Podcasting for mobile learners: exploiting opportunities A/Prof. Dick Ng’ambi Centre for Educational Technology University of Cape Town Keynote presented at the DUT e-Learning Festival held at the Durban University of Technology 17-19 November 2010
May 10, 2015
Podcasting for mobile learners: exploiting opportunities
A/Prof. Dick Ng’ambi
Centre for Educational Technology
University of Cape Town
Keynote presented at the DUT e-Learning Festival held at the Durban University of Technology
17-19 November 2010
SMS Questions on Today’s lecture
• Our course is called: edn6099• Today’s lecture is number 7• It’s a big class• Our short code is: 31642• Text as I lecture (during), and text as you listen
to the podcast (post-lecture)
Edn6099-7 + [type your question]
e.g. Edn6099-7 + How is the weather in Durban?
Background
Global Literature on m-learning
–Mobile phones connectivity vs. non-connected devices
• Desktop experience is extended through mobile learning (both connected / non-connected)
– Opportunity: Leverage classroom activity/ interaction
• Devices with no connectivity have not proved popular or sufficiently useful (FutureLab Handbook, 2006)
– Opportunity: Use MP3 players and iPods along side mobile phones
• Most mobile devices are not integrated into institutional networks
– Opportunity: Link students with educators & peers, mobile devices with learning
• Significant blurring of distinction between mobile phones and data-centric handheld devices e.g. PDAs (Becta, 2004)
– Opportunity: design learning activities that are device, space, time and distance independent
SA ICT Indicators
Indicator Per 100 inhabitantsComputers 8.25 Fixed telephone lines 8.91 Internet users 8.43 Broadband Internet subscribers
0.77
Mobile cellular subscriptions 90.60
Radio sets 24.24
TV sets 19.50
% population covered by mobile signal
99.79
ITU website
Note: These
statistics
focus on
devices /
tools and not
on what they
are used for
Content
PedagogyInteractivity
Connectivity
Content
PedagogyInteractivity
Connectivity
• Server: site archiving and storing podcasts
8
Podcast Servers
9
Record a podcast directly from a mobile phone Provide Internet access to
MP3 of your voice messages
Using Mobile Phones to Podcast
ON BUS TO / FRO CAMPUS
MINGLING / INFORMAL AREA
COMPUTER LAB
STUDY ROOM / LIBRARY / RESIDENCE
Learning resources / collective knowledge
RSS feed to mobile devices
Mobility On Campus Off Campus
Access to broadband High Varied (low to no-access)
Speed & Cost of downloading podcasts
Fast & free Slow & expensive
Time to reflect on learning
Low High
Mobile network Excellent Excellent
Use of ubiquitous technologies
Low High
12
Challenge
Text as expression of thought
13
Technology Mediated Expression
14
15
Transformation of mind
• Three reasons for using podcasts are:– making learning more flexible – increasing the accessibility of learning materials – enhancing students’ learning experiences (McGarr,
2009)
16
Podcasting and Learner Mobility
Case Study (Undergraduate)
Information Systems Dept
• 2008-MP3• 428 1st year students
(28 tutors) • Lectures; theory/prac
in lecture theatre
• 2009-MP4• 608 1st year students
(44 tutors) • Lectures; theory/prac
in computer lab
Pedagogy
• Podcasts in pedagogy loosely coupled
• Didactic teaching approach
• Learner choice and flexibility high
Case Study (Postgraduate)
Graduate School of Humanities; School of Education
• 2008• 16 postgraduate
students• 8 week module (4-
7PM Tues & Thurs)
• 2009 • 18 postgraduate
students• 1 week block release
module (Mon-Sat)
Pedagogy• Podcasts in pedagogy
tightly coupled• Reflective learning
teaching approach• Learner choice and
flexibility medium
Teaching Strategies for Podcast
Type Teaching Strategy Comment
Under-graduate
Personalised teaching through listening to podcasts on mobile devices (personal tutor metaphor)Student who struggle to understand English and / or accents listen to lectures again & again to enhance their understanding of lecture content (self-pacing & confidence building)
Frequently accessed podcasts represent a topic of interest to students (feedback to educator)Both student & educators may want to share these resources or recommend them (evidence based reuse)
Post-graduate
Students use podcasts to scaffold reflective learning (deep learning)Create podcasts as portfolios of work (constructivist learning)
Self ranking of podcasts by frequency of use(summative evaluation)
19
Comparing Teaching Approaches
• Undergraduate course in the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Cape Town
• Lecturers recorded their lectures, and uploaded the audio files on the course site on the LMS
• The total number of students was 411• Most of the students commuted to campus and
had no access to Internet when away from the campus.
20
Context (Undergraduate Experience)
• Mobility was between home (without Internet connection); buses, campus, computer laboratories and classroom
• Time for socialisation and engagement with peers was also limited
• Mobile learners traversed high broadband Internet empowered environments (campus) to zero or expensive connectivity (home)
21
• Action Research approach• An ethnographic method• Two types of recording were done: a scheduled
live lecture and a practical briefing • Practical briefing involved details of what
students were to do in the lab that week
22
Methodology
• A total of six lecturers gave lectures over the course of the semester
• Five lecturers agreed to have their lectures recorded
• None of them had any prior experience with using podcasting to support student learning
23
• Students choosing not to use the course site to access the podcasts– Access via RSS feed: 44– Access via course site: 242
• Access via RSS feeds and via LMS accounted for 10.7% and 58.9% respectively.
• Some students were already exposed to the technology via music downloads.
24
Observations
• 286 students accessed podcasts, more than half the total number of students registered for the course. – 69.6% of students registered for the course accessed
the podcasts at least once• Some files were downloaded more than once by
the same user– which indicates that students do not listen to each and
every lecture. They might listen to some lectures more than once.
25
• Some students report not being aware of the availability of podcasts at the time of administering the questionnaire.
• Some students felt that the podcasts need video in order for them to be effective and so did not use the audio files, others used the slides and textbook only and some students forgot about them while others never thought of using them.
26
• Some of the ways in which the podcasts were found to be useful in learning include:– enabling students to gain a better understanding as
they reviewed what was said by lecturers– an effective way of grasping concepts at one’s own
pace– helpful when classes weren’t specific
27
• Students may not be downloading and keeping the files for later reference, but rather download as and when they need to use them.
• Number of times users accessed podcasts:less than 5 (35%)
Between 5-10 (47%)
Greater than 10 (17%)
28
• Principle reason for using podcasts is to give students additional resources that they can use for study and reference purposes.
• Using the latest technology for learning purposes is meant to give students a choice in what resources they use to meet their needs.
• Lecturers report that the time spent on consultation and lecture preparation is not affected by the availability of podcasts.
29
• Improved attendance. Previously, this component suffered declining attendance resulting in poor student performance in the exam.
• Podcasts revamped the course, increased student attendance:– The podcasting worked very well as I was able to
construct notes from the lectures after the lectures were finished. (extracts from 2009 course evaluation)
30
Discussion
• Challenges of Producing Podcasts– Inability of the microphone to pick up the students’
voices when they were speaking. – Filtering out outside noise also posed a significant
challenge.
31
• Recording equipment– Recorder was easy to use as well as small enough for
the lecturers to carry around in their pocket.– Technical problems experienced were accidental
switching off the recorder as the lecturer moved around and interference with the sound system in the venue, which resulted in poor sound quality.
32
• Recording and Editing Audio Files– reduce the size of the files to enable students to
download on small-cost playback devices. • The advantage of low-sized files was that the few students
with iPods were not privileged at the expense of those who did not.
33
Mobility On Campus Learning Opportunity
Access to broadband HighLearning Management System (LMS) de facto learning environment
LMS used as a Podcast Server. Student download podcast to personal devices for ‘take home’
Speed & Cost of downloading podcasts
Offset Offset
Time to reflect on learning Alternative productive use of time
Podcasts Scaffold self study
Mobile network Physical proximity of peers neutralized need of
use
Anonymous SMS/Texting arising from podcast
Use of ubiquitous technologies
Students shared knowledge on putting audio file on varied
devices
Students shared knowledge on putting audio file on varied devices
34
Content
PedagogyInteractivity
Connectivity
Learning Design
Sociology of knowledge
Cognition
Knowledge construction
Content
PedagogyInteractivity
Connectivity
Free
Softw
are
Open
Sourc
eM
obile Devices
Social Media
Learning Design
Sociology of knowledge
Cognition
Knowledge construction
Recommendations 1 of 4
• Designing tasks for learning while on the move requires both educators and instructional designers to focus on the medium view of mobile devices
• Aligning pedagogical goals with affordances at medium view level draws on existing device uses, reduces the learning curve and engages learners
Recommendations 2 of 4
• Ensuring that none of the learners are excluded, use a tools view to determine type of devices that learners have– Don’t develop learning tasks that requires an
iPhone when learners don’t have the device or a wap application when only a handful of learners have wap-enabled phones
Recommendations 3 of 4
• Design learning activities that combine the rigidity of lecture schedules, fixed desktops, learner mobility and ubiquitous technologies
Recommendations 4 of 4
• Leverage institutional LMS with popular social media so as to: – Maximize use of tools– Provides multiple ways of accessing content and
social networking
• Value of using ubiquitous tools– No additional costs in acquiring & training students to
use new tools– Ensures more equitable access to content
Search Engines And Directories For Podcasts.http://www.podcast411.com/page2.html (reflects numerous directories)
http://www.vodstock.com/vodstock/vodcast-directories.php (listing video podcasts and “vlog” directories as of Nov. 10, 2005)
http://podcasts.yahoo.com/ http://www.podcast.net/
http://www.podscope.com/ http://search.singingfish.com/sfw/home.jsp
http://www.podcastalley.com/index.php http://www.digitalpodcast.com/
Podcatcher Programs.A list is available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Podcatchers
Finding Podsafe Content.http://creativecommons.org/ http://www.audiofeeds.org/
http://music.podshow.com/ (the podsafe music network) http://www.podsafeaudio.com/
http://www.ipodarmy.com/2005/06/how-to-find-podsafe-music/ (how-to article) http://www.magnatune.com
http://promonet.iodalliance.com (a service from IODA (Independent Online Distribution Alliance) that offers podcasters, and others access to thousands of pre-cleared tracks from independent record labels)
http://www.pumpaudio.com/index.html (proper licensing of independent music for use in advertising, television, film and the web)
http://www.garageband.com/htdb/feed/partners.html (music supplier with large catalog of CC music) http://www.gcast.com (free and simple service that provides entire GarageBand catalog that is podcast
safe) Sourced from: http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Podcasting_Legal_Guide
Useful Resources
Thank you
Contact details:
Dick Ng’ambi
Centre for Educational Technology
Skype Id: dngambi
43