When we think about the "typical" classroom, we think of a large room with several people gathered inside, listening to the instructor give the day's materials while students try hard to take notes and follow along. This setting could make it difficult for students who have difficulty staying engaged and who easily find themselves getting off topic. Throw in a missed day for illness or other reason and the student can easily find themselves struggling to get caught up.
Classrooms, however, are changing. Students look for new ways to get their information and instructors want to find solutions to helping students get and stay engaged. Enter the podcast.
There are several benefits for using a podcast in an adult classroom. First of all, podcasts are available to student's 24 hours per day to students with internet availability (Gray, 2017). Students can access the blog at any time - in the car, while exercising, etc- and can engage in listening to their tolerance level, stopping when they want or need to and resuming when they are ready. Missed classes are no longer a problem as the information can be picked up as soon as the teacher posts the podcast. As everyone learns differently, auditory learners can have another method of learning that related to them, while visual learners can take their time taking their notes and pull in charts or other information as needed to help them learn. (Gray, 2017). Instructors can use podcasts as lecture supplements, lectures for a flipped classroom, exam reviews, tutorials for specific items, interviews or other creative uses to get students engaged (King, 2011).
Cons to podcasting do exist for both the student and instructor. While podcasting is relatively inexpensive and simple to access, designing may be more complex (King, 2011). Free programs or inexpensive programs to launch a podcast do exist, but it does require a little bit of technical knowledge to pull it together. Students who are not tech savvy may resent being asked to podcast an assignment, so other assignment possibilities should be considered for those who are uncomfortable with the assignment or who do not have the equipment to make their own. Using the equipment may also require some editing, and it is important to not allow the presentation to overshadow the content that is being offered. Copyright is also an important consideration. It is not that copyright is unimportant in other venues, but while people are mindful of attributing sources to the written word, they may be less mindful of attributing the spoken word. Therefore, it is important to understand how copyright laws apply to a podcast.
In the end, there are many benefits for a podcast, as they serve as an extension to the classroom. If the cons are considered before implementation, and those considerations are managed, the podcast can be a workable solution to student engagement issues for instructors looking for newer methods to reach their students.
Gray, C. (2017). Podcasting in education: What are the benefits? The Podcast Host. From https://www.thepodcasthost.com/niche-case-study/podcasting-in-education/
King, K (2011). Podcasting: Learning on demand and content creation. In K. King & T. Cox
(Eds.). The professor's guide to taming technology, (33-49). Charlotte, NC: Information Age
Publishing.
Hi KSU1MSM,
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing up the issue of copyrights in utilizing information that may be cited. You are correct; the spoken word is one arena that it is not overly intuitive for students to naturally think about giving credit where it is due. I wanted to look this up a bit more, so I found an article by Sandars (2009) that described the ins and outs of copyright restrictions on podcasts. He wrote “usually there are no copyright restrictions when only providing links for potential users. It is good practice to notify the webmaster of the site if a lot of users are likely to access the site and download the podcasts to be used on personal devices. Copyright is likely to be infringed if the downloaded podcasts are permanently stored on another system or further distributed to a wider audience” (Sandars, 2009, p. 388). I have had professors post articles and pages from textbooks on their course page, but typically require a password for students to enter. I would imagine this is the way around the copyright infringement.
Reference
Sandars, J. (2009). Twelve tips for using podcasts in medical education. Medical Teacher, 31, 387–389.
Hi Sara-
ReplyDeleteFair use varies based on what is being used, how it is being used and how often it is used. I found an article from California State University (2019) that addresses these specific scenarios. One such scenario discusses a student project to be distributed over the web and notes that if copyrighted materials are used, it is not fair use (as it would be in a private classroom) and therefore permission must be sought. It is an interesting read, especially for instructors who are trying to find new ways to make the students active on internet. I would recommend it to anyone with questions about using materials.
California State University, Long Beach (2019). Copyright and fair use: Common scenarios. From https://csulb.libguides.com/copyrightforfaculty/scenarios
Thank you for the link - I found the scenarios interesting/relevant.
DeleteKsu1msm,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is possible to successfully implement podcasts in a flipped classroom environment. A study done by Garver and Roberts (2013), revealed that over 90 percent of the students had access to mobile devices. These podcasts were created by using the following PowerPoint presentations, lectures, and Camtasia studio (Garver & Roberts, 2013). After the instructor created, edited, and downloaded all of the podcasts to the Blackboard site. Students were able to download the podcasts to prepare for class. Also, at the beginning of each class in this environment,the students answered a five-question quiz using a clicker to measure how accurately they retained information from the podcasts. Garver and Roberts (2013) remark, “at the completion of the clicker quiz, the results are immediately saved into an electronic file format and later uploaded into a learning management system, at which time the students’ grades are assigned automatically” (p. 18). Using podcasts and clickers promotes higher level thinking in students.
References
Garver, M.S., & Roberts, B.A. (2013). Flipping & clicking your way to higher-order thinking. Marketing Education Review 23 (1), 17-21. DOI:10.2753/MER1052-8008230103