This assignment was very interesting and I enjoyed doing it very much. When given this assignment I knew exactly who I would be interviewing. It was my privilege to interview my friend and ministerial collegue Dr. Kelly Nix. I won't restate Dr. Nix credentials or what was discussed in the interview but I will say that he teaches theology/religion at 2 seperate colleges. I basically asked 3 questions.
What is your experience teaching and developing curriculum in an online adult educational environment?
What is ONE technology that you could tell us about that you have used and the promises and downsides to that technology.
Finally, what was a success or failure that you can tell me about in regards to this technology.
Dr. Nix lives in San Antonio, Texas and I live in Olathe, KS so the following interview is an audio only podcast recorded on the same equipment that he uses for his students. Thank you for listening!
Once again we look at the good and the ugly of incorporating technology into the classroom. This weeks focus is on audio/video and podcasts. Being able to produce instructional material in audio format or even in video may seem foreign to teachers and students alike just a few short years ago but according to King, podcasting entered the technology scene in 2004 and originally came from the independent music industry. King also notes that despite its musical beginnings, 8 out of 10 podcasts are language learning. With these statistics it proves that podcasting in Adult Education is very popular and widely used. Therefore one can assume that many if not most adults are familiar with the technology.
A podcast is an audio file such as a recorded lecture, assignment explanation, FAQ's etc. that is hosted on a server and pushed to those who have asked (subscribed) to the content. Though the technology is fairly simple, there are both pro's and con's I would like to discuss.
Podcasts are available 24/7 and students and access the information any time they want. If they are struggling with "getting" everything in a lecture or are bad note takers, a podcast will allow a student to watch a lecture as many times as they need until they have successfully grasped the intent of the lecture. There are also many options to listen to podcast such as mp3 players, computers, iPods, cell phones, iPhones, Smartphones, etc. Assignments can also be done through podcasting to better show a students competency in the material that is being learned as opposed to just writing a paper which is sometimes difficult to disect whether a student has fully grasped the material or not. Lastly, for this discussion of pro's, a professor can slice and splice a lengthy lecture or instructional video to show the most important and information parts and reduce the audio/video time to 5-8 minutes or less. This helps to bring the important information to the forefront without becoming bored or tuning out the unimportant information.
Of course, as wonderful as the podcast technology is, there are some drawbacks. There are definitely going to be some of the students who are not comfortable with this type of technology and will not embrace it. There could be some resentment in the fact that the instructor is just "making a video" and they feel disconnected from the actual person. This makes some students feel alone in their learning. Also, making a video takes talent and good speaking abilities that many people don't possess. They can be intimidated by podcasting assignments because of their personal appearance and since these are open for public scrutiny they may tend to not be comfortable speaking as open as they would otherwise. One final issue is the legal issue of content that is posted on a podcast. You must have the proper permissions prior to posting copywritten material such as songs. Without these permissions you could be guilty of breaking laws.
Podcasts can be a great tool in adult education which should be utilized. As an instructor, you should be aware of the drawbacks and be willing to accomodate or assist in area's that could hinder the learner from learning. I plan to incorporate podcasts into my future classes as the positives outway the negatives in my opinion.
Here is an example of an educational VIDEO podcast. The sky really is the limit!
This weeks assignment will be a collaborative effort using the Wiki with your previously assigned groups. Some of you may be familiar with what a Wiki is and I know some of you have no idea what a Wiki is. A Wiki is in essense a web site that members can edit, modify, add to and take away while all using the same document. The end product will be the result of each group members input. It would be wise to visit the following sites to get a better understanding of the Wiki prior to completing the assignment posted below. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at the number and e-mail I provided on the course syllibus.
Watch this short video to help you understand the purpose and use of the Wiki.
Now that you are a Wiki Expert...(wink wink) complete the following assignment with the other members of your group
Lesson - Contractor Quality Control
Learning Goal: To become familiar with and apply the principles of quality management for Army Corps of Engineer military construction projects.Target Audience: Construction professionals actively engaged in Quality Control.
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to define Quality as it relates to Army construction.
Students will be able to develop a Quality Control Plan
Students will be able to demonstrate each phase of the 3-Phase Control System
As we have discussed so far in this class, technology is influencing every aspect of our lives. In my previous blog post I wrote about the pros and cons of integrating and using blogs in the adult education setting. This week I will take a look at the pros and cons of Wiki's for adult learners.
A relatively old technology (10 yrs.) wiki's are becoming more widely used in education as a collaborative tool since they allow many users to access, edit and contribute in one location.
The pros of the wiki:
They are collaborative and community building (King & Cox, pg. 124) which means they allow for groups of people with like passions and subject interests to meet and explore ideas together. It's not just a web page or a blog that provides a one sided view of information
Group assignments are more thorough by allowing the entire group to work on the same document. It also can track who has contributed which material that aids the instructor to grade student participation.
It provides the students with the ability to create knowledge as opposed to just consume knowledge as from a blog or web site.
A wiki reflects the personality and views of an entire group. The input from others brings breadth and depth to the overall document due to the groups various backgrounds and experiences.
The cons of the wiki:
I was personally involved in a research project and was required to use a wiki. No instructions were given or understanding provided as to what a wiki was. I never really became comfortable using it. A major con is that adult learners may be apprehensive to use a wiki due to their misunderstanding of its use and ability.
Since wiki's are open source and anyone can edit your document, there is a concern for the lack of accuracy or malicious modifications being made.
King & Cox also mentioned the members of the wiki's fears of the hidden audience. (King & Cox, pg. 123) There is a fear of opening up their creativity when "visitors" to the wiki can visit the site without ever revealing their identity. However, this can be eliminated by requiring password only access to the wiki.
I mentioned that the wiki taking on the views of the entire group as a pro but I also mention it here as a con because once the wiki has taken on the bias of the group it is nearly impossible to return to the original intent of the wiki creator.
As with anything, there is a purpose and place for wiki's in adult education. They don't have the ability to completely replace all other forms of instruction but they are great tool that can help students collaborate and work closer together beyond the 4 walls of a traditional classroom.
References:
King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The Professor’s Guide to TamingTechnology.
As with any technology, there are good and bad things associated with them.Blogging is no exception.A blog is actually a web log.It is a completely online location in which you have the ability to write anything you want including pictures, an article, a poem, personal thoughts, technical writings or even a video.It is a blank slate that you control.This can be a very good thing that can promote creativity.You can pose a question or post a response to well thought out research.In Adult Education, a blog can be a place that opinions can be shared beyond the classroom.The learning doesn’t stop when the class period is over.
Along with the positive comes the negative.Contrary to a discussion board, it is difficult to hold a conversation with other people.A discussion board can be an almost instantaneous exchange of messages.Blogs are also hosted on the internet in which the whole world literally has access to it.There is a lack of privacy which can inhibit some students from truly expressing themselves as they would otherwise.
If used properly, incorporating the use of blogs into the adult education setting could extend the classroom beyond the theoretical “box” and allow a continuance of ideas to be expressed.When students know they have a broader audience than their teacher there is a tendency to put more into their writings.There is a feeling of ownership that helps a student’s creativity as well.
Blogs cannot replace the classroom but definitely can and should have their place in the Adult Learning Environment.
