__Blikipod: Blogs Wikis and Podcasts in Educational Computing__
Blogs
Blogs in Action
Prof. Christian Sandvig (Speech Com UIUC)
On our campus Christian Sandvig has used blogs as extensively as any other instructor. He runs his own desktop server and installation of the software Movable Type
As student journals
As travel journals
I used Blogger to run travel journals while visiting Denmark, England, Scotland, and Costa Rica, using limited Internet connectivity, wireless, and a small Apple iBook. The ease of blogging made it possible to keep posting in spite of a busy schedule. Travel blogging should be especially promoted for study abroad among even young students. By blogging in journalistic mode, the traveler meets more people, learns more, and ultimately retains more about her trip via the recording function of the blog. More dynamically, having a real audience of friends, family, and interested global readers stimulates more and better writing and sharing of information.
As Breaking News
Times Picayune Blog -- Hurricane Katarina Archive
As class writing workshop
As reflective analysis (note longer, more academic-style posts)
Lanny on Learning Technology
As visual medium (artist porfolio)
As online course
CITES and Blogs
Currently there are no campus-wide blogs available on the UIUC campus.
Wikis
What are Wikis?
Wikis are web pages that allow a community of users to edit *all* the content through a simple browser interface. These are different from other groupware, such as blogs, in that they encourage the community to direclty edit postings rather than simply reply.
Some good, and famous, examples of Wikis are:
CITES and Wikis
CITES has been experimenting with Wikis over the past year. CITES bought a license for a commercial product, Confluence which is being used internally. CITES EdTech is maintaining an account on Peanut Butter Wiki, a commercial service, for demonstration and educational purposes.
Educational Uses of Wikis
Podcasts
What are Podcasts?
Podcasts are audio files posted on the internet in conjunction with an xml file providing the necessary instructions to allow users to "subscribe" to the Podcast via rss. Similar to a magazine subscription, this allows users to automatically receive the most recent issues via a client such as iTunes without having to check to see if the site has been updated, etc. In addition, if the user has an mp3 player, podcasts can be automatically synced to the player allowing the user to listen to the latest editions anytime, anywhere.
CITES and Podcasts
- EdTech Investigation /experimentation over the past year
- EdTech series of workshops ranging from introducing podcasts (and blogs and wikis) to hands-on creation of podcasts on PC and Mac
- EdTech series of articles on emerging technologies including Dialcasting, Creating a Podcast on a Mac and (soon) Creating a Podcast on a PC
- ICS developing podcast server/service; EdTech is assisting with the training/support portion of the service. This service is still being developed but we believe will be in place for summertime preparation for Fall semester piloting
- EdTech negotiations with Apple for Fall pilot of iTunes U service
- EdTech running a (currently very quiet) listserv "Teaching with Podcasts @ UIUC" (email to listserv@listserv.uiuc.edu with "subscribe twpuiuc-l" in the body).
Educational Uses of Podcasts
(all of these and hundreds more are available for subscription via the iTunes Podcasts directory under Education)
- incorporating authentic audio for listening comprehension practice in language learning (e.g. Carte Postale de...)
- delivering audio language lessons (e.g. Mandarin Chinese Survival Guide)
- providing extended access to instructor lectures outside of class (e.g. Physics 416, Purdue)
- giving music theory assignments in conjunction with an instructor blog (e.g. "Our Music Theory")
- sharing telephone interviews with experts around the world (e.g. Radio Economics)
- student summarizing what he's learning (e.g. Life of a Law Student)
- weekly 5-minute thought provoking summaries/extensions of class lectures (e.g. current plans of two plant pathology professors on our campus)
Possible Implications for Support
- could be as "simple" as an audioblog accessed by phone: Teaching with Podcasts (see the Dialcasting article on the EdTech website for more on this)
- helping faculty understand exactly what podcasts are and how they might be used instructionally
- directing faculty to an appropriate place to host files -- ICS Podcast server? iTunes U? NetFiles? Departmental or College Server? external service?
- assisting/training faculty in creating audio/enhanced audio/video podcasts (establishing a manageable workflow or one-off work or...)
- assisting in creating/updating the rss feed
EdTech is very interested in the successful creative use of podcasting for educational purposes and willing and able to consult, train, support as needed, especially supporting pilots and helping launch subsequent self-sustaining initiatives
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