Case Study - Week 10

Discussion Questions:

1.  To prepare your students for podcasts, you would first have to ensure that all students have access to a device that can play them: an ipod, a computer, a smartphone, mp3 player, etc.  I think equal access would be the first major hurdle to podcasting.  Other than that, podcasts are pretty straight forward and require no training on how to listen to them.

2.  Potential detriments to podcasting is relying too heavily on it- meaning eventually your students stop coming to class altogether, and you may have students that you never interact with directly.  The obvious upsides are pointed out in the case study.  The idea that class lectures and content can be completely mobile outside of the classroom, can open an array of exciting options with learning.  I think the best way to boost the upsides and diminish the downsides of podcasting is to have podcasts not just replay the lecture material, but enhance and augment the learning experience.

In a classic school setting, I think podcasts can be integrated in a way that could actually help attendance instead of lowering it.  For example, if different requirements were set between the in-class material and the podcasts.  To get students interested in coming to class, they need a benefit to doing so.  Attendance points could help, and then on the flip side, the podcast could have the unique benefit of not just simply mobile learning, but some possible extra credit opportunities.

I think if it were implemented this way, podcasting can be an extension and enhancement of the classroom material without diminishing classroom interaction and attendance.  You would also get the added benefit of establishing and reinforcing multiple neural pathways to information.

3.  If a teacher uses podcasts, I think some obligations students might have would definitely be attendance, appropriate use, and requirements for participation.  Offering unique benefits for class discussion and podcasts can definitely reinforce the information.  Requiring class attendance and participation gives the students ownership of the material– something that is not fully realized by standard lectures or over reliance on podcasts separately.

4.  I think there should still be requirements for attendance, because this interaction with peers and teachers is an important part of the learning experience.  If both classroom and podcast (along with other technologies) were integrated correctly, they can all add up on each other and have a serious net effect on a class and its learning objectives.