Podcast News; Advancing digital audio beyond the novelty Podcasting to enhance student learning Kenny Lynch Stuart Downward Palitha Edirisinghe Kenny Lynch Stuart Downward Palitha Edirisinghe ISSOTL Annual Conference, Sydney, 3rd July 07

Acknowledgements UK Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellowship Programme Higher Education Academy IMPALA research projects Colleagues at Gloucestershire and Kingston Universities who have participated UK Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellowship Programme Higher Education Academy IMPALA research projects Colleagues at Gloucestershire and Kingston Universities who have participated

Outline The promise of podcasting? The practice The evaluation The prognosis The promise of podcasting? The practice The evaluation The prognosis

The promise of podcasting?

Some Potentials Mobile technology that supports learning experiences can include:  Situatedness & connectivity  Informality & Spontaneity  Personalisation  Portability  Accuracy  Privacy Should we wait for technology or get in there and develop our own? Mobile technology that supports learning experiences can include:  Situatedness & connectivity  Informality & Spontaneity  Personalisation  Portability  Accuracy  Privacy Should we wait for technology or get in there and develop our own?

Motivation?  Changing nature of the student – needs flexible learning support  Move towards ‘constructivist’ (active) learning models  Employers equipping ‘road-warriors’ and expecting efficiency  Increasing work-life balance issues (staff and students)  Increasing project- based, self-employed nature of work  IT in work futures H I g h e r e d u c a t I o n  Adoption rates of 90% for years  81% for years  Half of all text (SMS) messages in UK sent by year-olds  Unsupervised communication?  fashion, social factors and symbolism  Adoption rates of 90% for years  81% for years  Half of all text (SMS) messages in UK sent by year-olds  Unsupervised communication?  fashion, social factors and symbolism

Digital Natives? 22.5% of adults in the age group own a digital file player (Mintel-BMRB Survey, 2005) Chan & Lee (2005) short informal audio clips reduced students anxiety about assessment Lot of research on positives of personal learning environments But: Many students listen on PCs (iPods for music & leisure, not work) 22.5% of adults in the age group own a digital file player (Mintel-BMRB Survey, 2005) Chan & Lee (2005) short informal audio clips reduced students anxiety about assessment Lot of research on positives of personal learning environments But: Many students listen on PCs (iPods for music & leisure, not work)

‘Horizon-Gazing’  Increased storage & speed of transmission  Roll-out/fold out screens, digital pens, voice recognition, other devices?  Improved battery performance  Convergence of technologies (phone/camera, media player/phone, etc.)  Location aware devices, e.g. Cellphone- GPS integration – Japan; GPS EGNOS system increasing accuracy  Wireless networking will get easier – ‘seamless connectivity’ or 'flow'?  Freedom from boxes & flat surfaces?  Increased storage & speed of transmission  Roll-out/fold out screens, digital pens, voice recognition, other devices?  Improved battery performance  Convergence of technologies (phone/camera, media player/phone, etc.)  Location aware devices, e.g. Cellphone- GPS integration – Japan; GPS EGNOS system increasing accuracy  Wireless networking will get easier – ‘seamless connectivity’ or 'flow'?  Freedom from boxes & flat surfaces?

But …  These are largely technical Challenge for the future:  Horizon gazing for learning?  Is the 'digital jotter' desirable?  What form should it take?  These are largely technical Challenge for the future:  Horizon gazing for learning?  Is the 'digital jotter' desirable?  What form should it take?

‘Route-ways’ to the Horizon? Mobile learning – ask why?  Enhance learning (e.g.: network & enhance field-based learning)  Personalisation of information  Learning 21 st C modes of working  Increasing spontaneity & motivation  Supporting & situating active approaches  Develop new forms, spaces & flows of learning Mobile learning – ask why?  Enhance learning (e.g.: network & enhance field-based learning)  Personalisation of information  Learning 21 st C modes of working  Increasing spontaneity & motivation  Supporting & situating active approaches  Develop new forms, spaces & flows of learning

The practice

Debates Podcast of extracts of key debates

Outline Post to Blog for students to download

Student Evaluation (non-listeners) [My emphasis]

I think podcasts can include discussions about a real world application

I think podcasts can be useful for more important or more academic modules like Genetics. This module is elementary. It's all about basic skills.

I hope podcasts can be made available for other subjects. So far it is only relevant to this module or to environment, not relevant to other subjects.

I want information on references and suggestions on references

I want the key points relevant to the module/- summary of the lectures so that students can go over

There is no added value to this module. We can do this module without podcasts. I can do the assignments and exams without it

We may listen to it if we know what the podcast is all about beforehand. If the lecturer can send us an and give us a summary about what his podcast is actually on … we can make a decision … whether it is worth listening to. We need this information to prioritize our workload because we've got other modules to do.

Sometimes the blog/podcasts doesn't work

We don't like Peddlepad

Student Feedback (listeners) [My emphasis]

Don’t have the face to face contact, but it is more convenient … need to have your will power to listen to podcasts … might remember more from listening than from reading. So it is interesting to know how you can learn differently

Difficulty of interacting with the lecturer V ‘you can pause and rewind if you didn’t understand something.’

‘it is more convenient… But on the other hand, I prefer somebody to be there to ask questions’

“I did a presentation two weeks ago, and it was the interview with Kenny and Dave Turner talking about a few reviews that came out, such as the Econ review, the Stern review, and they were analysing it in a way that was an interview form, and I found it quite interesting and I went away and looked up these two reports, looked at it more, and then brought it into my presentation, not just going on what those two said about it, but also what various media interpretations of it were.

Where/when did you listen? I listened to one with my friend. She showed me where they were. Back in the accommodation, came back from lecturers, do a bit of work & listen to podcasts. Early evening time when I’d lot of work. Home on the computer in the evenings At the end of a face to face meeting I listened to one with my friend. She showed me where they were. Back in the accommodation, came back from lecturers, do a bit of work & listen to podcasts. Early evening time when I’d lot of work. Home on the computer in the evenings At the end of a face to face meeting [My emphasis]

The prognosis

podcasting in education? Recording lectures Additional medium for providing content Access audio learning resources (RLOs) Medium for p2p communication & student feedback An auditory medium may suit some students better - learning style, visually impairment, dyslexia ‘Democratises’ learning and promotes active approaches and develops skills in content creation (application of learning (Bloom’s taxonomy)) ‘Mobilises’ learning opportunities (portability, personalisation, spontaneity & informality) Recording lectures Additional medium for providing content Access audio learning resources (RLOs) Medium for p2p communication & student feedback An auditory medium may suit some students better - learning style, visually impairment, dyslexia ‘Democratises’ learning and promotes active approaches and develops skills in content creation (application of learning (Bloom’s taxonomy)) ‘Mobilises’ learning opportunities (portability, personalisation, spontaneity & informality) Increasing complexity

Ideas for use iLecture –full lecture record and publish Mini-lectures as enhancements Screencast combining audio and video file Student assessment & feedback iWalk/fieldwork[staff-led, or student-produced] Induction and following on additional learning support (e.g. Induction -> course) ePortfolio or learning journal content Marketing activity iLecture –full lecture record and publish Mini-lectures as enhancements Screencast combining audio and video file Student assessment & feedback iWalk/fieldwork[staff-led, or student-produced] Induction and following on additional learning support (e.g. Induction -> course) ePortfolio or learning journal content Marketing activity

Conclusion Watch this space IMPALA 2 focus on Geography and Environmental Sciences Quantitative data World Café © on Thursday 9.30am Watch this space IMPALA 2 focus on Geography and Environmental Sciences Quantitative data World Café © on Thursday 9.30am

Research using data capture  Output: 5 minute film illustrating key points of a local research problem  iPods with microphones for interview/journal recording  Digital cameras with tripods & large (1+G) flash cards for video and image capture  Laptop with editing and CD/DVD burning capabilities (MS Moviemaker or MS Producer)  Output: 5 minute film illustrating key points of a local research problem  iPods with microphones for interview/journal recording  Digital cameras with tripods & large (1+G) flash cards for video and image capture  Laptop with editing and CD/DVD burning capabilities (MS Moviemaker or MS Producer)

Challenges  Technology – batteries, software, connections and interoperability, weather, etc.  Technology to improve learning and teaching?  Infrastructural hurdles (e.g. Bluetooth, WiFi, WiMax, IR, GPRS, etc.)  Availability & access  Finding appropriate tutor roles  Finding models that work for learning  Technology – batteries, software, connections and interoperability, weather, etc.  Technology to improve learning and teaching?  Infrastructural hurdles (e.g. Bluetooth, WiFi, WiMax, IR, GPRS, etc.)  Availability & access  Finding appropriate tutor roles  Finding models that work for learning