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Wednesday 11 January 2017

The effectiveness of both using and creating podcast / vodcast in compulsory educational settings.  





It is clear to see that the effectiveness of technological innovations is extremely common for teaching and learning in today’s society. Mobile learning using podcasting and vodcasting are becoming more popular and provides lots of educational benefits. However, it can also be argued that some teachers have trouble implementing these skills in order to teach the children as they have not had experience using these tools (Deoksoon, 2014). Practice is needed to ensure the teaching skills are still effective for children to learn and enhance their knowledge through the use of technology.

This is our attempt of making a podcast. As you can see it is not the best quality which proves that practice is needed to ensure it is at a high standard.

https://youtu.be/eTAvZGkFcFI

References

Deoksoon,K, Seung, J. (2014). Dialogic Practices in using Podcasting and Blogging as teaching tools for teachers seeking Esol Certificate. Journal of Educational Computing Research. 51 (2), p205-232.

Kim, D. (2009a). Innovative educational technology in your classroom in a global context. Essential Teacher, 6(1), 37-39.

13 comments:

  1. I agree that the use of podcasts and vodcasts within education is benefical to a student’s learning and engagement. According to Vygotsky, learning is not an issue of just the human mind; instead, learning occurs through the sharing of ideas with others, and social interaction with others, where previous knowledge is modified or reconstructed (Lin & Sun, 2004). Podcasts and vodcasts can be used within education to ensure the students are able to share, develop, modify and reconstruct their knowledge and ideas (Özdener and Güngör, 2010).

    Although the use of podcasts and vodcasts is beneficial to education, there are some obvious issues. The most difficult part of creating a podcast is learning how to use the editing software that enhances, edits mistakes, and changes the order of recordings needed for the podcast. Learning how to do this, takes both time and effort (Sprague and Pixley, 2008). We, as a group, experienced the issue of editing when we attempted to create a podcast. However, once this is learned, the editing process is very easy to do, which may offset this issue.

    References:

    Lin, S. S. J ve Sun C-T (2004). A Network-Based Design Environment For Collaborative Learning.International Journal Of Instructional Media, 31 (2), 151-166

    Özdener, N and Güngör, Y. (2010). Effects of video podcast technology on peer learning and project quality. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2 (2), 2217–2221.

    Sprague, D and Pixley, C. (2008). Podcasts in Education: Let Their Voices Be Heard. Computers in the Schools. 25 (3-4), 226-234.

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    1. I agree with Jenna in regards to podcasts and vodcasts being beneficial for a socially constructivist approach to learning. As supported by Vygotsky’s Constructivist Social Learning Theory, it is recognised that a student with low self-esteem would have difficulty socialising and sharing ideas with others and therefore would feel more comfortable creating a podcast/vodcast (Poore, 2016; Bruning et al, 2011). They could create their own presentation from the comfort of their home without feeling the pressure of having their peers watching them. Additionally, this approach could improve the students’ self-esteem as it would remove them from their comfort zone as they would be sharing their interests and ideas with others, which would also increase their self-confidence and encourage meaningful learning (Lowman, 2014).

      Bruning, R.H., Schraw, G. J. and Norby, M.M. (2011) Cognitive Psychology and Instruction (5th Ed.). Boston: Pearson.
      Lowman, J. (2014). Exploring the Use of Podcasts and Vodcasts: Multimedia Tools for Word Learning. Computers in the Schools, 31(4), 251-270.
      Poore, M. (2016). Using Social Media in the Classroom. London: Sage.

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  2. I believe that the video that we have created, is a great was of showing that podcasts and vodcasts are a simple way of integrating media into lessons. The effectiveness of podcasts and vodcasts from a general perspective, stems from its simplicity, flexibility and its time saving for all learners (O’bannon et al, 2011). From personal experiences, when completing my GCSE’s, my history teacher created engaging vodcasts, as a form of revision for his classes. From a student’s perspective, this made learning easier and more memorable. For students, creating the pod casts and vodcasts can be just as effective as watching or listening to them. In a recent study (Kay, 2012), considered that students acquire information through collaborating with others and investigating to gain new ideas. Allowing children to create their own podcasts and vodcasts could inevitably improve their team building and communication skills.

    References:

    Kay, R. (2012) ‘Exploring the use of video podcasts in education: A comprehensive review of the literature’, Computers in Human Behavior, 28(3), pp. 820-831.

    O’bannon, B.W., Lubke, J.K., Beard, J.L., Britt, V.G. (2011) ‘Using podcasts to replace lecture: Effects on student achievement’, Computers & Education, 57(3), pp. 1885-1892.

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    1. I completely agree that podcasts and vodcasts are a simple and effective way of integrating media into lessons. Podcasts can be used as learning tools in a variety of different ways. Teachers are able to allow their students to subscribe to and access podcasts created by others, teachers can create their own podcasts for his/her students to use, and teachers can have students create their own podcasts to develop and share their knowledge (Sprague and Pixley, 2008).

      Podcasts are especially effective with students learning English as a second language (ESL). Teachers are able to use podcasts to increase a student’s exposure to English at home, and in school (Sprague and Pixley, 2008). ESL students can also listen to podcasts for support in pronunciation, and understanding of key phrases and words (Scutter, Stupans, Sawyer & King, 2010; Morgan, H, 2015). This demonstrates a simple and effective way of integrating media into lessons, and potential homework.

      Morgan, H. (2015). Focus on Technology: Creating and Using Podcasts Promotes Student Engagement and Learning. Childhood Education. 91 (1), 71-73.

      Scutter, S, Stupans, I, Sawyer, T, & King, S. (2010). How do students use podcasts to support learning? Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2), 180-191.

      Sprague, D and Pixley, C. (2008). Podcasts in Education: Let Their Voices Be Heard. Computers in the Schools. 25 (3-4), 226-234.

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  3. From a teacher perspective, vodcasts especially are a pedagogical tool and a positive advancement for making learning more effective. Podcasts and vodcasts can be shown in lessons to simplify or stimulate cognitive thinking for certain topics. Podcasts enable teachers to focus on a ‘discrete issue’ that students may have struggled with in the past and break down topics to make sure students fully comprehend (Fisher, Exley and Ciobanu, 2014).

    The video below emphasis's the benefits of using podcasts and vodcasts as a teacher and setting them as pre-lesson tasks. By developing an understanding of what the lesson is focused on, makes both the teaching and the learning for students easier and more effective.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPAoiUM9JZs

    Reference:

    Fisher, A., Exley, K., Ciobanu, D. (2014) Using Technology to Support Learning and Teaching. Routledge.

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    1. I agree that podcasts are a positive advancement for making learning more effective. Podcasts can be used to advance problem-solving skills for students. Problem-solving podcasts are designed to explain, articulate and assist students in learning how to solve specific problems within mathematics, science, and engineering (Hay, 2012). By using podcasts and vodcasts within education, students are able to access learning when, where, and at a pace they wanted. This makes their learning much more effective.
      However, from personal experience, if a teacher had gave me the freedom to access my learning where, and when i wanted, i would procrastinate and leave my work until last minute. This would later result in the work not being completed, and me falling behind with my school work. This may be the case with other students, and therefore, podcasts can be seen as a negative to teaching and learning.

      Reference:
      Hay, R.H. (2012). Exploring the use of video podcasts in education: A comprehensive review of the literature. Computers in Human Behavior. 28 (3), 820-831.

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    2. I agree with Jenna in regards to the overuse of podcasts and vodcasts leading to lack of focus and interest in attending actual lectures and seminars in which the most useful information could be provided. The difference between a podcast and attending a lecture is that questions can be asked during lectures which would help you understand topics in more depth, whereas with listening to podcasts, questions cannot be asked unless the tutor is emailed. This takes time which some students may not have if leaving work until last minute (Morgan, 2015).

      Morgan, H. (2015). Focus on Technology: Creating and Using Podcasts Promotes Student Engagement and Learning. Childhood Education, 91(1), 71-73.

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  4. New technologies are continuing to create excitement for educators but also concern as they are constantly having to explore new ways of learning to use and integrate these into their teaching. There are a number of benefits to educational podcasting/ vodcasting as already mentioned, however it is also important to highlight the limitations they bring to the educational environment. One being, it can possibly be a cognitive overload for some children as those who are using multiple resources for learning already, will possibly not want to use an additional resource. Especially if they are comfortable in the way they learn, such as using textbooks and PowerPoints. If teachers and children do not see the benefits of the characteristics of podcasts then it is more than likely it will be a contributor to cognitive overload (Mayer, 2001). Additionally, another disadvantage is the fact that if teachers/lecturers upload their podcasts online then it is easy for children/students to access these at home resulting absences from class. This is more likely to occur at universities other than at schools (Weatherly,J. N, 2002).

    References
    Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multi-Media Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Stephen M. Walls, John V. Kucsera, Joshua D. Walker a, Taylor W. Acee, Nate K. McVaugh, Daniel H. Robinson. (2010). Podcasting in education: Are students as ready and eager as we think they are. Computers and Education. 54 (1), p371-378.

    Weatherly, J. N., Grabe, M., & Arthur, E. I. L. (2002). Providing introductory psychology students access to lecture slides via Blackboard 5: A negative impact on performance. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 31(4), 463–474.

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    1. Podcasts and vodcasts can be beneficial for distance learning, particularly for university students as tutors can create podcasts for students which contain major points from a particular module on a course. This would be beneficial for both students and tutors as the podcast could be accessed online, saving the time and effort of attending a plenary lecture at the end of term. Also, the information would be easily accessible at any point for students. Furthermore, podcasts could be used for missed lectures, note taking and preparing for assessments (Copley, 2007; Fose and Mehl, 2007). However, there is a risk of over using podcasts which is a negative as it could lead students to have poor attendance and engagement with lectures which could have a detrimental effect on their overall educational attainment (Beldarrain, 2006).

      Copley, J. (2007). Audio and video podcasts of lectures for campus-based students: production and evaluation of student use. Innovations in Education and Teaching International. 44 (4) 387–399.

      Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education. 27 (2). 139–153.

      Fose, L. and Mehl, M. (2007). Plugging into students’ digital DNA: five myths prohibiting proper podcasting pedagogy in the new classroom domain. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. 3 (3). 277–287.

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    2. I agree with Lucie, having identified many positives, there are a selection of disadvantages that may negatively impact learners. As individuals have different learning needs, some pupils need extra attention and support from teachers. Podcasts and vodcasts lack of opportunity for students to interact with their teacher, which could negatively influence children’s attainment. Another disadvantage, is that students with Special Educational Needs, for example a student with a hearing impairment is excluded from the ability to access podcasts as they purely reply on a sense of hearing.

      Reference:

      Bastable, B,S., Gramet, P., Jacobs, K. and Sopczyk, D. (2010) Health Professional as Educator: Principles of Teaching and Learning. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. pp. 487

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  5. For the modern-day student who has grown up surrounded by advancing technology, the use of podcasts for education could boost motivation and encourage many students to focus on learning. This is important as motivation is a crucial element for learning as it can sustain the student’s fulfilment in an online learning environment; without motivation students could be less concentrated on an instruction (Jeamu, Kim and Lee, 2008). It is believed that using podcasts can “foster interaction and collaboration among learners” in online learning environments which would further motivate a student as they could be encouraged by cooperation with their peers (Beldarrain, 2006. p. 140).

    Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education. 27 (2). 139–153.

    Jeamu, L., Kim, Y. and Lee, Y. (2008). A web-based program to motivate underachievers learning number sense. International Journal of Instructional Media. 35 (2). 185–194

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    1. I agree with Ryan, as motivation and encouragement for children is significant when they are learning. Using vodcasts and podcasts are also useful in order to supplement instruction. Teachers use vodcasts when teaching a range of subjects, Physical Education being one to demonstrate types of skills and moves that the children have to practice/perform. This allows children to review these skills outside the classroom to ensure they are practicing and enhancing these skills. This can certainly be seen as an advantage for children as they are able to access the information at their own time (Shumack,Reilly,2013).

      Reference

      Kellie A. Shumack & Erin Reilly (2011) Video Podcasting in Physical Education, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 82:1, p-39-43

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  6. I agree with both Ryan and Lucie, in terms how students are being educated, technology is having a major influence on young minds. There are studies to demonstrate that podcasts and vodcasts are being used successfully and are improving attainment for pupils. Lowman (2014), carried out a recent study examining whether presentation format influenced the number of words learned. Two groups, one watching vodcasts and the other listening to podcasts, watched or listened to a six-minute presentation, three days in a row. Evidence shows that the vodcasts group defined more words than the podcast group did at the receptive level and at the expressive level. This study proves to us that vodcasts are an effective solution for enhancing ‘cognitive attitudes and improving study habits ‘used to increase learning performance (Kay, 2012).

    References:

    Kay, R. (2012). ‘Exploring the use of video podcasts in education: A comprehensive review of the literature’. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(3), pp. 820-831.

    ReplyDelete