This week assignment is to write about the "Pros and Cons of using Audio/Video/Podcasts for Adult Learner". I have enjoyed reading the readings in the King & Cox’s
(2011) book “The Professors Guide to Taming Technology”. I especially like the
step by step how to start to use podcast, audio and video recordings. I will
use this wonderful book of reference in the future. Much of the following summary of Pros and Cons were taken from the King & Cox
(2011) book.
The Pros of using Podcasts/Audio/Video in Adult Education that I can see are:
+ current generation has grown up with computers so they are
ready and able to use these technologies
+ inexpensive, simple, potable, and global
+ student has control of how much, when, and where to learn
+ can tap various learning styles that are not related to
reading such as auditory or hands on learning
+ focuses on student centered learning rather than teacher
centered learning
+ fosters collaboration, interactivity and a sense of
community
+ increases student enrollment and retention
+ promotes creativity and gives students a voice
The Cons of using Podcasts/Audio/Video in Adult Education that I can see are:
- time consuming. It takes LOTS of time to prepare, edit, and create lessons plans with
this technology
- generally used for lecturing (podcast)
- difficult to assess (grade) student’s projects
- difficult to control when on the world wide web (security & plagiarism)
Well, that is all for now. I am looking forward to posting one of these types of technologies next week. I am working on the process.
Reference:
King, K. P., & Cox, T. D. (Eds.). (2011). The
Professor's Guide to Taming Technology: Levering Digital Media, Web 2.0, and
More for Learning. Charlotte, NC: IAP ( Information Age Publishing, Inc.).
I agree on your pros and cons and your first pro “current generation has grown up with computers so they are ready and able to use these technologies” cannot be underestimated. In fact, students who don’t see some of these technologies integrated into a course are likely to shut down and feel like the course is mired in the past. There are significant challenges to keeping this generation of students current and engaged while still making the course content accessible for more “experienced” (read as older) students. Podcasting especially as more people become familiar with the applications like iTunes, is an excellent bridge between these two generations.
ReplyDeleteDawn
ReplyDeleteI like how you have summarized the pro's and con's here. Until this lesson, I did not have any experience or a real good understanding of podcasting. However, the many benefits of using podcasts are many. I especially like the example of posting FAQ's via podcast because the instructor can give a much better and thorough answer as opposed to trying to explain through text only. That can be a challenge especially for us "non-writers"! :)
I hope your podcast goes well, I am considering incorporating this into our church web site. I think it would be good for a "welcome message" and possible a FAQ section of what our church believes in regard to doctrine.
Good luck!
Andrew
I totally agree about the time consumption to prepare and edit. I think it is one of those techniques that after a little practice it becomes easier. Sometimes not being familiar with the process of editing video can slow you down.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if I agree that its a bad thing about podcasts being used for lecturing. I recently took a class and there was a concept we were going over and it was quite difficult to understand. The professor showed us a video podcast that was published on Youtube on the subject. It was nice for me to be able to watch the short video again if I didn't understand. It can be a good tool to reinforce a particularly difficult subject or concept.
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if it is a negative that everyone shares, but I had an online class at another school that was done by video lecture. It was painful to sit and listen/watch an instructor speak. I don’t know if it was just a mental thing, but to me, a video lecture is a hard thing to sit through.
As far as your pro about kids growing up with this tech, I certainly agree. In fact, one of the things that scares me is the possibility that we will over do technology since kids are already using so much at home.
Roy,
Dawn, you mentioned several great pros/cons that I hadn't even considered. Sadly, I didn't give this blog post the time it deserved because I have been trying to finish the project that was due yesterday! Hence my really late response. I especially liked that you mentioned how difficult it is to access grades for projects such as these, so even though they could be great to add to a course, asking students to complete one would require a detailed rubric. Great job!!
ReplyDelete