More on CA8.1

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(For CA8.1 podcast link and transcript see below.)

So, technology related competence for Unit 8:
- Installed and learnt to use Audacity and Lame encoder
- Used these to make a podcast
- Also learnt to use Keynote (Mac's PP style presentation tool)
- I already knew how to use iTunes
- I had already knew how to upload mp3s to podcasting website

I finally decided on a topic for the podcast; wrote some text and recorded it using Audacity and Lame.

Not having a sound studio is a problem when you live in downtown Shanghai - not the quietest of places at any given time! But I used a headset with mic and hoped for the best. The sound quality seems ok though of course not studio quality. My delivery of the text could be better, but generally I think vocalisation is ok and I did try to use different speed of delivery to differentiate between the podcast text itself and example-text (listen to the podcast and you'll understand what I'm talking about).

I didn't re-read any instructions for Audacity (if I did actually read any in the first place) and managed through some trial and error to make an mp3 recording of just under 6 minutes. I decided not to edit using audacity so I had to rerecord the whole thing or almost the whole thing a few times. I decided that would be more straightforward and probably quicker than trying to figure out how to edit using Audacity. But if I had to use the tool, I now feel confident that it can do the job and that I could learn to edit using it if needed. Of course I still prefer iMovie for audio and video editing.

While experimenting with the idea of using podcasts in the classroom, I decided to try out Mac's Keynote (Power Point (PP) Mac style, as it were). I wanted to see if it was easy to embed podcasts into a PP style presentation. I found out that Keynote is wonderfully simple to use. Adding photos, music or video is as simple as drag and drop. Then you resize and reposition using mouse/trackpad and cursor. I watched a single, brief, online video tutorial and was compiling my presentation seconds later. I added text and photos to "slides". I added video to slides and then added music on top. I had slides with different themes and had text, photos and video on the same slide. And all was achieved very intuitively and with great control over the results. I now feel confident that I can make a good-looking multimedia presentation for class that I can fully control/adjust in real-time. Using video-podcasts embedded in a mult-media presentation like this can be a very useful and effective way of highlighting various aspects of western culture for my Chinese students. I'm sure the excellent visual quality and clean finish of Keynote will impress and help maintain students' interest. Topics can be introduced and referenced very effectively leaving more time for students to actually practice their English speaking.

Podcasts can also be a great way for f2f TEFL teacher to save his/her voice from overuse in class. The podcasts (especially videopodcasts) can also be used to expose students to different authentic, native, English accents in a "natural" environment (on screen) - vital if the student is to communicate effectively in the real world.

And of course, the podcasts and whole presentations can be uploaded to a site or blog for the students to access at will in their own time.

Problems/issues that the students may encounter accessing/using the podcast/keynotes are:
- many students don't have computers and so getting access to a computer can sometimes be a problem

- some students claim not to have much practice using a computer - which could in turn lead to problems/delays accessing files in their own time. [Though I tend to think that this "excuse" is used to explain why they haven't done homework/accessed the files etc.]

- in class, equipment may fail or be incompatible.

- as there is only a computer for the teacher in my classrooms, the students won't have accessibility problems/issues when viewing the podcasts in class.

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My podcast for CA8.1 will open directly clicking on http://www.switchpod.com/users/jm4298/JoseMartelH808PodcastforCA81.mp3 or go to feed://www.switchpod.com/users/jm4298/feed.xml to choose the link from the 4 OU podcasts I've published there. The file is just under 6 minutes long and 5.3MB.

Transcript:

Hello and welcome. My name is Jose Martel and I'm a student on the open University's course H808 The Elearning Professional. This podcast is a requirement for Core Activity 8.1.

I will briefly talk, from a personal perspective, on some aspects and issues of student group-collaboration in an asynchronous forum, especially when different time zones are involved.

It might be helpful to hear something I wrote when participating in a group collaboration with students in a time zone 8 hours behind my own:

"Most of the time I felt isolated, working alone in a time zone 8 hours ahead of the rest of the group. I could only hope for replies to my comments towards the end of my day (from 4pm onwards), by that time I had often been working on the activity from 7am to 10am then gone to work for 7 hours and returned after 6pm. My comments seemed distant in time and thought by then. It was sometimes hard to keep an interest in my point of view when I had posted a reply 12 hours before and had moved on in thought, but then would have to go back to reply to the old thoughts that were still being dealt with by other members of the group. It is possible that rest of the group also found it bothersome having to allow for the my late replies."

Something else that can negatively affect group collaboration are time limits. For the group activity just mentioned we had one week to prepare for, discuss and produce the required result. Here's a related text I wrote at the time:

I often had the impression that the group as a whole wanted to complete the activity with, "the easiest/less problematic route being taken" [...] that their overriding concern was finishing the activity (and moving on). Perhaps the asynchronous forum with time constraints and the fact that members were/are strangers may have been contributing factors. The general consensus seemed to be to try to integrate as many ideas as possible, to make it an inclusive-[activity] (regardless of an unsatisfactory outcome).

At the time I felt strongly enough about the issue to post a forum message. Here's an excerpt:

I'd like to question whether these quickie group activities are useful enough to us to warrant the additional stress and opportunities for discord and even antipathy that they bring. Also, I think often the lack of clear leadership (coupled with lack of time) within the group will result in the easiest/less problematic route being taken or an "ok, whatever you think is best" or even an "ok, whatever" attitude. All/some group members may not express their true thoughts through lack of interest, a desire to accept anything just to move on, wanting to avoid even the slightest confrontation, wanting to feel part of the group, other.
There may not be a good opportunity for real discussion, especially if members are in distant time zones.
These group activities can merely emphasise how much some of us are not part of the group activity or H808 cohort. And at best (worst?) they may only help to form cliques.

I feel it's essential that teachers/tutors need to give clear instructions and be actively monitoring the forums in order to pick up on problems/guide/give advice in a timely manner. I wrote that:

Perhaps given more time, clearer guidelines and guidance, the activity could have been more successful. However, even with improvements of presentation, H808 does not seem to have students who are ideally placed to participate effectively in, and learn from, group activities.

That also questioned whether group activities carried out via online asynchronous forums by students (and in particular, students who have full-time professional occupations) who have little time or inclination to collaborate will provide good opportunities for learning. At the time I said that I thought there was little deep-learning being achieved.

To sum up:

Group collaborations using online asynchronous forums can be problematic. Some issues to bear in mind can be the danger of pronounced feelings of isolation students can feel, especially when additionally displaced by time zones.

The group should be given enough time to complete the activity without feeling too pressured into avoiding discussion in order to finish the task.

An issue not previously mentioned, could be the need to make sure that students (especially students who don't know each other well) understand that asynchronous forum dynamics require a more cautious approach to discussions and problem solving. Verbal and non-verbal aspects of face-to-face discussions/meetings are absent so the risk of misunderstandings is greatly increased. And the resultant need to clearly state and clarify points made can add additional stress to the situation.


This has been Jose Martel presenting a podcast for Core Activity 8.1 of the open University's course H808, The Elearning Professional. The podcast briefly outlined, from a personal perspective, some aspects and issues of student group-collaboration in an asynchronous forum, especially when different time zones are involved. 

Thank you for listening.