Thursday, October 10, 2013

"Audio | Video | or Podcast Technology: Pros and Cons for Adult Learners."


Want to engage your students?  Try integrating audio technology into you current curriculum.

Audio Technology
Audio technology is an easy way to personalize instruction via audio tracks.  Specifically, one can create an audio recording for a variety purposes: To provide academic feedback, offer informative critiques, send instructional messages, and conduct a “lecturette” on course content material (Oomen-Early, Bold, & Gallien, 2011, p. 55). There are a variety of tools one can use to create audio tracks with differing delivery platforms. For example, if you have a PC or Mac computer, the Microsoft Office Windows software comes with a built-in sound recording device for creating audio files.  Many mobile devices such as SMART/cell phones, video cameras, and MP3 players have audio recording features.  Lastly, new emerging audio technologies such as SMART pens (Walsh, 2010) and watches (Shanklin, 2013) have taken audio technology to a higher level.



Audio Technology
Pro
Con
Access
·         Available on varying devices and platforms: Computers; mobile technologies; innovative emerging technologies; web 2.0 tool: Audacity – free open source; and Adobe Acrobat Pro (Barseghian, 2013; Oomen-Early, Bold, & Gallien, 2011).

Connectivity
·         Some individuals living in rural areas do not have access to computers, the internet or mobile technologies; thus, audio capabilities and functionalities are not feasible (Curling-Hope, 2013).
User – friendly
·         Low learning curve (Pinder, 2012).


Promotes Presence
·         Teaching
·         Social (Oomen-Early, Bold & Gallien, 2011).


Closing the digital divide
·         More low-income consumers have increasing access to SMART | cell phone technologies (Hall, 2013; Spencer, 2012).


Cost
·         This can be a factor depending on the device one chooses to use.  Some of the emerging SMART devices are expensive and might be out of the economic price range for some consumers (Kelly, 2013).


Best,
~Aja
References

Barseghian, T. (2013, March 13). For low-income kids access to devices could be the equalizer). Retrieved from http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/03/for-low-income-kids-access-to-devices-could-be-the-equalizer/

Curling-Hope, M. (2013, September 30). Cost of communication worsens digital divide. Retrieved from http://www.thenewage.co.za/108281-1007-53-Cost_of_communication_worsens_digital_divide

Hall, B.S. (2013, May 17). Smartphones have bridged the digital divide. Retrieved from http://readwrite.com/2013/05/17/smartphones-have-bridged-the-digital-divide

Kelly, S. (2013, September 6). T-mobile confirms galaxy gear smart watch will cost $299.00. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2013/09/06/galaxy-gear-price/

Oomen-Early, J., Bold, M., & Gallien, T. (2011). Using online asynchronous audio communication in higher education. In K. King & T. Cox (Eds.), The professor's guide to taming technology: Leveraging digital media, web 2.0, and more for learning (pp. 33-65). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Pinder, D. (2012, August 16). A recipe for success: Recording clear audio for your e-learning courses. Retrieved from http://elearninguncovered.com/2012/08/a-recipe-for-success-recording-clear-audio-for-your-e-learning-courses/

Shanklin, W. (2013, October 4). Review: Samsung galaxy gear smartwatch. Retrieved from http://www.gizmag.com/samsung-galaxy-gear-review/29288/http://www.gizmag.com/samsung-galaxy-gear-review/29288/

Spencer, J. (2012, October 18). Smart phones decrease the digital divide. Retrieved from http://www.360-edu.com/commentary/smart-phones-decrease-the-digital-divide.htm

Walsh, K. 2010). What the heck is a smartpen? Retrieved from http://www.emergingedtech.com/2010/11/what-the-heck-is-a-smartpen/
Images
(n.d.). Audio icon. [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://oneyearbibleonline.com/audio/images/audio_icon.jpg
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6 comments:

  1. DiannaOctober 12, 2013 at 7:45 AM

    Hi Aja,
    Your post and blog look really great! You offer a lot of connectivity and things are simple and easy to understand.
    I agree that accessibility can be more of a problem than we give credit in this day and age. Many times we forget that not everyone has access to information the way we do most of the time. I know that until this summer I lived in an area outside Manhattan that had limited access and we never would have thought looking at a home barely 10 minutes from town that we would deal with that. But a combination of limited availability and satellite issues gave me a new appreciation for easy access. It is not something we will ever take for granted again when looking for a home.
    My accessibility was helped by the fact that we had great internet availability in town with public libraries and the K-State campus.
    Its amazing how accessible smart phones have made us. I spent a few weeks in South Africa a couple of years ago, and even though people had little access to clean water and good living conditions, many had smart phones. I marveled then at technologies hold on us!
    I also appreciated the fact that you gave specific examples of where the audio tools you used are available and how to get them all things I didn't necessarily know before I read your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aja_BrownOctober 12, 2013 at 2:58 PM

      Hi Dianna:

      Thank you for your return posting and comments. In my research on the pros and cons of audio technology, I was surprised how access and connectivity was still such a concern for many Americans living in rural settings or like you in an urban setting, but with limited internet/satellite service. I do not know if many online faculty members take such issues into account. Many feel that if students signs up for an online course/degree program then the entire burden for securing access and connectivity is on them. I do not believe in this all or nothing policy. I think offering alternative such as the possibility of Emailing, PDFing or faxing in one's assignment could be a great alternative option should connectivity issues arise.

      In terms of actual Internet access, you are absolutely right, public libraries and the K-State campus resources for distance students are fantastic. Two semesters ago, I needed a book which my school library did not have and the K-state librarian via inter-library loan ground mailed the needed book directly to me. I thought that was so cool. I must admit that the K-State personnel are 100% helpful in offering wonderful customer service and assistance to distance students.

      Best,
      ~Aja

      Delete
  2. UnknownOctober 12, 2013 at 1:05 PM

    Aja,
    As always, you have a very impressive and visually entertaining blog post! I agree that access can be more of an issue than we often expect, especially in rural areas where I was raised. For the younger adults and more technology-exposed audience, the ease of use of today's technology, especially smartphones, makes this a very attractive option for incorporating into our educational world. Smartphones especially are great, as they are readily available and so many of us never lose sight of them as they are our cameras, phones, email devices, notepads, entertainment, you name it! Even my 2 year old has mastered the iPhone and iPad. I really enjoy your chart. It makes the blog very easy and quick to read, but thorough. Embedding the videos into the chart also adds a new dimension making the post appealing to the eye. Job well done on another great post.
    Kayla

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aja_BrownOctober 12, 2013 at 4:09 PM

      Hi Kayla:

      Thank you for your warm comments and return posting. As I said in my post to Dianna, access and connectivity are still issues of concern in key areas of the United States (Fischer-Baum, 2013). Susan Crawford, former special assistant to President Obama for science, technology, and innovation discusses the monopoly that the telecommunication companies have over our our internet access and connectivity, while giving us substandard access and service (2013, BillMoyers.com). I think if these concerns can be resolved, greater educational equity and social justice would come to the fore.

      SMARTphones are great. Substantially, they have helped to close the digital divide (Hall, 2013; Smith, 2013; Spencer, 2012). In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, “A majority of the public now owns a smartphone, and mobile devices are playing an increasingly central role in the way that Americans access online services and information; moreover, for many, younger adults or lower-income Americans, cell phones are often a primary device for accessing online content—a development that has particular relevance to companies and organizations seeking to reach these groups” (Duggan & Smith, 2013)

      Best,
      ~Aja
      ________________________________________________________________________
      References
      ________________________________________________________________________

      Duggan, M., & Smith, A. (2013, September 16). Cell internet use 2013. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Cell-Internet.aspx

      Fischer-Baum, R. (2013, September 5). A map of who's got the best (and worst) internet connections in America. Retrieved from http://gizmodo.com/americas-internet-inequality-a-map-of-whos-got-the-b-1057686215

      Smith, A. (2013, June 5). Smartphone ownership 2013. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Smartphone-Ownership-2013.aspx.

      _______________________________________________________________________
      Videos
      _______________________________________________________________________

      BillMoyer.com. (2013). Susan Crawford on why U.S. internet access is slow, costly, and unfair. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/59236702

      LinkTv @ linktv.org/: Dish channel: 9410;

      FreeSpeechTv @ freespeech.org/: Dish channel: 9415.

      Delete
  3. EWILDEOctober 13, 2013 at 6:35 PM

    Hi Aja,

    Fantastic job!

    I am always so curious to see what new information you share on your blog. I was so intrigued to learn about the smart pen and the watch. You really do a nice job of bringing engaging new material to the table. I am so curious to know…do you listen to podcasts and if so, what is your favorite?

    Cheers
    Ewilde

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    Replies
    1. Aja_BrownOctober 13, 2013 at 9:28 PM

      Hi Liz:

      Although I listen to the required podcasts as stipulated by Dr. K for this week, I do not normally listen to podcasts.

      I think that are good educational resources for ESL/foreign language training as well as review of complex subject content material.

      ~Aja

      Delete

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