Alex GibsonActing Head of Department of Tourism

DIT

Urbi et Orbi – How Podcasting is Changing

Education

Up for discussion…

1. What is podcasting - how does it work?

2. Why use podcasting in education?

3. How is podcasting currently being used?1. Teacher-created podcasts

2. Student-created podcasts

4. My Own Experience

5. Issues to consider before incorporating podcasting

What’s in a Name?

Pod Cast

Derived fromiPod

Derived frombroadcast

Radio = broadcastsPodcasts = narrowcasts

A podcast is basically an mp3 audio file Podcasting is the automatic distribution of these audio

files to subscribers The podcast is downloaded to your computer and

attached media player automatically

What is Podcasting?

PodcastingEmail

RSS 2.0 feedEmail

How does it work - casting

text mp3

Email Server Web Page

PodcastingEmail

How does it work - receiving

RSS 2.0 feedon a webpageEmail Server

Email Application Podcast Aggregator

Media Player

Portable Media Player

Why is it popular? Multi-media 99% Free Can be listened to on many platforms; desktop, laptop,

handhelds,MP3 players and iPods, mobile phones Mobile – time-shifting capability Low cost to broadcast – cheap publishing platform and

more content

Not limited to audio mp3s Podcast = audio mp3 Screencast = audio mp3 + data capture ( e.g. with Excel,

Powerpoint) Vodcast = audio + video

An extension to the definition…

All work in the same way as a podcast. Once you have subscribed, they are automatically downloaded by your aggregator

Stumbling upon them on a website . http://www.emarketer.com

Audio Searching e.g. Podzinger e.gUsing a Podcast listing website

there are over 70 general sites to choose from!

e.g. http://www.podcastalley.com/index.php

There are also specialised sites e.g. http://epnweb.org/

Usually aggregators also act as search engines e.g. iTunes

How do you find Podcasts?

Radio/TV stations Now turn their popular programs into podcasts (e.g. The

Weekly Ryan )

Universities Recorded lectures, admissions advertising and information

High schools and Primary schools in US What’s happening at school, student assignments/field trips

Anyone with some freely available software, a website and something to say!

Who is creating podcasts?

*

*

# podcasts: 24,972 podcasts comprising 938,481 episodes (podcastalley) 68,465 podcasts (feedburner)

# podcast listeners (by Diffusion group):

In 2005: ~ 840,000 podcast listeners in the US In 2010: ~ 56 million podcast listeners in the US Feedburner has almost 5.1 million subscribers 9.2 million web-users in the US have recently downloaded a

podcast (Nielsen)

What sort of numbers are we talking?

Why might we podcastin education?

Mick misses a class due to a bad case of the flu!*!*&&*

Instead of copying Mary’s (probably dodgy) notes, he simply listens to the class podcast that he has subscribed to and makes his own notes as he goes through the lecture.

Consider this…

Podcasts Provided by the Lecturer

Typical for Universities:

Lectopia ( Australian system) outputs podcasts automatically

Upload PPT presentation to lectopia

Disadvantaged students ESL/Hearing impaired/dyslexic Missed lectures due to illness or other commitment

Students have different rates of learning Students can go over the lecture several times if required

No! to note-taking If students are taking notes, they are only 1/2 listening

Improving listening skills

Podcasting Lectures – The Theory

Will my students turn up to lectures?

~80% of Lectopia users at Swinburne report no significant decrease in student attendance.

~20% reported a decrease of more than 25% in attendance

Only a few reported drop offs of more than 50%

Yes!

Considerations for Lecture Podcasting Audio quality

Need a well-positioned, good quality microphone

Questions from the audience must be repeated! What will you provide?

Podcast only What if you refer to something on your slides?

Podcast + PPT presentation Need to indicate when to “turn the page”

Vodcast/Screencast Increased file size - will your students be able to download it?

Potential for Timeshifting

Provide the podcast of the lecture before class You will have to record it in advance

Students listen to the lecture as their homework Face-to-face classes used for active learning where the

bigger picture is also highlighted Allows material to be covered more thoroughly Promotes deep learning approaches in students

Podcasts Created by Students

Think outside the box!

Podcasts created by students Students are drawn to the technology, they are

comfortable with it Potential to reach a wide audience is a motivator Promotes understanding rather than rote-learning Allows students to take ownership of the course

material Allows students to contribute to the course Students become the teachers Allows for creativity/originality Multi-disciplinary

Issues to consider

Issues

Who are your students? 1st year students fresh out of secondary school will be

engaged Mature aged students may find it threatening Will they be able to access the technology?

Will it enhance student learning? Fit the technology to the learning objective, not the learning

objective to the technology List the benefits that students will derive

Issues - Teacher Workload Teacher produced podcasts

Learning how to create podcastsDeveloping ideas for podcastsProducing podcasts

Student produced podcasts

Devising and justifying student learning activities which utilise podcasts

Instructing and helping students on the creation of their podcasts

New grading rubrics that fit the submission of a podcast for assessment

Issues

Is there sufficient technical support? Who do you go to if it refuses to work? Who do you go to if you want to learn how to do something

different?

Is the necessary equipment/software available? Staff and students may use Lectopia How will a large class of students create podcasts?

Issues Copyright/plagiarism

Already a problem with written work (unfortunately) Staff and students must also be educated about:

Podcast copyrightMusic copyrightImage/Video copyrightFair use, creative commons, public domain…

http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Podcasting_Legal_Guide

Potential for Podcasting in Education Engage the students with “their” technology Learning: anywhere, anytime Cater for the different learning styles of students Timeshifting - allowing lectures to become more active Allow for student creativity in assignments Empower students with ownership of course material Motivate students by reaching out to a larger audience Promote the University, its courses and its students

My Own Experience Persuaders Marketing Podcast launched May 2006

( radio show since 2000). 6500 subscribers – avg. downloads 5-600 Background material for students on marketing

communication elective In future considering course specific podcasts Students do find it valuable extra resource, especially in

modular system which mitigates against guest lectures

Interested in pursuing podcasting?