Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wesley Fryer

Podcasting by Mark S. Hudson (Pearson Achievement Solutions)

These are my notes from a presentation on podcasting by Mark Hudson with Pearson Achievement Solutions. Pearson is partnered with Dell Computer’s K-12 Education division. Mark presented this at the ESC1 Technology conference in South Padre on 5-16-2007. MY COMMENTS OR REFLECTIONS ARE IN ALL CAPS.

How are today’s learners different from learners 20 years ago?

I have a 14 year old daughter, she doesn’t have a computer

I have seen these programs where the teachers are not giving homework to kids, that is sacrilege! Put them to work!

Kids today are able to handle more information

My kids, 14, 11 and 9 have not known a world before the Internet

We used to say the attention span of TV babies was 7 minutes
– now the MTV style of communication (entertainment)
– Videogames make more money they Hollywood movies
– I don’t have time for that, but the kids do

I’m not saying
Our content goals do not change, our expectations for each grade level are the same

PLEASE DON’T SAY THAT! OUR GOALS IN EDUCATION DEFINITELY NEED TO CHANGE IN THE FLAT WORLD.

There is no such thing as typing” today in high school
– kids don’t live in the same world we grew up in

Agenda:
– discuss web 2.0 and podcasting in education
– what is a podcast, where do I find podcasts?
– how can podcasts be utilized in the classroom
– how do I create and publish a podcast
– how do I aggregate my podcasts
– Dell Blended Professional Development

I want to spark in you the question, IF THIS IS IN THE CLASSROOM
– is this a good place for that?
– I want you to think about that

Learning how to write XML and RSS is a different class, not this one

What is a podcast?
– in the past you had to watch your favorite TV shows only when they aired
– Now, with TiVo or a DVR, your TV show can be scheduled to download for viewing anytime
– TV is a good analogy for podcasting
– key is: you can set your DVR up to record different episodes
– so has television changed? No, not much, but how we experience TV has changed

In the past when I wanted digital content, I had to go to that site
– now with podcasting, I can tell my computer here is all the stuff I want to see, and it will download overnight
– and then it is waiting for you in the morning

It’s kinda like radio, but I think this comparison fits better

Definition: Podcasting is the method of distributing multimedia files such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet for playback on personal computers and mobile devices (iPods, MP3 players, etc.)

What is Dell’s answer to the iPod?
– you don’t need an iPod
– podcasting has no relation to the iPod other than

Many districts will say “check out our podcasting website” but all they have created is a web 1.0

The word podcasting is much like kleenex or xerox, other alternatives like “netcasting” are probably not going to gain traction now in popular culture

I am still searching for uses of podcasting in the classroom

Question from the audience: can you save YouTube videos down to your hard drive
– Mark’s answer: No

ACTUALLY, THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS YES. YOU CAN USE WEB TOOLS LIKE THE YOUTUBE DOWNLOADER AND ZAMZAR ENABLE OFFLINE SAVING OF YOUTUBE VIDEOS.

More on podcasts: see the WikiPedia article on podcasting for history

2 ways in education we can use podcasting:

1- We can subscribe to podcasts and download it to our computers (go to a podcast search engine and use that content)

2- The other way: we can post or publish podcasts in education (we create digital content on a regular basis, needs to be a series, post it to the internet, and people can subscribe to our content)

Podcasts must be shared/released in a series
If students are creating something to post, we have to be aware of acceptable use policies

What do districts do the most with podcasts? A lot of them want to do the board meeting
– that won’t be viewed a lot, unless you have someone on the school board or want to criticize something
– how do we get podcasting involved with learning outcomes, that is where the excitement happens

The second option of using podcasts (publishing) takes a few more steps than just subscribing
– I like the idea

Now let’s talk about iTunes
– it is a Macintosh product but a free download
– it is pretty slick when it comes to podcasts,
– I only use iTunes for podcasts
– I am agnostic when it comes to computer platforms
– some of the stuff that is published will play only in iTunes

iTunes is a little different, buttons are kind of small, I guess Apple people must have better vision

NOW MARK HAS EXITED PPT AND HAS GONE INTO ITUNES.

Complaints from teachers about iTunes are valid: it is often blocked, there is commercial clutter
– podcast category in iTunes

HOW COOL TO SEE THAT KEVIN HONEYCUTT’S “DRIVING QUESTIONS” PODCAST IS FEATURED IN THE EDUCATION SECTION UNDER “DRIVING QUESTIONS”

I like iTunes because it is filtered, they have to approve it for your podcast to get listed
– that makes it a little safer
– example: Grammar Girl podcast
– also have podcast recommendations “Listeners also subscribed to”
– also have customer reviews that can come in handy
– be careful of the reviews, age of the listeners will shape comments and reviews

When you subscribe to a podcast, it will only download the most recent one

ACTUALLY IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU HAVE SET FOR PREFERENCES IN ITUNES UNDER PODCASTS. THE DEFAULT SETTING IS DOWNLOAD THE MOST RECENT EPISODE, BUT YOU CAN CHANGE THAT.

Grammar Girl now has ads at the start of her podcast
I use this as an example for students to get ideas for their podcasts which they create

Another example: The Princeton Vocabulary Minute

People are publishing in multiple places: not just YouTube
– their website, their podcast, other places

You can tell who has been doing podcasts the most by the cool bumpers they have at the start of their podcast

Dr. Carlson’s Science Theater: The Return of Density
– example of a video podcast

Best practices for teaching with video clips, pause frequently and TALK with students
– using video can be engaging, differentiating instruction

So the content here didn’t change, we are still learning about density of hot versus cold water, but we are

I like the fact that these videos are NOT streaming, because then I am not relying on the bandwidth at my school (which may let me down when I want to show something)

MY THOUGHT: I SHOULD DO A WORKSHOP SHOWING DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHERS DOWNLOADING OFFLINE COPIES OF VIDEOS TO USE IN INSTRUCTION

It would be even better to have students create video podcasts of

Some of the free stuff out there is not too good, but when you find good stuff

Question on validity: teachers are generally the experts on curriculum
– that is why I say we start with curriculum, and then do technology
– what are you teaching today? After that question let’s decide what technology to use

Yahoo podcasts: http://podcasts.yahoo.com
– doesn’t download the podcasts for you
– good index of podcasts

MY THOUGHT: HE DIDN’T MENTION DAVID WARLICK’S EDUCATIONAL PODCASTING NETWORK

Does anyone have ideas for how you can use podcasting in the classroom? Turn to someone and share one idea, or make one up…

Ways to utilize podcasts in the classroom
– for distance learning
– to facilitate self-paced learning
– for remediation of slower learners
– to allow faculty to offer advanced and or highly motivated learners extra content
– for helping students with reading and or other learning disabilities
– for multi-lingual education
– to provide the ability for educators to feature guest speakers from remote locations
– to allow guest speakers the ability to present once and to many sections and classes

Other suggestions from the audience
– use for journalism class
– post videos about civil war research edited with MovieMaker online as a podcast

Question about putting images of kids online in videos
– response: use releases, don’t just get parents to sign a form, also have a YES or NO

Original question: do I really need to podcast something?
– do I really need to share it with the world
– kids are going to be just as excited if they publish for the local school network (yes they would be excited if their grandma could see it)

If you are prone for direct instruction, just recording your lecture is not a good idea
– you would be better off giving the students a worksheet
– kids will not watch it

MY THOUGHT: IT IS INTERESTING MANY OF HIS SUGGESTED USES FOR PODCASTS ARE NOT FOR MAINSTREAM LEARNERS: MARK IDENTIFIES SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION STUDENTS, GIFTED STUDENTS, ETC. I THINK WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE BEST IS GOOD FOR THE REST. ALL STUDENTS NEED CHOICES IN THEIR LEARNING. DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION IS A GOOD IDEA FOR ALL STUDENTS, NOT JUST THOSE “IDENTIFIED” WITH SOME TYPE OF FORMAL LABEL. THE IDEA THAT MAINSTREAM KIDS ARE “GOOD” WITH EDUCATION AS USUAL IS A BIG MYTH WE NEED TO ADDRESS.

This list of podcasting uses is focused on digital content, not podcasting specifically.

I haven’t found an aggregator that I like for podcasts more than iTunes

4 things you need to make a podcast:
1- digital content (something to publish)
2- RSS file
3- Space on a web server
4- Aggregator

Podomatic gives you 1/2 a gig of space free
– everything that you make, the district owns, so you have to make sure you follow your district policy (they may require you to use the district’s webspace)
– please subscribe to your own podcast (make sure it works)

Use Audacity to record your script

Other resource to check out: voicethread.com

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2 responses to “Podcasting by Mark S. Hudson (Pearson Achievement Solutions)”

  1. AllanahK Avatar

    Podcasting has benefits on so many levels. I learn with eight and nine year olds in New Zealand and it has given us a window out to the world. We use Skype to link with other people as well. Out biggest drawback is the time difference on the opposite side of the world to our linking schools. But when there is a will there is a way.

    As we listen to podcasts we understand more about the values and beliefs of others. As we make our podcasts we collaborate and create. We script, storyboard, discuss, publish and receive feedback.

    Live blogging is cool too!

    AK

  2. thomas55 Avatar

    I use http://www.savetube.com to save youtube videos.