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 5 - teaching and learning in Second Life

I recalled last year when I attended AECT conference, there were a lot of researches exploring the potential applications of Second Life. Second Life seems the most popular virtual world in use today. With its real time/ synchronous characteristics, you can participate in a live event, conference, concerts, etc. Second Life can be use as a means to enhance learning and increase learner motivation. For example use Second Life to create and design situated learning environments, support immersive learning, increase social networking and interaction, and facilitate communication and collaborative learning. In such immersive learning environments, learners can experience real feelings and interaction as they do in a real world and apply knowledge and skills in realistic scenarios. Shy learners are more apt to participate in such attractive learning environments.

The researchers also pointed out some barriers and difficulty. For example, users ( i.e., learners, instructors, instructional designers) may have technological problems or encounter difficulty using the interface of Second Life. Also, it is expensive and time-consuming for instructors or instructional designers to design a virtual world. How to effectively integrate Second Life to support learning and improve performance/ learning is still challenging for instructional designers and instructors.

I also found some wiki websites and blogs about the use of Second Life in education.

• Exploring the educational uses of Second Life.

• Second Life Education Wiki

• Simon Bignell's blog talked about how to assess the impact of Second Life for educational purposes