5 posts tagged “podcast”
Just wanted to jot a couple of thoughts down in response
to this podcast "Teaching outside the limits of space and time" which I listened to while running along the waterfront
in Auckland a couple of days ago. The podcast features the EdTech Posse who pretty regularly have entertaining discussions around a whole heap of aspects of ICT enhanced learning and teaching. (They have a laid-back, pretty unstructured approach, sometimes featuring pub-settings, and often with guest appearances by the dogs...you just have to listen :-) )
In this particular podcast a lot of what they were saying hit a
note of accord and I found myself grinning like an idiot (not a good
look at the best of times). Some of the key topics they covered were designing programmes and what (if any) is the optimum duration for a course for effective learning, and aligning assessment (types as well as content with course design) - i.e. if you have a course that encourages open learning, then more traditional forms of assessment are unlikely to measure the effectiveness of the learning that has taken place. They also mulled over the importance of building learning networks, but that these too need time to develop, and that it is hopeless to try to force a community to develop. The final point was about podcasting - taking offline conversations and putting them online...but in a forum where futher discussion from disparate voices from around the globe is encouraged.
I did think there were a couple of points I'd like to add into the mix. For example, when they discussed the optimum length of a course, one aspect that I don't think was mentioned directly was motivation (extrinsic or intrinsic), although there was discussion about how interest in a subject can shape the learning experience (irrespective of duration). Alongside this factor is the notion of whether a learner is 'ready'...if they have developed the necessary cognitive framework that can be built upon with this next set of thinking and/or skills. If the learner is in just the right spot then an hour may be all it takes to turn the tide; something that just falls into place that makes sense of everything else. I think that this may be the case irrespective of whether it's a content based or process based course.
The other thing that really struck my imagination was the embedding of one discipline with in another that really 'smokes the tyres' of the learner. The example was the art class with embedded math. Awesome. We did something similar (but not as sophisticated) at Dubai Men's College where we had a project-based ICT enhanced blended-learning programme over 40 weeks. Math, English, academic literacies, ICT literacies, and Arabic were all integrated into the incremental, experiential learning course. Students would gradually produce one artefact over 10 weeks, building cumulatively another 'bit' each week, and the focus was very much on the process - the learning journey - rather than the end product.
I reckon I've drivelled on for long enough. I'd highly recommend the podcasts as thought-provoking and entertaining.
If
you are involved in any sort of academic support or, on the other hand,
are a faculty member who is working at an institution where new
technologies are becoming a focus, you may well find this podcast
created by Gerry Bayne (EDUCAUSE) on April 15, 2009, of interest.
One
of the key points made is that it is all about the learning and
teaching, and very little to do with the tools. The blurb on the site
advises: "In this forty-two minute podcast we feature a conversation
from the ELI 2009 Annual Meeting. Participants in our lively roundtable
discuss their experiences with introducing new technology to faculty,
approaches to digital literacy, and ways to think about teaching with
(or without) technology". Sometimes thought provoking, and well worth a
listen:
ELI In Conversation: Introducing New Technology to Faculty
Access the Mp3 file by clicking here.
Out running on Friday, I was totally absorbed by what Morris W. Beverage Jr. had to say (Educause podcast).
He started from a point around technology which actually switched me
off to begin with, describing technology as 'things' communicating with
'things' rather than, apparently, seeing the key focus as the
communication and co-construction of artefacts/knowledge that is
enabled through technology.
Anyhow, once I had stopped bristling and listened to what he went on to say, a lot of it seemed to make sense. One point in particular where he spoke about issues in education (for example, plagiarism) are not technology problems, but rather social problems. It make such a lot of sense. Yes, technology such as Turnitin may be developed to attempt to address the problem, but in fact what it needs is a recognition of the reasons behind the plagiarism, which tend to be academic literacy challenges and questions around ethics.
Well worth listening to this podcast as it is likely to strike a few chords no matter what your role is in, or supporting, education.
The Educause blurb is: "Campuses today face a growing number of clashing cultures. Faculty struggle with traditional methods of teaching in an environment where demands for flexibility and convenience are rising. Learners increasingly treat a college degree like a commodity. Battles rage over resource allocation. External constituents exert influence on campus operations and outcomes. This session addresses these issues and the role IT departments need to play to help higher education not just survive, but thrive."
I was listening to an Educause podcast today which featured an interview with Martin Ramsey - founder and facilitator of LAMP ("a collaborative community of learners, linked via a common software platform and a shared learning and collaboration philosophy, across five states in central Appalachia"), which was awarded the Mellon Awards for Technology Collaboration.
One of the things that Martin Ramsey mentioned was the four "C"s - he was referring to schools, but it struck me that it was relevant for most institutions or businesses who are operating in the same area. The first C he mentioned was 'competition' - so organisations specialising in tertiary education might be seen as in direct competition with one another; if one enrols a student, that student will only study at one of the institutions. The second C was 'co-existence' - institutions rub along beside each other and pretty much ignore the fact that there are other institutions in their line of expertise. The third C was 'cooperation' where institutions work together, but never let the notion of best interests out of sight. The final C was 'collaboration', where institutions work actively together to create something that would not be possible if they had not decided to do so. As such, resources and ideas are shared, and a community grows around the collaboration.
Instead of institution you could put colleagues, learners, researchers...food for thought.
Image source: "Cute_c" by Moonshine Design_sd
Some interesting reflections from Michael Coghlan, about social software and networking in education in Australia.
