Week 6- a podcasting research

Lee, M.J.W., McLoughlin, C. & Chan, A. (2008). Talk the talk: learner generated podcasts as catalysts for knowledge creation. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(3), 501-521.


Podcasting is a kind of Web 2.0 technologies, although we did not talk much in this Web 2.0 class. It refers to the method of distributing multimedia files and releasing files to the Internet. Most people claim the term is from a combination of iPod and broadcasting. This new technology combines the strength of blogging with digital media (audio, video) technology to present multimedia content. With RSS feed feature, subscribers can receive new podcasts instantly and automatically.

Mostly, podcasting has been used in education to deliver learning materials, which are frequently created by instructors, such as audio/video recordings of lectures, supplementary materials, guest speaker’s talks. A relatively few researches show the learning effects on learner-generated podcasts. Lee, McLoughlin, and Chan’s (2008) study is one of the research that asking students to create learning content podcasts in education.

Lee, McLoughlin, and Chan (2008) argued that learner-generated content enables learners to engage more and deeper in the learning context by build and organize knowledge rather than passively receiving learning materials. Hence, they applied a quantitative approach to explore the learning outcomes of podcasting created by groups of students. In their study, students were required to re-think and synthesize the knowledge they acquired in the coursework through the podcast production process. The result of the study found the evidence of knowledge building and of student engagement with collaborative learning, and this approach fosters learners’ control and ownership of their learning and of the technology.
The concept of learner-generated content reminds me that we have also employed this idea in our produsage creations. We also need to reflect what we have learned from our experience and apply the idea into our produsage assignment. Through these two produsage assignments, I did learn a lot from Yoon Jeon and XinRong by discussing and sharing our ideas. In addition, I think Web 2.0 technologies provides many features that enable users/ learners to create content, and it is a useful learning approach that should be advocated and employed in education for a better learning performance.

Week 3 - Use of Twitter in K-12

Ok, I have known what Twitter is and also have an Twitter account before taking this Web 2.0 course. But I have never thought that Twitter may be used for Education.

First, Twitter can serve as a real time communication tool. In education, it can be used for announcements/ updates of learning activities and reminders of homework. Also, teachers can use Twitter to share classroom information with parents as Aditya Joshi suggested, and Eirin Lombardo suggested, on the other hand, that parents quickly communicate with teachers about absence excuses.

Second, Twitter limits 140 characters per post (tweet), so the information on tweets must be more concise, targeted, and relevant on a particular topic. Hence, it makes students to think more carefully with each word they write. In addition, in education, Twitter can be used as a collaborative tool, so students work together as small groups to share information and comments. Teachers can also provide comments and feedback on students' group projects.

Moreover, Twitter can be incorporated into other Web 2.0 tools, and also used on the iPhone as Lea Gates mentioned. That makes Twitter more usable and much more accessible.

Currently, I only use Twitter to follow certain topics or celebrities I'm interested in. But I believe that Twitter has incredible potential in education.

As Sri Wahyuni provided an article on 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the College Classroom. There are also tips and applications about Twitter to use in Education. 100 Tips, Apps, and Resources for Teachers on Twitter.