Reflection #6

The article ‘A Teaching with TechnologyPodcasting’ really resonated with me.  Our students and especially teachers need to be careful when it comes to accessing, acquiring, and utilizing all the various types of technology out there, like podcasting.  Like Ashley Deal mentions, we shouldn’t use “technology for the sake of technology.”  If we do this, we’re just going to muddy the waters and lose sight of what is truly important:  the students’ education and learning.  The last thing I want to do is create a blog for the sake of creating a blog, or create a wiki for the sake of creating a wiki, or create a podcast for the sake of creating a podcast.  In the classroom, I think these internet technologies can be beneficial and have the potential to change up the sometimes mundane classroom routine but only when used for the purpose of enhancing the students’ learning experience to reach their educational goals.  The quality of the students’ education should not be sacrificed or replaced by the enticement of intriguing technology.

As Deal implies, college is not just a place to learn guided classwork, but also a place to learn prioritization, organizational skills, discipline, personal responsibility, and how to communicate and engage with one another.  All these fundamentals of life prepare us for the workplace, establish a strong work ethic, and promote a culture of accountability in one’s self.  If university students are not attending classes because they can just listen to their professor’s podcasts, then these life fundamentals might not mature and our students’ lives might be hindered greatly because of it.  We must proceed with caution.

I can see how podcasts as a supplement to teaching would be beneficial.  I like the idea of a flipped classroom and can see how a podcast could help capture some initial concepts of various math lessons.  The students could listen to the podcasts at home the night before and come to class familiar with the new lesson material.  The students would benefit by having a jump start on the next day’s lesson, they could come to class prepared with ideas and questions about the next lesson, and there would be more class time to explore new ideas, concepts, or to work additional problems.

Technology, like podcasting, can make a teacher’s life both harder and easier.  Setting up and recording each podcast is time consuming and tedious.  However, a great benefit is that once your lessons, supplemental material, or activities are recorded, they could be available to be used and reused for many years to come.  My fear is that technology can also make us lazy.  As teachers we must not become lazy, we must continue to reassess our prior “reusable” podcasts and make updates when needed.