Education in the digital era, are we more engaged or distracted?
What benefits and limitations are involved in using digital media to facilitate learning and engagement? Have a listen to my podcast to find out!
Ted Talk mentioned in podcast: Do Schools Kill Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson
Reflection on the podcasting process
What’s the podcast about?
This podcast includes both the limitations and benefits of using digital media in education. The argument I want to convey is that even though there are limitations, the benefits often outweigh them and if we harness digital media effectively, it can be used to provide unique, excellent education for a variety of students.
How I referenced and researched
I used a mix of strong research and my own personal experience as a student who didn’t do well in school, even when there was no technology in classrooms. I included people working in education amongst my research in the hopes teachers or academics would find them relatable, and perhaps even trustworthy.
When referencing research, I initially only used author names and referred to the year the study was done. I found when I simply said ‘Kyle stated x, y, z’, it didn’t make sense for someone who might not know I was referencing a scholarly article. I reverted to saying both their name and where they were from. I figured this would help with relatability and make my argument stronger.
How I curated myself and included some Rock n’ Roll
I kept my demeanour professional, using jokes here and there to lighten the mood and keep people engaged. I said things like ‘or does maths just suck’ in a whisper and spoke about connect four pens, hoping listeners would relate to me and want to hear more. Plus, it can’t hurt to bring about some nostalgia, right?! Another reason was so future employers can hear me talk about research related topics, while keeping a somewhat fun vibe.
For my music and podcast cover, I used the same Creative Commons track from Free Music Archive and the same themed artwork. I want to keep my podcasts consistent to build my brand, and I love the colours and the upbeat rock feel of the music.
My tips for making your first podcast, good luck everyone! #ALC708 #WhydoItalksofast #Fingergunsarecool pic.twitter.com/ooia4sgdjC
— Helena_vdh (@HelenaVdh) January 20, 2022
Check out my video for tips on making your first podcast!
Recording and editing
I used my MacBook Pro to record and GarageBand for editing as I find it much easier than Audacity. I recorded myself in chunks and pretended I was talking to a friend, rather than reading off a script.
The age old challenge of a fast talker
My main challenge, as with all assignments that involve video or audio, is how fast I talk! At one point, I replayed a section I recorded and thought I’d somehow hit double speed playback. I hadn’t, it was just my motor mouth going at a normal pace! I had already recorded half the podcast like this and found myself getting a little too passionate, saying things with no references.
To counteract this, I made an active effort to slow down, breathe and record in chunks so I could replay them. This helped me not talk a mile a minute and stopped me from going off on a tangent. In future, I will make sure I record in small sections and slow down!
References
Alim, S (2017) ‘Cyberbullying in the World of Teenagers and Social Media: A Literature Review’, Gaming and Technology Addiction: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice, IGI Global, pp 520-552. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0778-9.ch024
Attali, Y and Arieli-Attali, M (2015) ‘Gamification in assessment: Do points affect test performance?’, Computers & Education, 83:57-63, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.12.012
Davis, K, Ambrose, A and Orand, M (2017) ‘Identity and agency in school and afterschool settings: Investigating digital media’s supporting role’, Digital Culture & Education, 9(1):5, https://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/s/davis-March-2017.pdf
Harwell D (24 December 2019) ‘Colleges are turning students’ phones into surveillance machines, tracking the locations of hundreds of thousands’, The Washington Post, accessed 14 January 2022.
Noyce J (27 October 2016) ‘Experts, educators split on whether preschoolers should be using digital devices’, ABC News Australia, accessed 15 January 2022.
Reed M (28 March 2018) ‘Why Tweet?’, Inside higher ed, accessed 15 January 2022.
Robinson S K (February 2006) ‘Do Schools Kill Creativity?’ , TED, accessed 10 January 2022.
Taylor E (2013) Surveillance Schools: Security, Discipline and Control in Contemporary Education, Palgrave Macmillan, Houndmills.