Digital technology goes to class
Move over, PowerPoint — there’s a new technology on the education scene.
Podcasting is the next must-use classroom tool, experts say. It’s cutting-edge, it’s far-reaching — and it allows busy students to study on the go.
“One benefit to podcasting is the ability for students to bring it with them,” says Stephanie Goetz, the learning technology support specialist at Ryerson’s Digital Media Projects Office.
Apple has even gone so far as to create a business around educational podcasts. A number of Canadian and U.S. universities have enrolled in ‘iTunes U,’ a system that allows institutions to keep their digital educational content in one easy-to-access place. Stanford and Carleton universities are among those using its services, but Ryerson is hesitant to adopt the system because it might require students to buy iPods, Goetz says.
The Digital Media Projects Office is also responsible for a new digital learning technology called Xstreamulator. Unlike podcasts, these pieces must be watched on a computer connected to the internet, but they combine audio and video live feeds. The program consists of three components: video, PowerPoint and instant messanging.
It helps students and professors to connect outside the classroom. Radio and Television Arts Professor Dana Lee used Xstreamulator last year. He liked it so much that he used it for online office hours. A few days before a midterm, students in his class had the chance to log in and to ask him questions. There were seven sessions in all; up to 70 students attended.
“One student said something along the lines of ‘this opportunity has made the difference between my passing and failing tests,’” he said..
Radio and Television Arts students are also co-producing a podcast radio drama with students in Melbourne, Australia. Ryerson students send their podcast to Melbourne one week. The Australian students add content to the audio files and send them back to Toronto the next.
And some professors are using podcasts so that students don’t have to fumble with tape recorders during classes. University of Waterloo professors Robert Park and Peter Douglas both make podcasts of their lectures. Park, an anthropology professor, says some of his students were concerned about attendance levels dropping.
“They were concerned other students wouldn’t come to class, and students who did should get credit for it,” he says. “But as far as I could tell, attendance was normal.”
Attendance in Douglas’s classes didn’t seem to decrease, he says, but this may have been due to the mathematical nature of his course. “Just listening without being in the lecture at all might have been confusing,” he says.
Podcasting technology is even catching on in elementary schools. Shaun Else was inspired by recent EQAO literacy results that suggested boys’ literacy levels were behind those of girls. If boys found their writing could be used for an interesting purpose, he said, it might naturally improve. Podcasting seemed like the answer.
After he received a grant from the Halton Learning Foundation, which encourages the merging of technology and education, he plans to use podcasts in his class and start a club within the school.
“(Students) really think it’s cool,” he said. “ I played them podcasts from schools around the world. The kids are really excited about it.”
His students have already been approaching him with ideas for podcasts, he said, even though classes have only been in session for a few weeks.
“It’s going to be a great tool for teachers as long as they realize its not extra work. It’s very easy to use and integrate,” he said.
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