Podcasting

Pertaining to Podcasting

Up until today, i really did not have a clear understanding of what was meant by the term 'podcasting'. I have to admit the little gadget that Linda displayed in our lecture last week captured my attention, and i wanted to purchase one immediately, even though i had not yet explored its capabilities. In order to achieve a clear understanding, i directed myself to the 'podcasting in plain english' YouTube site. These sites provide definitions that are written in laymen's terms allowing for ease of knowledge comprehension.

I now know that a podcast is a series of multimedia (audio or visual) files that have been uploaded on to the internet and are available for playback on a computer or any portable device. 

Fortunately for me i did not have to download iTunes as i have a house full of Apple computers. Perhaps however, i should have clicked on the little icon earlier, as my 14 year old daughter has several (and i am talking many, many, many several) podcasts ready for me to go! Unfortunately they are not for education purposes, so my search had to be continued. However, it was at this moment that i reached the conclusion that podcasts have an underlying engagement factor (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999) that really should be considered by all in the education environment. Jess (my daughter) continued to tell me that her group of friends regularly laughed, and at times cried, about the podcast they all agreed to listen to the previous night. This was that 'light bulb moment' when i realised that incorporating iPods or similar technology, into students learning experiences, can have unquestionable benefits and rewards. 

After logging into iTunes and selecting podcasts, i followed the instructions from topic 4's 'an introduction to teacher's delivery technologies' and selected the K-12 section in education. Within this field there were a vast array of podcasts available to utilize both in the classroom and as a learning resource for teachers. Podcasts can be utilized in a classroom environment in many positive ways. The approach that i have focused upon is actually from the learning managers perspective rather than the students perspective.

The podcast i have chosen is one that will benefit all my fellow 'digital immigrants' out here. It is from Teacher 2.0 and appropriately entitled 'are you an E-Teacher? It provides a further insight to helping our learners be prepared for the times ahead in this exciting digital age and what we as learning managers can do to promote it. One of the quotes that i particularly like is 'if not today it is going to be tomorrow'. How true this is. I believe  we could take a leaf from Siemens connectivism theory (2004), where he states that although knowledge is needed and not necessarily known, it is important to be able to plug into sources to meet our desired requirements that become the vital skills. By attaining this skill, today's learning managers will have the advantage of being prepared for the 'tomorrow'. 

Chat agin soon,

Kerri.    

References:

Kearsley, G., Shneiderman, B., (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Siemens, G. (2004). Citing computer references. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivesm.htm