Podcast Article

• I thought it was very interesting that the students who participated in this study were volunteers and were receiving no credit for their extensive participation. They must have been very motivated. When asked about why they choose to participate even though they got no credit, it seems like they did mostly for the experience and for the benefit of others - very impressive. I imagine that creating podcasts will be very motivating and engaging for students as they love their Ipods and often gravitate towards technology. But I wonder if my 9th grade students will be THIS motivated...I find that my students typically won't do much unless a grade is attached. I also wonder if we can expect similar results with all age groups of students as this study was conducted with college students. I imagine with some modifications (including a grade) a variety of students will find a similar podcasting activity very engaging.

• I was also very interested to read about the many schools and universities that use podcasts and Ipods in their curriculum, even giving out Ipods to their students. I think it is such a great idea to incorporate Ipod into the classroom. However, my school recently banned Ipods from the school. This new policy created quite an uproar among students (who used to listen to their Ipods in the hallways, after a test, in study hall, and at lunch) and even teachers who liked to let their students listen to keep them quiet (after a test or in study hall). From my understanding, the policy was created because some students were using the new iPhone to text in school (also banned) but claimed they were just listening to music and administrators couldn't tell the difference. I think it is a shame that my school went to such an extreme rather than investigating ways to effectively integrate Ipods and podcasts into the curriculum.

• Finally, I enjoyed the discussion of cooperation versus collaboration. I had never really heard them described as such - cooperation meaning splitting up the jobs, and collaboration meaning working together to complete a task. I have always used these terms rather interchangeably. Regardless, I think podcast or vodcast activities are great cooperative and collaborative projects to encourage team work, problem solving, and knowledge building. I am excited to do a podcast or vodcast project with my students next year.