I have been attempting to rationalise why I am choosing to use a podcast and video in my Micro Teaching assignment and after my tutorial with Andrew on Thursday I saw this question as an ideal starting point for further reading. In attempting this I have actually been resolving the two main issues which arose from the tutorial:
- Reading to evidence practice.
- Underpinning technology with pedagogy.
The first issue feeds the second and once I had started, a great deal began to fall into place. It seems so obvious now and one of the hardest parts for me personally was to put my own intuition to one side and begin to use the evidence of others. I now feel that this has been the root of my problem thus far.
I have ordered two books which will hopefully arrive in the next few days the first was recommended to me by Julia Fotheringham (PG-Cert Tutor for Module 2) and is entitled, Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age: Designing and Delivering E-learning, Beetham and Sharpe (2007) Routledge. The second being Stephen Brookfields seminal Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher (1995) Jossey-Bass Inc. I am familiar with the latter having read much online opinion and tangental material surrounding its publication and having borrowed it from the library on a few occasions. Brookfields’ Crtical Incident Feedback form also supplements the parts of my practice where I find it relevant to implement. I have an e-copy of Beetham and Sharpes publication which I have been able to draw both evidence and inspiration from, however I prefer poring over a book rather than reading directly from a screen.
So who else is using podcasting in education and what research is being done?
First of all I should point out that ‘podcasting’ isn’t the precise term for what I am attempting to do in my class, ‘vodcasting’ (Video or ‘Video on Demand’ casting) appears to be emerging as the correct nomenclature. A case study was funded through the Higher Education Assistive Technology (HEAT) scheme administered by TechDis, the JISC educational advisory service on accessibility and inclusion. From this study a paper was published and the proceedings were posted at ascilite Singapore 2007 . “The main findings of this study indicate a very positive reaction to the learning object and an improvement of the pass rates”. The revisory benefits of using this learning enhancement were also noted along with the flexibility it offered. (Gkatzidou, S. & Pearson, E, 2007)
Revision through interactive and self determined practice were the driving factors behind my reasoning for including vodcasts. The animations provided on Moodle allow the students to continue their learning interactively and at their own pace. The introductory video I will be showing at the beginning of my class will also be made available for later revision. In addition to these learning objects I shall record the entire lecture and also upload a copy onto Moodle. For this I have enlisted the help of another student who will record the proceedings. During practical workshops it is often difficult for the student to capture all of the information delivered and explored, it is important to reinforce these types of lecturers and the students own independent study (Gkatzidou, S. & Pearson, E, 2007).
The content of the vodcast has been recorded specifically to not only introduce the subject matter but to also contextualization it. I have recorded rehearsal sessions within the Academy and interviewed key members in the process that is being taught. Knowledge conveyed in the classroom tends to be situated in the context of the classroom and the school rather than the context in which the knowledge was created (Henning, 1998) This approach deepens learning through contextualization, putting the student firmly within the situation in which the content/knowledge was realised. The Vygotskian theory of situated cognition underpins this in which learners make sense of the information at hand by becoming directly exposed to the environment it stemmed from. “A situated perspective portrays it as impossible, and irrelevant, to separate the learner, the material to be learned, and the context in which learning occurs. A contrast can be made with schema theories in which knowledge is considered to be solely contained within the learner (represented in memory as schemata or mental models), and with behaviorist theories in which cognition plays a less central role”. (Barab 2000: 1)
I also came across this article while trying to research iTunes University and the impact that it has had on education. It is based on research being done on class attendance and how the flexibility of podcasting can affect this. The research goes further than simple class numbers but also outlines conclusive results that mobile learning has a positive impact on examination results. The following is the short abstract for the article:
iTunes University, a website with downloadable educational podcasts, can provide students the opportunity to obtain professors’ lectures when students are unable to attend class. To determine the effectiveness of audio lectures in higher education, undergraduate general psychology students participated in one of two conditions. In the lecture condition, participants listened to a 25-min lecture given in person by a professor using PowerPoint slides. Copies of the slides were given to aid note-taking. In the podcast condition, participants received a podcast of the same lecture along with the PowerPoint handouts. Participants in both conditions were instructed to keep a running log of study time and activities used in preparing for an exam. One week from the initial session students returned to take an exam on lecture content. Results indicated that students in the podcast condition who took notes while listening to the podcast scored significantly higher than the lecture condition. The impact of mobile learning on classroom performance is discussed. (D.McKinney, L.Dyck & S.Luber, 2009)
Gkatzidou, S. & Pearson, E (2007). Vodcasting: A case study in adaptability to meet learners’ needs and preferences. In ICT: Providing choices for learners and learning. Proceedings ascilite Singapore 2007. http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/gkatzidou.pdf
Henning, P. (1998). Everyday Cognition and Situated Learning. In Jonassen, D. (Ed.), Handbook of Research on
Educational Communications and Technology. (2nd. Ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.
Barab,S.A. K. E. Hay & T.M. Duffy (2000), Grounded Constructions and How Technology Can Help, CRLT Technical Report No. 12-00, The Center for Research on Learning and Technologyn, Indiana University.
Dani McKinney, Jennifer L. Dyck and Elise S. Luber (2009) Computers & Education, Volume 52, Issue 3, , Pages 617-623: iTunes University and the classroom: Can podcasts replace Professors?
Julia Fotheringham said,
March 20, 2009 at 9:58 am
‘Using the evidence of others’ is the cornerstone of reflection-on-action, whereas using your own intuition is central to reflection-in-action (to be Schonian about it!). I find that one of the joys of ‘pouring over books’ in the way that you describe is that I not only add to my ‘intuition’ (aka professional knowledge), but I also become more confident as I realise that pedagocial approaches that I had once adopted on the basis of ‘gut feel’, do in fact have a scholarly rationale.