Chapter 8 thoughts

Chapter 8 in Richardson’s book dealt with podcasting. Primarily, it went through instructions on setting up and recording a podcast. There was less need for discussing changes that this medium brought about and how to use it for educational purposes than in other chapters, as most of those ideas mentioned would have been fairly repetitive of those previous chapters. It was largely a “how-to-podcast” chapter.

As I read through the chapter though, I thought, “Ipod or MP3 player – nope, don’t have one; digital microphone – nope; good, reliable, fast computer – not really.” How can I really learn how to do some of this stuff when, I’m struggling to piece together the tools and software I need to really make it work well. This class has given me ample opportunities so far to consider exciting ways to use media technology, but it has also frustrated me because I have so few of the tools conveniently accessible to try these mediums out. The one thing I did have was a nice quality digital camera that unfortunately got destroyed just as we got ready to start the Flickr assignment. Ipod ~$150-200 for basic; a good quality laptop-type computer ~$1000+; a digital camera comparable to the one I had ~$350. Then various other costs necessary to make those items run – who knows. Really jumping into the technology whole-heartedly could get a little expensive. Obviously, much of what is called for I can manage to access and make work in some way, but with small extra difficulties involved in the process, such as sharing a family member’s good computer that I am unfamiliar with using in order to get some of the work done.

Before it seems that I’m writing a letter to the complaint department, let me explain where my thoughts are leading. If I am having trouble obtaining easy access to the tools needed to make these projects work, how well can I expect this to work for my students? Obviously the answer to that question would depend greatly on where I would be teaching. Does my school have the necessary technological tools available for my students to use, at least in a library or computer lab if not the regular class room. Just as importantly, are those tools available in enough quantity and enough of the time for all of the students, or at least partners, to be using them at the same time? Would the students get to use the technology often enough to gain proficiency with it, so that the use would support the subject content and not be an exercise in computer use only? To be truly practical for classroom use, the technology needs to be not just possible to access, but relatively convenient as well.

I see plenty of students who are from fairly low economic status (poor) families who are toting around their Ipods. It would seem pretty certain that they are managing enough internet access to download songs onto those Ipods, so maybe accessibility is less of a problem outside of the school than I think. Still, the access is unlikely to be universal or relatively convenient, so where does that leave the unlucky students? The problem is certainly not any kind of “deal-breaker” against using technology, but it is still a problem that solutions would need to be considered for. Even this college-level class makes that point clear.