Reflection 3, Week 4

Podcasts. What are they?

A brief introduction from jrhode at the Northern Illinois University on his YouTube site (8 mins).

Sorry it’s not as fun as some of last videos, unfortunately podcasting is still a reasonably new technology for many people. The main features of a podcast is the serialisation and episodic format of the content. This is a fantastic way for learners to get their information as well as teachers to post their information in a way for learners to get a really good idea across.

I have created an audio file that I shall incorporate into my blog here. It is about a topic I am very passionate about, Dungeons and Dragons, I have explained at the end of the blog my reason for doing a D&D podcasts as opposed to a podcast about graphics or IT.

You can find it here http://ken-brown88.podomatic.com/entry/2015-03-31T19_39_17-07_00

Understanding how podcasts can influence the way we teach is important. Merhi (2015) talks about in his article in Computers & Education how podcasts can be adopted into the teaching and learning process. Merhi states:

Podcasts usage helps institutions to serve their current students and to target those students who do not have the ability to attend regular classes. A recent report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project suggested that mobile technologies may contribute to reducing the “digital divide” (Smith, 2010)

Also regarding the difference for distance learners at a tertiary level, Merhi talks about the difference between a podcast, a broadcast that can be downloaded and listened to everywhere, and a webcast, a broadcast that must be connected to the internet.

Educational institutions from around the world have been acquiring m-learning technologies to better serve their students. Demand for m-learning products and services has been rapidly increasing (Adkins, 2011). The growth of m-learning tools and specifically podcasts in education attracted many researchers to examine different aspects related to these technologies. For instance, some researchers were mainly interested in examining the benefits of podcasting and how this new method can influence the performance of students (Jarvis & Dickie, 2010; O'Bannon, Lubke, Beard, & Britt, 2011). Shim, Shropshire, Park, Harris, and Campbell (2007) examined student's preferences of media delivery richness of communication media using podcasts and webcasts. The main difference between podcasts and webcasts is that the latter requires users to be connected to the internet while playing or viewing the webcast files (Shim et al., 2007). Shim et al. (2007) found that personalization and usability are two main factors that affect media use. They also found podcasts to be a better communication tool rather than webcasts. Fernandez, Simo, and Sallan (2009) analyzed the use of podcasting to enhance distance students' personal study. They argued that podcasting is a powerful tool to complement traditional educational resources but not a complete substitute for them. Kemp, Mellor, Kotter, and Oosthoek (2012) suggested that student-produced podcasts enhance engagement, competence in e-technologies, creativity, science communication skills and a broader understanding of the instructional content.

How can we as future educators incorporate this ICT tool into our classroom experiences? A good start would be to include them as an assessment tool. Most learners have access to a computer. This allows the learner to create absolutely everything. As with this course, a teacher can suggest that the learner install Audacity, a free recording and editing program off the internet and use this tool to create an audible assessment piece instead of an oral assessment in front of the class.

Another way of incorporating the podcast would be to supplement the classes that the learners go to. So a teacher could provide a ten to thirty minute podcast on the subject, which includes more topic specific information. As a learning tool podcasts already have a fantastic range by podcasters who have already made them. A teacher who is teaching ancient history focusing on Rome could direct the learners to go to http://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/ by Mike Duncan or more modern history and focusing on a revolution that happened, Mike Duncan is currently working his way through the French revolution, in detail at http://www.revolutionspodcast.com/.

Understandably, due to the time it takes for podcasts to be produced and posted it would be better for many of the teachers to develop their own podcasts for their students. Podcasts aren’t always going to be the answer to an ICT tool, remembering that students can learn through three mediums, audibly (through podcasts), visually (through images and text) and kinaesthetically (through the creation or doing of the task). However a combination of all three would be beneficial to all students.

Using the SAMR model we can create this table for how podcasts could be used in the classroom.

Podcasts in the SAMR model of teaching – Teaching area Graphics (Industrial Design)
Substitution	A substitution of the traditional class, lecture based. With links to readings and documentation on the Australian Standards.
Augmentation	Augmentation, the teacher talks through the process of designing an object. Using the Australian Standards as a guide, but guiding the student through designing the object on paper or more commonly in a Computer Aided Design program.
Modification	The teacher gets the students to write down their processes of designing the object, after refining the process that the student did get them to produce a podcast on the process of developing the object in a CAD program.
Redefinition	Every student is given instructions to write their podcasts and produce them, on top of that in a wiki site for each student, they post their podcast along with screenshots and snipped pictures of their design and how they did that. If the computers have a Camtasia style capturing program the student can talk through the design process and use this as an assessment piece, as a Vodcast (video podcast).

These are just some ideas that can be used for podcasts, which are fantastic for the learners to learn in their own time as well as the teachers to give information and mark on as well.

References

Jrhode. (2007, Jul 12). What is a podcast? [Video File]. Retrieved

       from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQFKNcdCdLM

Merhi, M. (2015). Factors influencing higher education students to adopt podcast:

       An empirical strudy. Computers & Education, 83, 32-43. Retrieved

       from http://www.sciencedirect.com/

Reflection 2, Week 3

A Reflection on Blogs as an ICT Learning/Teaching Tool

A blog is an interesting ICT tool. To introduce what a blog is, here is a video from WPME DEV (3 mins) 

A blog is constructed by generating the coding that is already available on the blogging place of choice. One could start from scratch, however many bloggers use a blogging site that just allows them to post without having to start from the basics of html coding. The two most popular blogging sites at the moment are BlogSpot, owned and run through google, and WordPress. These sites allow you to put in the post and formats the blog to your preferred customisation. Blogs are definitely customisable, for my own blog I use BlogSpot, also known as Blogger. I have circled here the customisation tools for this blogging site.

A blog space is like a scrapbook of old. It allows you to fill up the space anyway you like, and this time with movies and videos and music. The embed tool that many websites use in their multimedia allows you to copy that entire video without downloading it and putting it into your blog, referencing it is a nice way of appreciating the content creator. In the classroom blogs are a fantastic way of getting the class to interact with the course materials as well as things that they find on their own. By encouraging a blog in the classroom it allows the students to think about the topic as critically as they want to. I have built this small matrix below using the SAMR model for web design (specifically HTML coding) on how blogs could be used in the classroom.

Blogs in the SAMR model of teaching – Teaching area Information Technology (Web Design)
Substitution	A substitution of tradition reading material. The teacher provides the reading materials on their blog, maybe a pdf of the activity worksheet for the students to print out. A print out of a guide to building an html website.
Augmentation	Augmentation, the teacher links in other blogs, small readings on html building. Maybe a short tutorial video. There could be a comment section where students who have found other materials could link them into the comments.
Modification	The teacher gives an interactive activity on the design of websites. Linking to a website builder that provides information on coding. The blog could have an interactive element where the students are encouraged to upload images into the comments for the class to insert them into a website in the classroom. The teacher encourages the students to use their own blogs to reflect on their design and the design of others in their class, without being needlessly critical, using the snipping tool to highlight good ideas and areas of encouragement.
Redefinition	Every student is given instructions to write their blogs in the html section of their blogs. With screenshots of them doing so. They are encouraged to build html coding outside of the blog and then upload the folder to the blog. Guiding the students to use their own images or reference them correctly, the teacher can give an idea on how to build a website from scratch. A link to code that is broken and giving the task of getting the students to fix the broken code and re-uploading the fixed code onto their blogs.

Blogs should be at least given the opportunity to be in the transformation section of the SAMR model and it gives the students the tools to be confident in the use of blogs. Under the enhancement sections of the SAMR model we look at how a blog just really replaces the old media of teaching. A blog will become a place to read a section of a text book, or a collaboration of links to readings and maybe a video. Under the Transformative section of SAMR it allows students to explore their topic in their own words and works.

A model of how Enhancement SAMR blogs are is really the CQUniversity Moodle site. Lecturers are given a space to place their readings and links to readings and other places. However in the Transformative section of SAMR, Moodle has the forums, the section for assignments. It allows the students to be contacted directly by the lecturers, and to open the discussion on a topic.

For blogs in a secondary school setting, can educators look at using it as an assessment tool? This is a place where you time stamp everything, and can be seen to be beneficial in the long run. Allowing students to flesh out their ideas. Just as this cohort are doing now, being asked to reflect on certain topics weekly, so can students in schools, obviously marking will be different as schools to post-graduate studies are a completely different kettle of fish.

On this topic, of the three ICT tools introduced this week, the cohort has been asked to reflect on the following questions.

Blogs and wikis are often not allowed or blocked in most schools – what are your thoughts on that?

 (Voki transcript)Another reason they may ban or block blogs and wikis is the new phenomenon of cyber-bullying. However again, it is up to the educators to teach the etiquette of using the internet correctly, and then monitor the use of a sanctioned blog or wiki. So if the educator gets a class to start a blog, it is up to the educator to monitor every student’s blog and then counsel students who use it for bullying or inappropriate actions.









A PMI on Blogs and Wikis

The use of blogs and wikis in schools
Plus (The Positives)	Minus (The Negatives)	Interesting (Neither +/-)
An interactive space for students to pass on information and other interesting aspects of learning Gives the students the freedom to express opinions on certain topics Increases their literacy skills of reading and writing Blogs can block comments allowing the students to feel in control of their opinions, without ridicule Encourages students to look beyond Wikipedia and good for information	The internet has some dark places filled with people who are all too willing to corrupt spaces that educators use Can give students a place where cyber-bullying can occur if not monitored correctly A reliance on technology, if the power goes out will they be willing to go back to a book? Unfettered use can lead to NSFW items being placed on students personal blogs	Facilitates a learning environment between teacher and student that otherwise may not happen Gives the students and teachers a look into each other’s ideas that time may not give

What sort of learning strategies would suit this type of Communication tool?

The learning strategies that could be suitable for this type of communication tool (blogging) would be the visual/audible styles of learning. It also supports the behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism. The learning strategy of de Bono’s Thinking hats can be incorporated into a blog, by getting the students to use the hats in their blogs they may thing critically about a topic.

Overall blogs are a fantastic way of getting information to the learners.

In school, many teachers have achieved new performance goals by using teaching blogs. For example, some teaching blogs have been used to solve problems directly or to explain a concept more clearly with a combination of words and pictures or videos. Other teaching blogs have been employed for classroom management, for sharing photographs and broadcasting class activities, and for teachers to communicate and interact effectively with students and parents. (Chen, Lai, Ho, 2015, p. 237)

What does this mean? Some learners respond to the two major learning functions of a blog, visually and audibly. By using a blog that has both functions you could include the kinaesthetic function of learning by incorporating an individual activity that can be completed at home. I have placed an idea in the Redefinition of my SAMR table above.

How can we make blogs an integral part of the learning process? I understand that some educators will be apprehensive in their adoption of blogs, indeed all three of the ICT tools introduced this week. However by sticking with things that worked only five years ago educators are being left behind by their students.

In the end we have to look to web 2.0 as the future of teaching, not only will we as educators benefit, our learners will benefit as well as the workplaces that they are going into. Given the option to find new and exciting ways to integrate these sorts of tools into our workplace, I will always try to find the most effective learning tool out there.

References

Chen, C., Lai, H., Ho, C. (2015). Why do teachers continue to use teaching blogs? The roles

             of perceived voluntariness and habit. Computers & Education, 82, 236-249.

             Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/

WMPU DEV. (2013, Jul 6). What is a Blog? [Video File]. Retrieved

             from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjwUHXoi8lM

Reflection 1; Week 2

de Bono's Hat Wiki

This week our cohort was tasked with interacting with the Mobile Phones wiki. The link here is to the site, if you are part of the cohort and haven’t given your opinions I would do so now, if you are a general reader please just observe, thank you. http://debonoshats.wikispaces.com/

By introducing de Bono’s hats I will use it here to discuss my own personal thoughts on the design and experience of using the wiki.

How to Learn

Learning Theory and Week 1 Experiences

Know your Learner

Firstly we have been tasked to look at learners and how they learn.

To begin we'll look at Crash Course's Psychology #4 - Meet Your Master: Getting to Know Your Brian, (2014) (12mins)

First Post

G'day readers,

Welcome to my blog, Ken Teaches 2015. I have set this up to talk about my personal reflections and ideas about the Information Communication Technology for Learning Design course at CQUniversity and hopefully into my teaching career this year and even beyond.

So for now I'll just get back to class.

Ken

EDIT: Also, as I have just been asked already if you have any multimedia queries for this course I will try to help as best I can. Because, hey, we're all in this together.