Podcasts as pedagogy: integrating podcasts in teaching and learning

‘Podcasts as pedagogy: integrating podcasts in teaching and learning’ – a Scilab workshop held online at The Open University on 29 April 2024. Presenters: Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Rebecca Ferguson and Mike Collins. Podcasting is experiencing a resurgence, with many educators critically engaging with this medium to ask questions about meaningful integration in teaching and learning. The use of podcasts in education, or ‘podcasts as pedagogy’, has provided a means to explore diverse types of audio content and to exploit their communicative potential for both producers and listeners. In this session we will present podcasting approaches and content types in the context of open pedagogies, centred around a workshop experience led by Mike Collins, Senior Learning Designer and host of the exciting “pedagogic podcast with the pop culture core”, http://pedagodzilla.com

1. Intro Slide Title 2 Podcasts for Education Is building pedagogy with podcasting anything like building with Lego, and does it matter if the studs are showing? Agnes Kukulska-Hulme (IET )  Rebecca Ferguson (IET)   Mike Collins (LDS and Pedagodzilla ) 29 th April 2024

2. Slide Title 8 Who are we? www.pedagodzilla.com www.open.ac.uk/blogs/innovating/

3. Slide Title 8 The Innovating Pedagogy report 2023 A series of audio episodes focused on a particular theme or topic Curation and creation Podcasts as pedagogy Embedding podcasts in teaching and learning practices https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/innovating/

4. Slide Title 3 Introduction to podcasts Podcasts have existed since 2004 (earlier audioblogs ) Popularity still growing In UK, 28 million listeners by 2026 Comedy most favoured across all ages Most people listen on smartphones,  while travelling /driving

5. Slide Title 3 Podcasting at OU      OU webinars, talks and podcasts: https://www5.open.ac.uk/business/knowledge-hub/webinars-talks-podcasts      The Association Conversation – OU Students' Association podcast 2022: https://www.oustudents.com/whats-on/50/podcast/      Let's Talk about Uni (real student experiences) – OpenLearn : https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/university-ready/lets-talk-about-uni---podcast-about-real-student-experiences      Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley – Radio 4 podcast in collaboration with FASS: https://connect.open.ac.uk/history-and-the-arts/lady-killers Do you know of other examples? If so, share them in the chat

6. Answering a question by asking… Our structure What’s the pop culture? What’s the pedagogy? How do they come together to answer our question? What can we draw from this into tips for our own practice?

7. LEGO? LEGO: Popular brand of interlocking-brick-based toys Can be used to construct a variety of models and structures Encourages creativity and problem solving

8. Slide Title 3 The pedagogy of podcasts Picture credit: Playful Learning and Jay WIlliams

9. Slide Title 8 Pedagogy of podcasts Pedagogy and theory links Assimilative mode – 'passive learning' through listening; informal style; series of audio files Social constructivism – challenge, extend, build on the ideas presented Constructionism – prompts learners to consider, arrange and structure ideas while making Playful learning – have fun with the ideas and mix them up with others Transparent pedagogy – explain to learners why you're asking them to do this Introducing activities that require students to learn to use new tools Too much focus on the technical aspects or equipment Too much focus on presentation or style Shifting the focus to the medium rather than the learning Unless necessary to achieve learning outcomes, avoid

10. Slide Title 13 Our threads Professional development How can podcasting be used as a professional development tool? Student activity How can podcasting be used as a student activity?

11. Slide Title 8 Podcasts as professional development Why? To reach an audience for one’s work To learn more about one’s discipline through the process of talking to other people A mechanism for finding a space for performance, or for using creativity in a new field To establish time to collaborate with others by co-creating content Childs, M., Collins, M., Secker, J. & Morrison, C., (2023) “A word in your ear: What do podcasters’ experiences tell us about creating podcasts for professional development?”,  The Journal of Play in Adulthood  5(1), 20-45. doi :  https://doi.org/10.5920/jpa.1269

12. Slide Title 8 Podcasts as professional development How? Planning (What do you want to get out of it?) Who are you doing it with? What hats can you wear? What is your show? (what will listeners get out of it?) What are you exploring, discussion, sharing? What is the hook? How are you bringing yourself into it? What is the structure or framework? The basic tech to record Pilot, prototype and test run Post production Publishing! Sharing with and engaging in your community

13. Slide Title 8 Activity Breakout activity Discuss:  What would a podcast that connects your professional passions and authentic self sound like? What's the hook, and what's the format? Start by introducing yourselves – what’s your professional passion? Yeah, but who are you really? How would you connect the two in a podcast concept? What’s the hook? Be ready to share your outputs at the end

14. Slide Title 8 Podcasting as a student activity Why?  Collaborative and communicative activity Encourages creation of learning artefacts Opportunity for playful learning Develops and exercises Academic, employability and DIL skills Required tech is part of the standard OU computing requirement Audio/Video record tool now an option in OU VLE activities

15. Slide Title 8 Podcasts as a student activity How? Use problem-based learning structures (see next slide) Provide worked examples of the outputs and journey steps Provide a technology and software baseline Structure collaboration, team formation and roles Provide a clear objective and liberating structures to work within Consider accessible and inclusive alternatives and roles

16. Slide Title 8 Problem-based learning The Seven Jump Method   Examine a case and clarify terms 2.    Identify the problem 3.    Analyse the problem 4.    Draft an explanatory model 5.    Establish learning goals 6.    Work individually to collect additional information 7.     Apply and discuss additional information Schmidt, H. G. (1983) Problem-based learning: rationale and description. Medical Education , 17, 11-16. Buffy episodes 1&2   Find out about Sunnydale vampires 2.    People are being killed in the graveyard 3.    Super strength and hidden lair 4.    If we find them, we can stake them 5.    Find lair and ways of defeating vamps 6.    Use books, Internet, exploration 7.     Knowledge applied, vampires staked. Podcasting: student activity   Course materials introduce subject 2.    Activity sets problem 3.    What do I/we need for a podcast? 4.    Draft a running order of headings 5.    Identify areas to investigate 6.    Gather and collate information 7.     Complete / discuss activity / podcast

17. Slide Title 8 Activity Breakouts Discuss:  Consider your subject area, what could this look like for your students? How would it support your learning outcomes? How would it align with assessment? What opportunities and challenges do you see this presenting?

18. Slide Title 8 The answer Is building pedagogy with podcasting anything like building with Lego, and does it matter if the studs are showing? The mode isn't important – Lego or podcast, it's the pedagogy that's important. Both give learners opportunities for: Selecting important elements Joining these together in a way that makes sense Seeing and reflecting on immediate results Comparing creations Discussing what works Reworking / rethinking Bringing people together Having fun

19. Slide Title 8 Alternatives to podcasting Write a book? ideas are ‘formed and transformed when expressed through different media, when actualized in particular contexts, when worked out by individual minds’ (Ackermann, 2001, 88) 'writing this book chapter about the podcast is a concretisation of the ideas formed by reflecting on the podcast' ( Pedagodzilla , 288) Full references and so much more from  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D2BHS2YV/ Constructionism

20. Slide Title 8 Answering the difficult questions How do spooky Muppets guide Scrooge through transformative learning? How do ontology and epistemology help you eliminate Jar Jar Binks with  headcan (n) ons ? How does behaviourism help players catch ‘ em all in Pokémon Go? How does Julie Andrews escape the Nazis with active learning? How does the Council of Elrond use social constructivism to plan the destruction of the One Ring? How do communities of practice provide a route into World of Warcraft? How did the Apollo 13 crew use constructionism to return safely to Earth? How does problem-based learning help Buffy the Vampire Slayer...er, slay vampires? What questions do you have?

21. Intro Slide Title 3 To give Feedback on this presentation,  use the link in the QR code Download all I nnovating Pedagogy reports from www.open.ac.uk/blogs/innovating/ Check out Pedagodzilla at w ww .pedagodzilla.com Contact SCiLAB at [email protected]