Thursday, November 16, 2017
Podcasts instead of Textbooks?!?!
I found the article to be interesting at first, and then I was appalled. The research study was a little concerning, because when someone takes on the challenge of learning a new language, they should be hearing it in addition to reading it. I thought that if this study had been conducted with the same results for any other content class I would be willing to give it a shot, but they were learning a language. I'm also concerned that podcasts are just like every website on the internet, and their quality varies greatly. If I wanted to experiment with this method myself, I would have to create my own or spend some time finding grade appropriate and factual podcasts. For there to be no difference between student outcomes in classes that use podcasts or textbooks, I'm not convinced I would want to teach math using podcasts. I do want to keep students engaged and will always try to use interesting teaching resources like videos, so I could find a place for a couple podcasts. I'm still very old-fashioned and really love textbooks, so it's going to take a lot more to convince me on this one.
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Thoughtful post, Carlee! I think we should be careful when generalizing this study's findings to other implementations of podcasts. If, for example, you found a smart, well-produced podcast about fractions and you wanted to give your students an opportunity to listen to it, the study we read offers no insight as to whether or not your idea is a good one. For me, this study demonstrates that mistake of over emphasizing one mode of information delivery. As teachers, we should draw on multiple modes to communicate information, and we should allow our students to draw on multiple modes when communicating information themselves. Thanks!
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