The topic of this post is online learning technologies, specifically those suggested in the Michigan Merit Curriculum’s Online Experience Guideline Companion Document .
A Technology I Would Like To Try
A technology that I could use in my chemistry classes is podcasting/videocasting. Utilizing this technology benefits students that have missed class due to illness, personal business, or an athletic/music event. Every year, several students are out for extended periods of time due to family vacations, suspensions, rehabilitation, or self-destructive issues. Even students that attend class every day may have trouble with a concept and need to hear it or see it again. By making podcasts out of key points, students could learn in a time slot that meets their individual needs and when they are motivated, or at least ready, to learn.
The Time Is Right
I think that the time is right for experimenting with podcasting given that my district recently purchased sound systems, eno white boards, and document cameras for every classroom. While all this technology is wonderful, there is still a possible issue of inequity due to accessibility. Some students, especially those of lower socio-economic status, may not own a type of technology that allows them to view the podcasts. Likewise, they may not be able to access school technology after hours as they must ride the bus home.
Content Delivery Options
Pretty much anything I do in the classroom could be captured as a podcast/videocast. Capturing voice and prepared lecture slides is easily done. With the eno board I am able to make screen captures of spontaneous discussions and solutions to homework problems. The most challenging content to capture is laboratory experiments. These would most likely need to be scripted and performed by the teacher during a planning period, although it is possible that students could be recruited to help outside a regular lab period. There has been some debate among my department members over capturing laboratory exercises. Some teachers feel that the whole point of labs is a “hands on” experience with science. Others feel that simulated experiences don’t instill knowledge as well. In any event, over time, I could capture enough content that the class could be offered in a variety of formats, from simple objects, to blended instruction, to fully online instruction.
Some Concerns
I do have several concerns about podcasting. One concern is the amount of time required to pre and post produce materials. I won’t get a feel for how big an issue this is until I actually make a few podcasts. A second concern is incorporating copyrighted material from textbooks and transparencies into my podcasts. I don’t want to have to make new versions of everything so that when I post something for the world to see I won’t violate copyright laws.
Reflections On Using Other Technologies
Looking over the table at the end of the Online Experience Guideline Companion Document, I don’t see any online technologies that would be hard to use with my students and all would be beneficial. There are some that are easy to implement and some that are more challenging. My district has Moodle available and I worked with it over the summer to capture research and discussions surrounding high school transformation. An electronic portfolio could be easily implemented through Google Docs, although I would put the burden of managing the content of the portfolio on the student. Simulations just take time to locate and even longer to write. WebQuests are time and labor intensive so I probably would not use too many of them in an already packed curriculum. Test preparation is also easy to do online in a variety of formats. I am concerned about actual online testing as it would be difficult to validate that the student is actually the one performing the work.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great idea to use podcasts to extend the reach of your classroom and provide extra support to your students.
What might be a good idea as well is to have some of your students create podcasts as well. They would have to really internalize the material in order to present it effectively in a recording & the best podcasts could be re-used in future classes as an instructional resource.
Jeff D: I am interested to hear of your podcast experience. I hope you post your thoughts during the process of integrating video-casts/podcasts into your classroom.
ReplyDeleteJeff V: I like your idea of creating a database of student podcasts that are exemplary. You will obviously have to deal with the issue of whether the students want their work made public.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI have some decent experience with Podcasting. It is super easy. I would recommend you download Audacity. It is free, and super intuitive to use. You just hit record, then you can crop, edit, add background music, blend tracks, etc. You could easily create, edit and have a cast on the web in thirty minutes start to finish. In addition to Audacity, you will need a gcast account (or something similar). Gcast is free as well and it's like a radio station that anyone can be invited to. It houses your podcasts. Once you upload them in MP3 format from Audacity, and they are good to go within about five minutes.
Another option is Jing. This is another free program that offers 5-minute time windows for screen and/or voice capture. It's cool and could be used for skill based concepts that need visuals. Our school has Polyvision write on screens (pens that write on monitors) so using Jing, or Camtasia, would be good for demonstrating the Stoichiometric process, or any other model or mathematical concept. Give them a try, they are something really easy to use and I think you'd find total ease in them. Let me know if you have any other questions about them.
-Jeff V.