A debate is starting over the educational value of podcasts. Duke’s faculty uses podcasts. Heck, Duke has not met a technology it does not like. Mississippi State and Texas Tech are exploring podcasting for use by instructors.
I have been to conferences where podcasting by instructors was discussed. During my job interview at Michigan, podcasting was discussed. The discussion of podcasts in 2007 sounds an awful like streaming video of lectures circa 2001.
Let’s suppose TTU wanted faculty to podcast. As the ultimate or end customer, what value would you find from a podcast? What would you want podcast? What value would you expect from podcasting?
UPDATE: The Journal discusses the technology efforts undertaken by Ivy League schools.
26 responses so far ↓
whitneyw1 // February 15, 2007 at 6:28 pm |
I think students could benefit from podcasts if they were used to give test reviews or assignment guidelines. I also think that if a situation occured where school was canceled a podcast would be a good tool that could help students recieve the lectures they may have missed for the day. On the flip side, I think a podcast could have a negative effect on students. If students knew that they could recieve information about a class that they intentionaly skipped through a podcast, I think it would increase the amount of absences among students. If I could podcast, I think it would be kind a cool to be able to podcast presentations. This means a great amount of people could view and give feed back about a presentation that I had given. The value of a podcast is being able to recieve missed information or a possible increase in information. I see the value in podcasts, but as I stated above I also see the downfalls of podcasts as well.
allisonw2 // February 16, 2007 at 9:24 am |
I think that podcasts would be beneficial, however, not a substitute for going to class. If professors would post their lectures in the form of a podcast it would allow students to catch any part of the lecture they missed, or did not understand. Also, if a student is sick or school was canceled, the professor could post the podcast so you don’t miss out on a lecture. But, to prevent a high number of absenses, there needs to be some sort of password for each lecture so that only students who were in class can view the podcast. Overall, I think it is a good idea, but there are a few things that Tech would have to decide on before making podcasts part of our education.
milevin // February 17, 2007 at 9:13 pm |
If the instructor puts the lecture on line, why come lecture?
patrickm2 // February 19, 2007 at 3:17 pm |
I feel an anti-trust lawsuit in the near future. I vaguely recall Microsoft being sued by the computing industry for the “Windows Explore” controversy. If I am not mistaken (tell me if I am wrong) but only people who have an ipod can get podcast. So would every student who has to go to college be forced to buy an ipod? Wouldn’t Apple love that? Actually, I give many kudos to Steve Jobs, Apples CEO and number one man. He is current trying to persuade the music industry to allow him to make itunes compatible with other devises in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal (may around a month ago). It makes me think, maybe he knows something we don’t. No matter what, Jobs will profit off schools using Podcast. However, his good faith efforts may deter a lawsuit. While many may not like Jobs, I am starting to believe that he may be smarter than we think. So yeah, I think Podcast would be great but Apple may need to make some changes in the future to avoid any unnecessary legal issues.
medley // February 21, 2007 at 2:05 pm |
Wow, I would love the ability to be able to view all my lectures online or on pod-cast. I personally like to be in motion, and to have to ability to view new lectures on the go is highly valuable to me. I don’t mind going to class, yet if it was possible for me to hear the lecture over and over, like on pod cast, I would remember more information. My memory works better when I listen to item more then once. I don’t believe that the fact that I am sitting in class listing matters to me. I simply learn more when I can remember the information, for me, that is best done by repetition.
In addition I can be more productive. I would have the ability to be more on the go. A great quality to have in this business world and the going, going, gone society we live in. This could mean more people could become educated faster cheaper and more efficiently. I could be on a business trip and be taking the new business class at TTU, to enhance my knowledge of my particular industry. I could go on for hours… ..
micheller2 // February 23, 2007 at 1:21 am |
I am not in favor of Podcasting.I think podcasts will have a negative effect on students.. I think it would increase the amount of absences among students. I disagree with Allison on her suggestion, to prevent a high number of absenses, there needs to be some sort of password for each lecture so that only students who were in class can view the podcast because passwords are too easy to share. Absences aside my main problem with podcasts is Apple and the iPod.
chrisc2 // February 24, 2007 at 2:33 pm |
I agree with a lot of the posts on this subject. Allowing lectures to be on podcast would ultimately allow those students with a willingness to learn to have yet another source to study for exams. However, with comments about people not attending class, it seems that this could actually be a positive attribute. If someone can listen to a lecture through podcasting, read the book and learn the material without going to lecture and still pass the test, then I say go for it! It is only going to be a negative experience for someone who thinks that they can substitute studying for the exams by listening to the podcasts. Personally, some classes I feel that I get more out of by attending lecture; and some classes I would much rather learn on my own or just read from the book. I am sure I am not the only one that has had a class where the professor reads strait from the book or powerpoint. I would much rather spend that time studying on my own than zoning out in class from a bland and boring lecture. If anything, you could always listen to the podcast of that classes’ lecture to put you to sleep at night.
jalderson2 // February 25, 2007 at 1:49 pm |
I think podcasts are a future teaching tool of college classes everywhere. When I started college I remember that online slides for notes was just being introduced in most of the classes offered. This helps students listen and not have to constantly write in order to catch everything. I would really like to be able to listen to all the lectures over and over before a exam. I would get alot out of being able to make sure I didnt miss anything that wassaid in class. As the online slides and notes have entered the college classrooms, I think podcasts are only a matter of time and would benefit all students.
danielr2 // February 26, 2007 at 11:21 am |
I personally think podcast is at least a worthy idea to try. I understand the ill effects it would have on class attendance but I also think there are many advantages. In the lecture on memory, we discussed how even though you are in class, it is possible to miss information because the “short-term cup” will fill and over flow. This allows students to go back and fill this void. A way to combat the lack of attendance is to present a podcast with the general ideas of the lecture, but in the physical lecture, offer insight to more test oriented questions. If the podcast is made in a way that it can be used merely as a tool to complement the lecture, I believe it would be very beneficial. It would seem that this process is the future for information sharing, whether it be in a class or business format, so I think it would be a good idea to become familiar with this technology.
rossc1 // February 26, 2007 at 3:00 pm |
In my personal opinion, podcasting is an idea that is not well suited to the college demographic. There are too many other distractions, especially if the podcast is optional. While I do concede that in many cases coming to class can be optional, there is something to be said about skipping class and feeling guilty for it. Skipping a podcast would not give the same effect, ultimately allowing for poor attendance. In addition, I believe that discussion with classmates and teachers often sparks invaluable information that enable everyone to learn and benefit from. If attendance can be very precisely measured and tracked then I think podcasting may be able to work in some situations, but not on a college campus.
rachelh1 // February 26, 2007 at 3:59 pm |
I have had an instructor in Mass Comm who put podcasts up on his website, further explaining the textbook and the author’s intentions and found it very helpful. As an additional supplement to the information received in class, I think podcasts are a great idea! As long as the podcast does not replace actual attendance of lectures, they could provide further insight to the student in need of extra attention. Instead of having to bother professors with office hours, or for those who are too shy or just apprehensive about asking a ton of questions, podcasts provide the opportunity for students to receive additional help. Podcasting also provides benefits to instructors as they can upload podcasts from any source they believe is appropriate for class. Instructors can also podcast their own additional, supplemental thoughts, information about class or somewhat pertaining to class that they think will help the student understand concepts from lecture.
brookea2 // February 26, 2007 at 10:57 pm |
It seems that there are a lot of similarities to Podcasts, and to getting an education off a website. People don’t show up, they read their lectures, and graduate with what used to be, a credible diploma. If the lecture is going to be online, then why do you need it on an I Pod? That cannot be good for the eyes!! I think that like most technology, it takes a lot of the personal contact out of communication. I think it’s important for people to attend class everyday, work in groups and do projects. That physical challenge of working with other people who think differently is extremely valuable, and cannot be learned through Podcasting. Many people look down on getting educations online, and I don’t see the difference here. Except, you have to purchase to be enrolled in a school, live far away from home, spend large amounts of money on housing, OH! AND purchase an I Pod. (That one’s *required*!). It just doesn’t make sense to me. If the lecture’s online, then don’t use Podcasts.
amandaj1 // February 27, 2007 at 3:02 pm |
I think that Podcasting has both positive and negetive aspects on students, as well as professors. If Texas Tech was to implement podcasting around campus, I would expect it to meet high standards in order to feel comfortable using it on a regular basis. For example, I would expect the system to work 100% of the time and have hardly any, if no, flaws. If something happened and a professor’s lecture happened to not get “casted” then you could miss valuable information and could do nothing about it. The professor could tell you that you should have come to class, sorry! Also, I would expect to get the same from it as I do in class. If I could not hear or see it as well as in person, I would never use it. Although it would be an advantage to those people who could not make it to class due to illness, etc, I think podcasting would have to be 100% accurate before most students would completely accept it.
taylorj2 // February 27, 2007 at 10:37 pm |
To me, the only value I could get out of a podcast would be in the situation where I went to the lecture and used the podcast to refresh my memory. Without being able to interact with the professor or ask questions, the lecture does not have nearly the same impact. You also lose all of the body language, which helps clue you into what points are being emphasized. It seems like it could be a good review tool, but I think a lot of students would use it as a surrogate for going to class. No matter what security measures are taken by professors, students would still have access to podcasts from lectures they missed. For that reason, I don’t believe podcasts would provide a lot of value for college students. I think they would be more valuable to high school students. High school students are required to be in class, so podcasts would certainly help them with their studies.
codyj002 // February 28, 2007 at 8:55 pm |
Podcast is a horrible idea for the average college student. Personally, I know that I would be skipping the podcast or taping them to listen to later. If these classes were offered at a discount under privileged students would not have to take out student loans. But, I know as well as everyone else that public schools are always going to be spending money on pointless things and pointless people so they would always need more money. Academic integrity would definitely come into question. Now Texas Tech is trying to raise its integrity by raising their minimum g.p.a. There are arguments on both sides of the lines but if I am going to be paying money to come to college I want a living breathing professor even if he is an arrogant yuppie.
carlym2 // February 28, 2007 at 9:03 pm |
Offering lectures, notes, and sample test through pod-casting could be a positive aspect for students, however; I don’t think it should be mandatory for every student to invest in an iPod just so they can receive this information. America is becoming lazier everyday through new inventions, and in my opinion this new offering for students will make them/us fall into that “lazy” category.
Texas Tech’s Health Science Center already offers pod-casting and lectures online. I have heard that these offerings over the internet are uninteresting and are hard to gain knowledge of. I would imagine that it would be difficult to sit down out of your own free-time and pay attention to a monotone professor over the internet. However, there comes a time when a student if faced with an occasion where he or she can absolutely not go to class. This is when pod casting lectures available online would come in handy.
Next week I am going to a Student Alumni meeting where we will be having a discussion about teachers being able to text-message students about information concerning their class. I will keep you up-dated about the opinions that students and teachers have about this new area under discussion.
milevin // February 28, 2007 at 9:31 pm |
carlym2 wrote:
Next week I am going to a Student Alumni meeting where we will be having a discussion about teachers being able to text-message students about information concerning their class. I will keep you up-dated about the opinions that students and teachers have about this new area under discussion.
Please update with an actual blog posting.
Texting? Really? Don’t I bug you guys enough?
Now, if Tech will give me a Blackberry or a Treo AND service at no cost to me, then hell yeah I will join the texting generation.
ashleyh1 // February 28, 2007 at 11:05 pm |
I don’t think that podcasts are the best idea for Texas Tech. My parents didn’t pay my tuition for me to watch a lecture and get an education through an iPod. I think it is a lazy way to learn and does nothing to teach responsibilty to students. Now I can see how it could be helpful to do certain things for classes, such as test reviews and helpful advice for assignments. it doesn’t have the classroom interaction and involvement which I think is important in education. Given it is new technology, it doesn’t mean though that it is the best way to teach a class. I think that if that were to happen, Texas Tech would fail as a university. There would be a huge drop in enrolled students and the integrity of the school would be horrible.
noparatchock // March 1, 2007 at 1:59 am |
Podcast the lecture… LOL if we start to podcast lectures, Apple will come out with the a new product call “iSchool.” Podcasting the lectures will come sooner than you think; the question is when? I think it will be more beneficial for students who take an Internet class. For us, I think podcasting the lectures is still a good idea; we paid for the class right? The lecturer doesn’t get paid by how many students attend his lecture. Attendance can be in place if the lecturer wants the class to look full. Just because we (student, me) sit in a classroom doesn’t mean we learn anything. The test is still the key here. If we can make 100 on a test by watching a lecture on iPod, why not? The learning experience is totally up to the student to decline.
jessicac2 // March 1, 2007 at 10:42 pm |
Podcasting is a fantastic idea. I do think that there still needs to be a personal level involved with education, but being able to refer back to the lectures in their completeness would be so helpful when studying for a quiz, test, or doing homework. I do believe that there should be certain requirements for attendance in class and group projects. The importance of communication in college is invaluable and every student needs to have that experience in order to fully prepare for the workforce. Without that level of communication to teach and prepare you, a student would be surprised when he or she reached that stage in their life when they are applying for internships or jobs. It truly helps in an interview session to be able to give personal experiences of when you dealt with group conflict or assignments. Employers want to hear about situations where you were faced with challenges involving your peers. They want to know how you overcame the issues and solved the assignments. But all in all, podcasts could truly help a students grades and understanding of the topics of which are discussed in class. It gives them another opportunity to go over the lecture and possibly catch something they missed before hand. With regulations in place, the student and teacher could both get the benefits of the situation. The personal contact wouldn’t be lost, but if a student had to miss a class or two, it wouldn’t affect their grade dramatically.
ashleyho1 // March 1, 2007 at 11:03 pm |
Why come to class if you can get the lecture on and iPod and could you really trust that you are getting the same exact lecture as the people who attended the class. When it comes to things being on the internet I do not always trust the quality of the film and audio. I know that sounds like I need to realize the world in which I live in today, but I just feel like the quality of the audio on an iPod could be shaky. I also feel as though part of what you pay for in your tuition is the experiences that you have in a classroom type setting. It is easy for me to understand some topics when they are discussed as and entire class because it allows me to see how other people relate to the issue being discussed. This type of learning experiences would be eliminated with the introduction of iPod lectures.
justinj1 // March 1, 2007 at 11:14 pm |
Podcasting is a good idea for complementing a lecture but not replacing one. Otherwise, why not download noparatchock’s “iSchool”, lay on a beach in Tahiti, and use Carly’s text message service to send Levin a message, “My cognitive likes this Mai Tai”?
Podcasting does have one practical use: increasing success in our athletic programs. This would make the road trips less of a stretch and put the student back in “student-athlete”. There would be less catch up work to be done upon returning from a trip. If Duke and other prestigious universities actually adopt podcasting as a staple instead of a technological fad I think it is just a matter of time before we do too.
eriny2 // March 1, 2007 at 11:48 pm |
Ultimately, I believe that a podcast would be a great benefit to the students and Texas Tech, but the problem is how it will be used. If lectures were able to be retrieved through a podcast there would be little incentive to go to class. PowerPoint lecture slides already decrease attendance, but personally these are only an outline and you get far more information by attending the lecture. If the professor offered a podcast with his lectures you would not miss out on the in-class examples or the extra information given, therefore causing decreased attendance. On the other hand, podcasts would be very beneficial for the student that attends every class and is committed to making a good grade. The podcast could help to clarify a lecture and would help with memory. As we learned, while taking notes in a lecture you can easily miss parts or mix up what the professor has said all together, so I believe a podcast would help to clear those situations up. Also, the ideas mentioned of reviews would also be a great help. I personally like to have anything I can that will help me to make a better grade. Justinj1 made a great point when he stated that student athletes would have a great use for this. I notice that they often miss days of school in a row and I often wonder how they catch up. I’m sure it is difficult because I feel like if I miss just one lecture I’m lost. Therefore, the podcast could defiantly be of great value to the student athlete. In all, the value of a podcast would be great if it were used properly and to its full extent.
meascott // March 2, 2007 at 12:00 pm |
I know friends a major universities that use this program. They have good and bad reactions to podcasting, which I completely agree with these opinions. The positive reactions are that when they have a test or are sick they are able to watch the lectures they missed without having to depend on a lazy class mate that might have fallen asleep half way through the lecture and consequently only gotten half the notes. Also, another valueable tool that is offered with this program is that when you are studying for a test you are able to go back and watch the lectures to review for your test. This is a very good technique to help study for a major test. Negatives regarding the program include faulty technology. For instance, if you are betting that the software will work the before the test and it doesn’t then you have no way of getting your information. Secondly, if implemented into classes along with slides of the notes…why go to class? I could see it working better in upper division or even graduate class been than freshman/sophmore classes where the attendence already is low.
wilsonh1 // March 2, 2007 at 11:53 pm |
I definitely think Tech students could benefit from a pod cast or other downloadable lecture. I definitely would not hurt. This would not have to take the place of going to class but could just be a supplement for information when studying for a test. I think this would be an easy thing to do and the results would be worth the work. I do not believe these would decrease attendance, because if you’re not going to go to an hour long class, you’re not going to watch an hour long video of an hour long class.
lynng2 // March 5, 2007 at 12:42 am |
This might have already been mentioned, but I think podcasting could revolutionize distance learning. I could go to Harvard and get the same experience as a real Harvard student in a real Harvard classroom, but still live in wholesome Lubbock! People could be educated the same way all over America. It would be really valuable for someone I know. She went to Tech for 2 years, but then her fiance (who is in the army) was transferred to Montana or Wyoming or somewhere up there. She was sad to quit school, and I think there wasn’t a university where she would move too. Theoretically, she could still attend class by watching podcast videos. For me personally, if a professor put podcasts of lectures then I would not attend class frequently. Perhaps a professor could require watching a podcast before class. This podcast could include instructions for team projects or background information. Class time could then be used for group work and team projects without any instructional time. It could be like reading the chapter before class.
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