The main point of this article is less about moviemaking in and of itself, but more of using art in the classroom. Art, particularly digital moviemaking as far as technology goes, provides a way for students to express themselves that is completely separate from the curriculum that goes on in a typical classroom. It provides an alternative means for students to learn a subject, and could be very beneficial for students who do not find it particularly easy to learn from a textbook or lecture. However, moviemaking is limited as far as the accessibility to students, as the first article points out. The tools for proper moviemaking are expensive, and some students, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, may not have access to the tools they need, in school or at home.
Podcasting, on the other hand, is much more accessible to a wider range of students. It can also be used in a variety of different ways. For example, I had a professor who taught at 8 am. Knowing that students were less then willing to go to every class, he podcasted every lecture and put it on Blackboard. If students were dedicated, they would be able to attend every class in some form, and could be caught up on all the work they needed. This is a great way for students to keep up with school, for parents to know what is going on in their children’s education, and for a teacher to keep track of his/her own lecture. Podcasts can also be used for test review, as the teacher can talk almost directly with the students and give all the advice they might need for an upcoming exam or assignment.
I agree with everything that you are saying Brad about podcasting being an effective method for professors to help students stay current with lectures that they miss, but I do think that there are some negatives to podcasting as well. The most prominent is the laziness that I think many students may develop if podcasts of all of their lectures were available to them. I think that the value of a class mostly comes from the in class “face to face” time that you can only get from going to class and interacting with the professor and the rest of the class. Participation and class discussion is invaluable to understanding a subject. Being able to ask questions in class while the teacher is lecturing is also critical to comprehension and may be lost to the world of podcasting. I think there is an appropriate place for podcasts in education and learning, but the key is to use them as a supplement to class time, but not allow them to replace class time.
This is Katie Rudolph, even though it says my name is eota! Gotta figure out how to change that!
I agree with what you all are saying, but since we will be teaching in a middle/high school setting I have some concerns. For the podcasting, obviously we can’t podcast ourselves as teachers every single day in case students don’t come to class. Podcasting ourselves in order for students who were absent because they were sick or something may be a good idea to help that student catch up. But as was said before, we have to worry about students not having access to the tools needed to use podcasting and digital moviemaking. While lots of kids have iPods, we can’t count on every one of them having them or on them being able to access the podcast at home on a computer. I do think that using educational podcasts in class may be an unusual and fun way to appeal to some students who are bored by lecture and notes.
I also think that the digital moviemaking is a great idea. Although access can be a problem, even if the school had a camera that students would be able to borrow/check-out and use the project would be good. For social studies classes I feel like the possibilities are endless for moviemaking – students can dramatize historical events, discuss current or historical issues, document places, people, ideas. Students could use these movies to help present research projects also. Overall I think these tools can be very beneficial provided teachers learn how to use them properly and pass that information onto their students.
I think podcasting would be more suitable for college students. Professors teach way more students and there are many students who miss multple classes so I think its a good idea for a professor to make podcasts if thats something they are interested in. I agree with Katie in that students would likely fall victim to laziness. I agree with Rebecca in that podcasting would be more difficult in a middle/school high school setting because you have to worry about students missing class and the possibility that they may not have the necessary resources at home. The point that stood out to me the most in the Life on the Screen article was that we live in a new technological era where teachers have to incorporate technolgy in their teaching more than ever.
I think our conversation about podcasts is stuck in thinking about them for only one purpose… to record lectures to catch students up when they miss school. I think we can agree that while this may be an appropriate use for motivated college students, it doesn’t apply as well in middle or high school classes that are not lecture based.
But I think podcasts can be used effectively in a middle or high school setting. For students who struggle with reading, recording excerpts from the text would give them extra support in class. Student projects would be another use. You could have students create radio shows (for events in history, about scientific topics, even math concepts) or use podcasts to present information. Teachers could use them to create museum walks (like those ear piece things that some art museums have to explain exhibits). For foreign language classes, students could record themselves and the teacher can refer to the recordings for assessment.
There are many different things you can do and being creative will produce the best results and the most effective use for learning. Podcasts should not replace lecturing or direct instruction, but supplement or enhance the classroom activities.