Audio/Video Podcast: Pros and Cons for Adult Learners

Podcasts as a way to transmit learning for adult students have several obvious advantages, including low cost to produce, ability to listen at the learner's leisure, and re-listen on their schedule, and the potential to enhance understanding of concepts (Marrocco, Kazer, & Neal-Boylen, 2004.).

Before this class, it had not occurred to me to use podcasting (audio-only) to enhance or deliver learning in a formal setting, such as a graduate course. YouTube and other videos as a means of additional learning are not unusual in my classes, but my only usage of audio podcasting up to now has been for my own "education" about subjects I wanted to learn more about. Reading literature about podcasting has led me to seriously consider it as a methodology for learning boosters in my current work role.

Marrocco et. al found in their study of graduate nursing students that podcasts of 15 minutes or shorter were what learners wanted. As I think about that finding and relate it to typical story length on radio news stations, it seems to correlate to the right length for a listener to attend to. There is currently a great deal of debate about "microlearning" in the corporate setting as being the opportunity to deliver information in "small bites." A short podcast could be one method of providing this.

King and Cox (2011) speak of one usage of podcasts as tutorials that are available 24/7 for a learner to enhance one's learning. They allege that for students, "using tutorial podcasts cultivates engaging in problem solving of their learning needs, taking initiative in pursuing learning resources, and becoming more independent lifelong learners" (p.39). I believe it would be difficult to listen to an audio-only lecture podcast and not have to pause it frequently to make notes or think about concepts, but having podcasts available to tutor myself on complex concepts would be a useful tool.

Podcasting is likely in my opinion to be most useful as an ancillary tool for adult learning rather than as a primary delivery method for learning. When applied intentionally, it can be a great resource for students.


King, K.P., & Cox, T.D. (2011). The professor's guide to taming technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Marrocco, G.F., Kazer, M.W., & Neal-Boylan, L. (2014). Transformational learning in graduate nurse education through podcasting. Nursing Education Perspectives, 35(1), 49-53.

Lunchtime chat with instructional designer Alan Debelle

Alan shares his views on technology in the corporate eLearning space. He discusses his favorite technologies and how designers can overcome their fear of using technology to reach learners. Recorded September 30, 2016.

Wikis for Collaborative Learning, Knowledge Construction, Critical Thinking and Contextual Application

Below is an 8-week lesson plan for a fictional Dispute Resolution class that incorporates a wiki project to encourage students to dive deeply into a subject, collaborate on research and come together to create a wiki that can be used by others. A brief outline of the entire class is listed, and particular attention is paid to the setup and execution of this project. Other graded activities for the class may not be listed.

Title: What is Mediation?

Target Audience: Adults in a pre-law class titled “Introduction to Dispute Resolution”.

Class Duration: Eight weeks, with two 90-minute sessions per week.

Course Roadmap: Weeks One and Two are used to discuss the nature and history of dispute and examining an overview of resolution, from conversation to declarations of war. The end of week Two will be used to introduce the Wiki activity.

Wiki-related learning activity: In Weeks Two and Three of the class, the students will be introduced to samples of wikis. Small groups of three students will meet during class to discuss how they will approach creation of a “resource bank”-style wiki and plan for its completion, given a standard template (frame) to work from. The wiki project is meant to focus on one aspect of dispute resolution and enable students to do a deep dive into the concept of mediation and how one may become a mediator. This wiki project will take place over Weeks Three, Four and Five.

Week Two: The instructor will outline the project for students at the end of Week Two, providing a lesson in preparation (West and West, 2009) which includes wiki concepts, review of a pre-class web skills survey, identifying the uses and construction of a wiki and showing prior projects to the groups.

Week Three:  Students will be given one hour in-class total time in week three to meet during class. Students will be expected to collaborate outside of class to complete the assignment, and will define and publish a timeline and roles of each group member, as well as agree on ground rules for collaborating on the exercise.

Week Four: Students will be given a total of 30 minutes in-class time in Week Four to regroup as a team and ask questions of the instructor if guidance is needed.

Week Five: Will consist of a short presentation by each group of their final wiki, and class discussion about the wiki experience while sharing best practices.

Weeks Six through Eight examine worldwide justice systems and conclude in a final paper where students choose one dispute resolution system (with the exception of mediation) to write a 3-page paper as an examination of the application and drawbacks of that system.

Learning Objectives for the Wiki Exercise: The student will:

• ·        Define alternative dispute resolution (ADR), mediation and mediator
• ·        Demonstrate understanding of the areas/types of dispute that may apply mediation for resolution
• ·        Demonstrate understanding of the mediation process
• ·        Contribute to the wiki in a meaningful manner as evaluated by their peers and evidenced by their own short “wiki review” paper

Using a wiki will: Enable students to research the topic both independently and collaboratively, creating a body of knowledge about mediation for themselves and future students.

The wiki will be used by the class to: Build a resource for future classes and students who are investigating what mediation is and what mediators do.

Wiki Activity Evaluation Rubric: The wiki project will constitute 20% of the class grade on an individual basis. Students will participate in a self-reflection as well as a brief survey of their experience within the group. Students will enter in their overall class journal a description of their contributions to the project, which will be handed in for review.

Wiki grades will be determined based on group timeliness, contribution level and the constructive process as well as the organization and appearance of the final project.

References

West, J.A., & West, M.L. (2009). Using wikis for online collaboration. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Additional lesson plan sample sources:

Algonquin College Prof’s Resource Site: http://www.algonquincollege.com/profres/lesson-planning/

Wiki-How- How to Make a Lesson Plan: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Lesson-Plan

Wikis: Pros and Cons for Adult Learners

This assignment is my first wiki as a collaborative exercise where I am developing a page with others to post. Most of my own experience with referencing wikis is largely with Wikipedia, which is often criticized as a source of information. Wikipedia may not be a universally accurate, or primary authoritative source, yet it is highly useful for students. I have found that if I need a quick summary of a new topic, it is an excellent way to start my understanding of that concept. Many hyperlinks in the posts to related content also provide other resources for me to start my primary academic research.

A portion of the criticism of Wikipedia as a source may be a result of educators not fully understanding or embracing the underlying tenet of this wiki. Christensen (2015) examines the criticisms of Wikipedia in education and points out that as a broad source of learning, there are useful applications of the tool in 21st-century education. Classroom applications include looking up information on a broad topic, using the wiki to winnow out potential research topics and taking advantage of the direction to primary sources are listed as benefits. When one is informed about the possible drawbacks of Wikipedia, such as "anyone" can contribute and there is no fact checking process aside from volunteers who patrol entries, this context gives the learner the ability to reasonably use the provided information.

West and West (2009) discuss the positive features of a wiki as including the "potential to expand beyond the boundaries of the online classroom" (p.4) and as a way to partner with a worldwide audience. The changing organization of the wiki based on outside contribution leads to new pairings of information as individuals work to add entries and other ways of structuring the information.

Cons of a wiki may include a certain loss of control of the information. Once others visit and contribute to the page, it takes on a life of its own. For those who want to have absolute certainty for how information is presented, a blog or static web page may be a better solution.

References 

Christensen, T.B. (2015). Wikipedia as a tool for 21st century teaching and learning. International Journal for Digital Society, 6, 3/4.

West, J.A. & West, M.L. (2009). Using wikis for online collaboration. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Blogging: Pros and Cons for Adult Learners

            Blogging seems like a much more intimate form of communication within a group than a discussion board. In one sense, a discussion board can be intensely personal, but also limited to what people prefer to reveal within the course of a particular thread. Blogging, by contrast, seems to be a forum which enables one to bring more of “themselves” to the presentation. Whereas discussion boards are likely moderated and have a set format, a blog lends itself to freer expression by its author.

            If blogging is potentially more “fun,” and more personalized, then the next question must be, is there a difference in how people learn from each? This blog post argues there is not. As Tucker and Courts (2010) discuss the nature of online collaborative learning as an improved environment for learning experiences which engenders “cooperation, collaboration and self-sufficiency in learners.” (p.38) it does not discriminate between platforms. The potential for increased “awareness and attention,” by using online venues, the authors state, may lead to increased overall perception of the experience to the learner, just by participating in online, multimedia learning.

            Another perceived benefit to online learning is socialization. Robinson, Reeves, Murphy and Hogg (2009) did a study with college students in a Diagnostic Radiology program at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom which utilized discussion boards and gathered both quantitative and qualitative results. They patterned their findings to coincide with a particular set of requirements for effective online socialization within a group. One result they found using a discussion board was it was not easy to follow chronologically on the platform they used (Blackboard); therefore, they posited that a blog may have been an even more effective delivery method. At any rate, in those students who participated in the discussions- a mix of new students and those further along in the program as mentors- there was engagement in dialogue and an increase in welcoming feelings by the incoming students. In fact, the students continued using the discussion boards for three months after the initial tutor-facilitated sessions.

            Socialization happens in blogging on a professional level as well. King & Cox (2011) discuss the blog as a type of journal for a learner’s own reflective learning practice. In using this medium within a learning setting, they assert that one’s professional circle of relationships also grows through the virtual community members with which they engage.

            In this age of ubiquitous social media, sharing and blogging via Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, we are becoming a human, online collaborative society. In an educational setting, the difference may be the moderation and intervention of a third party to drive learners to an objective, yet we become fast “friends” via the online communities we use. It will be interesting as usage of online formats continues in educational settings to observe where the lines between learning and sharing converge.

           

  

References

King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The professor’s guide to taming technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Robinson, L., Reeves, P., Murphy, F., & Hogg, P. (2009) Supporting socialization in the transition to university: A potential use for on-line discussion boards. Radiography, 16, 48-55.

Tucker, J. & Courts, B. (2010). Utilizing the internet to facilitate classroom learning. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 7, 37-43.