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Podcasting in Instruction: Moving Beyond the Obvious
6/25/2008
Once new knowledge has been reached, however, those ideas can be applied to a real life situation or context within which the new ideas become understood. With the use of new technology that process can be more easily facilitated than in conventional classroom situations, however, it must be intentionally targeted by the instructional design and facilitation of a course. Such a process of collaboration can be facilitated through a variety of methods like individual reflection, concept mapping, discussion, and idea modification. Based on my own experience, usually more than one method must be used to achieve new knowledge.The notion of collaborative knowledge building as delineated by Stahl (2000) supports the notion that collaboration requires various process stages involving both individual and social work. Therefore, knowledge building within a collaborative framework relies on a variety of interactions and " idea work,” not in any specific order, but nonetheless progressive.
Podcasting can provide a great way both to represent and to modify new ideas. Again, through individual or group authorship, ideas can be represented symbolically or realistically through the use of various media and published in a public space. Once the idea or ideas are made public (Scardamelia and Bareiter, 1996) they are not owned but can be modified by others through a process of collaboration. This requires educators to be both flexible and patient as they are committed to the entire process of collaborative knowledge building.
Legitimization in the Process
The notion that knowledge becomes legitimized through a community of knowledge and peer review is not new to academic contexts; however, conventional notions of legitimacy are being challenged through new technology, collective knowledge bases, and equality of access to authorship. In others words, new ideas of legitimacy are being explored as are new ideas in publication. Conventional notions of "expertise" are being challenged, as are notions of legitimate contribution to a field of study. What is essentially still held, however, is the notion that legitimacy necessarily involves some level of review, response, and either acceptance or integration. In other words, while new technology provides a greater access to voice for students, nonetheless those voices being heard within communities of practice, knowledge, or interest provide continuing opportunity for one's work to be viewed in relation to the work or ideas of others and evaluated as contribution accordingly.
Given the more public nature of this level of review and legitimacy, podcasting provides a useful way to "try out" one's individual work within the larger community of users and participants. Indeed because of the mobility of this technology, that community may be larger than ever before and provide a deeper level of scrutiny than ever before possible. Thus, it could be argued, legitimacy emerges as a global rather than immediate concept. This in turn challenges the student or educator from the outset to publish something worthy of that level of scrutiny and review. As a result the implications for learning are immense. Rather than my teacher being the one to impress, suddenly, I now become a participant in a larger process and a more in-depth review.
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