Educational Podcasting

teacher and expert voices as

media interventions
Andrew Middleton, Sheffield Hallam University

Podcasting for Pedagogic Purposes SIG
Glasgow Caledonian University, 7
th
May 2009
These slides will be shared on:
PPP wiki and slideshare.net
Audio examples
Apologies - I have removed the audio examples
from this presentation as I don't have permission
to share them in this way.
Please contact me directly if you would like to
hear examples and I'll see what I can do.
a.j.middleton AT shu.ac.uk
teachers and experts?
This presentation accompanies a presentation on learner-generated podcasts
Caveats:
Beyond iTunes U..? what can educational podcasting be?
Educational podcasting: taking a broad view
and a Social Constructivist view:
Expertise is everywhere
Teachers are everywhere
We are all learners, learners all have expertise, however
The focus here is a small selection of podcasting
techniques that do not (primarily) feature the student
learners voice
Media intervention orientation, motivation and challenge

A definition
Educational podcasting is the development of,
Locally shared knowledge through
distributed, digital linear media, accessible to
its community through flexible interfaces

(Podcasting in general might be defined as,
the serial distribution, through a particular web-based channel, of
locally created downloadable digital media episodes, usually audio,
to a niche audience of subscribers)
Design Principles of Educational
Podcasting
We need to be able to evaluate the ideas we
hear in the next few minutes, so:
1 minute activity:
What makes a good podcast?
(see next two slides for my ideas on this - and I'll type up the
responses I received and put them on my blog at:
http://podcasting-for-lta.blogspot.com/)
Effective educational podcasts will
usually present (1/2)
Intention and clarity of purpose
Speakers whose role and level of expertise is properly
introduced
Ideas and discussion that is relevant and well
articulated
An awareness of the learning situation or context
Invitations and challenges, or 'ways in and ways out',
for the listener
References to, or acknowledgement of, related sources
of knowledge

Effective educational podcasts will
usually present (2/2)
A hook that engages each listener
Conversational voices rather than formal monologues
Structured and well-signposted information,
punctuated with music or audio transitions where
appropriate
An awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the
audio medium
Information and ideas that are concise, well-paced and
straightforward
Suitable clear production quality as appropriate for the
intended audience.
Tutors voice
Recording events (eg recorded lecture, summary audio
notes)
Communicating (eg module announcements)
Motivating (eg tutor conversations, storytelling, etc)
Describing (eg interviews with professionals, clients,
public)
Illustrating (eg testimony, vox pop)
Forming (eg instructional; feedback)
Building (eg key skill development)
Modelling (eg behaviour, techniques)
Other voices: experts and publics
Support services, Broadcasting and Commercial producers,
Educational and Training Organisations, Professional & Other
Organisations, teachers elsewhere, and tutors out of class
Instructing (eg learning objects)
Describing (eg interviews with experts)
Updating (eg current affairs and developments)
Marketing (eg product placement, initiatives)
Reporting (eg findings, proposals)
Conversing (eg criticism, review)
Advocating (eg political)
Various (eg learning objects)
Coursecasting
Or, pouring knowledge into the empty vessel
e.g. recording lectures
(example not needed! Go to ITunes U)
How does coursecasting measure against our design
principles?
Supplementary and (often) not transformative pedagogy
Some benefits claimed: support revision; reduce note-
taking, so better attention in class; potential reusability;
marketing (e.g. iTunes U!); can free up time for more
interactivity.
Preview
Key concepts introduced before class/lecture
Challenge and/or orientation before class/lecture
Module preview
Lecture preview
Summary Conversations
(Review)
Tutor (team) post lecture/seminar/topic discussion,
challenge, reflection discussion
Highlighting
Arguing or sharing perspectives
Modelling synthesis and reflection
Supplementing
Updating
Connecting/bridging and feeding forward
Lecturer discussion (UoS)
Research methods discussion (Law, SHU)
Module Personalisation
(announcements)
Tutor posts announcements to the VLE
Why?
the personal touch
Mobile leaners
Remote leaners
Short, easy interventions that add texture to the VLE

Task announcement (June Clark, SHU)
Storytelling
(evidence and anecdote)
Establishing the tutors perspective through
anecdote and evidence, raising authenticity by
connecting theory to the outside world.
Storytelling may involve other captured voices
Biggs suggests,
"[The strengths of the lecture] lie in communicating a) information and
(b) the teacher's personal interpretations.
Biggs, J. 1999 'Enriching large-class teaching'
in John Biggs (1999) Teaching for quality learning
at university. Buckingham: Society for Research into
Higher Education and Open University Press, p.97

A Permanent Holiday'
Patent Voices
http://www.patientvoices.org.uk/
(cc) nc-nd
The Professional View
Interviews with professionals
No physical barriers allow us to make strong,
meaningful connections to the outside world
the extended learning environment

Radio producer (Journalism, SHU)
Demos
Audio Feedback
Many approaches, e.g.
(Middleton, A. & Nortcliffe, A. (2009) Audio feedback design: principles and emerging practice.
International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-long Learning, Special Issue,
forthcoming)
'Personal tutor monologue' recorded at the PC by the tutor as part
of the marking process; 'Personal feedback conversations,'
recorded by the tutor or student(s) in the lab or studio to capture
project discussions or studio 'crits'; 'Broadcast feedback' targeted
at large groups; 'Peer audio feedback,' in which students learn as
they assess each other's work; 'Tutor conversations', a 'common
room conversation' approach designed to model critical thinking;
and 'Personal audio interventions,' targeted at individuals to
address emerging issues; Peer Exchange corridor constructive
crits with tutor support.
Generic stub + Personal
(France, D. & Ribchester, C. (2008) 'Podcasts and feedback' in G. Salmon and P. Edirisingha
(2008) Podcasting for learning in universities. Milton Keynes, UK: Open University Press)

Generic, end of module (SHU)
Peer Exchange model, corridor conversations (SHU)
Personal tutor feedback (SHU)
Concept notes
Key concepts captured or constructed as
reusable digital audio learning objects (DALO)
Can be captured in lecture
Prepared beforehand
Key skills in Art & Design (SHU)
Audio learning object (Alan Hilliard, UoH)
Audio iIllustration

Audio tour
Bringing the outside world in
Fly on the wall
Case-based learning
Data

4 Weddings and a funeral
Downes Syndrome (D. Stokes, Coventry University)
Audio tour (Stuart Lee, Oxford University)
Demonstration
Procedures, e.g.:
Clinical (e.g.
videocast learning
object)
Operational
Techniques (e.g.
screencasting)

Clinical practice
series (Pollard &
Jackson SHU)
Blackboard
support
series
(SHU)
Guidance
Often made by support services staff, e.g.
supporting:
transition,
disability,
key skills,
library,
etc
Access and guidance/transition (SHU)
Summary of Benefits
Access to voices (e.g. personalisation, empathy, trust)
Efficacy (simple, quick, high impact)
Authentic (real worldness, open-ended )
Currency (e.g. immediate, up-to-date)
Social Constructivist (promoting conversation)
Engaging, varied, perspectives
Varied diet another learning channel
Orienting, motivating, challenging media interventions