideshows and text. I am sure that students will take a greater care and pride in their work when it is published as a blog.

Being especially interested in young adult fiction and encouraging reading, I think the use of blogs would enhance the reading experience for many students. Some are quite reticent/shy or too committed to other activities to attend regular meetings, whereas they would feel less anxious in contributing to a blog about their reading. It also offers an equal voice to each participant, something which may not always happen in "live" discussions where some tend to dominate. It also allows time for reflection, where meetings have scheduled time parameters.

Comments posted on other blogs:

Hi Anne,

Whilst I cannot agree about the addictiveness of blogging, I concur with your observation on the enthusiasm it engenders. This will surely be reflected in our students' approach and will hopefully mean that the pride they will take in seeing their work on such public display will mean more engaged learning.
Keep plugging away...
Cath