Monday, March 1, 2010
Technology for the sake of technology
So after reading about Podcasts and our exercise last class about creating podcasts, I honestly am starting to agree with Jeremy that Podcasts are not necessarily a resource I see myself using. While I see the collegiate use (recording lectures & allowing students a secondary method for note-taking), which is extremely helpful for the motivated student and I understand use of Podcasts for students in the elementary classroom (a new way to create projects and have fun while still learning), I find podcasts at the high school level to be a very time consuming activity that might not be effective. I often see High School teachers that have their podcasts on their websites, which are frequently recordings of their own lectures, however, I fail to see a high school student that is motivated enough to REALLY use that resource. Beyond the lecture recording, the high school curriculum is extremely focused and requires teachers to move very quickly, which is not necessarily helpful when using a medium that requires preparation, planning, and a deep understanding of recording software in order to be succesful. I guess my problem is that I am not completely "sold" on the idea of podcasts. I think they are fun and might be used effectively in the classroom, but I am not sure that is really true when you take who high school students are into account. What do you all think?
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This past summer we learned a lot about activity structures. One of the requirements for using them had something to do with the tool creating a better way of doing something. If it doesn't, then you shouldn't use the tool.
ReplyDeleteSo,I do agree that the way Podcasting is used in many classroom is as neat tool to do something that can be done just as well on paper (a.k.a. Technology for the sake of technology). But, I also think that it can be an effective tool if used in authentic settings. Since there is a culture (subculture?)of people out there that enjoy listening to podcasts, there are people and businesses who create them. It is still a way of communicating that students should learn how to do since, unlike writing, they can use sound and at times video to help encode their message.
In a high school history class, there may not be an authentic way use podcasting. While creating an ancient Greek newscast may sound like a great idea to some, a disinterested teenager can quickly turn it into a disaster. But, even with these basic problems to overcome, someone may eventually find a better way to teach history through podcasting.
I agree that we need to select the right tool to perform the right task. However, we can give sometimes give students the option to choose from a variety of tools to do the same job. For some, the writting of a paper may be the worst possible task for them, especially if spelling, punctuation etc is not their strength. But put them behind a mic and they may be able to produce a sensational, audience captivating podcast that still tests them on their knowledge of a specific event in history. While I do understand the difficulties of implementing the recording of podcasts, it does provide another medium for students to communicate their learning.
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