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Rachelandthecity
Member
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Posted: Jun 20, 2006 2:13 am
Podcasting Technology Coming To Memphis City Schools
Posted: 6/19/2006 1:51:56 PM
Imagine children being able to plug in their iPods and hear their teacher's lecture when it's time to study for a quiz or learning about world history by touring a museum without having to leave their classroom. Sound a little too far-fetched? Well, not anymore. In a tiny room known as the "Crow's Nest" at the Memphis City Schools Telecommunications Center on Union Avenue, a small team of tech experts are paving the way for such innovative learning opportunities to become reality. They're doing it through the use of podcasting technology, which is basically a way of delivering audio and video content to iPods or other portable media players and computers so that listeners can access it on demand at any time and from anywhere.
"We were all pretty aware that we could reach a wide audience, but it was just amazing to see how far we really could go with podcasting," said Linda Eller, staff coordinator for the MCS Instructional Technology department.
"We figured this would be a great way to let others know about all of the good things going on in our school district. It allows us to focus on what's happening at Memphis City Schools in a positive, powerful way, and once we get the kids involved we feel like the learning will just skyrocket."
Eller and her staff say their goal is to equip teachers and other MCS educators with the basic skills needed to produce podcasts at their own schools. Those podcasts would then be placed into one of four categories on the district's Web site: Curriculum & Instruction, World Language, Arts in the Schools and Instructional Technology. The Instructional Technology Department recently added a podcast directory to the MCS Web site with a number of selections in each category.
One future podcast will include a "behind the scenes" look at how the animal exhibits are maintained and how the zoo keepers care for the animals on a daily basis. Another may be created in conjunction with the zoo's 100th anniversary and feature a history lesson on the zoo's past with pictures comparing its early days to today.
"Podcasting is all about accessibility," Eller said. "Anyone with an mp3 player - like an iPod - or a computer can get our podcasts. We feel like this helps put our school district at the forefront of what's happening in regards to technology and gives us a greater educational purpose and a lot of power to communicate."
The Instructional Technology team will be hosting a Principals Day on June 21 at the Telecommunications Center,Union and Hollywood, to show principals how to produce their own podcasts and how to use them to enhance the teaching and learning at their schools.
The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's sponsored by Apple Computers and Tim Tyson, a principal from Marietta City Schools in Marietta, GA, will also be on hand to share some of the great things his school system has done with educational podcasts. Corey Harris, principal of Longview Middle School will lead a hands-on training session.
For more information about Principals Day, MCS podcasting or the MCS Instructional Technology Department, contact Linda Eller at 416-3651.
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fierydrunk
Member
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Posted: Jun 20, 2006 2:44 am
So are they going to hand out $300 iPods to every MCS kid?
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Rachelandthecity
Member
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Posted: Jun 20, 2006 10:38 am
exactly
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MarkSlaughter
Member
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Posted: Jun 20, 2006 4:45 pm
Some states/districts lend laptops to students to use in class and at home. I'm curious how many end up missing or damaged? I think it would be much better to have a computer than an ipod for educational use. I mean, if they're gonna spend that much anyway, why not spend a little more and get computers that actually work as opposed to the pc's that are still running windows 95 and only work on occasion?
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fierydrunk
Member
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Posted: Jun 20, 2006 4:51 pm
I agree--loan out the iBooks. You can play podcasts on those. I am sure some come back destroyed, but really those kids probably dote on them as they likely are used for whatever games they figure out how to download.
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elle
Member
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Posted: Jun 20, 2006 7:28 pm
the thing that gets me is i wonder how this is going to be helpful and is it going to distract children from actually LISTENING while in the classroom. if they know they can just listen to the stuff later, will they even bother coming to class or bother to listen while they are in the class and participate?
i doubt they hand out the 300 dollar ones. probably the smaller ones that are under 200. maybe even the ipod shuffle ones. who knows.
and i agree with jeremy, it would be much better to have a computer than an ipod for educational use.
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fierydrunk
Member
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Posted: Jun 20, 2006 7:31 pm
I think that these techies need to stop thinking that everything they do is going to save humankind.
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MATAlac
Member
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Posted: Jun 20, 2006 7:34 pm
you'd be suprised, its really odd how they dole the ibook out, they come rolling in a big cart that gives the kiddies wireless. Like somethin outta the future.
I hear that these are in most of the MCS elem schools. My son has no love of the ibook, just cause it reminds him of school.
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hemant
Member
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Posted: Jun 20, 2006 9:42 pm | Edited by: hemant
I think the writer was just being an idiot talking about podcasts as if an ipod were required. Getting a podcast is the same thing as getting a taped lecture. even the shittiest windows3.1 computer can receive it.
I think podcasting classes is a terrific idea. When you realize that you don't fully understand the material, you can listen to it again. Or if you are out sick for a long time, you can listen to classes that you missed.
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aphex_twin
Member
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Posted: Jun 21, 2006 7:08 am
Irony is a dead scene...
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Mark Rochambeaux
Member
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Posted: Jun 21, 2006 11:53 pm
A few more computers, a few more iPods, and pretty soon we'll be able to graduate half of our high school students. ...
y Bartholomew Sullivan
sullivanb@shns.com
WASHINGTON — The Memphis school system , the nation's 21st in student population, ranks near the bottom among the 50 largest school districts with a graduation rate of 48.5 percent, according to a report by Education Week released Tuesday.
The nation'sWhile 21st in the nation in student population, Memphis ranked 11th from the bottom of the 50 school systems.
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hemant
Member
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Posted: Jun 22, 2006 12:53 am | Edited by: hemant
hey, our percentage increased!
This chart put us at 42% a couple years ago!
http://www.all4ed.org/publications/NCLB/TheChallenge.html
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hemant
Member
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Posted: Jun 22, 2006 1:00 am
here's the whole chart...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-06-20-dropout-rates_x.htm
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elle
Member
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Posted: Jun 22, 2006 7:01 am
it is sad when mississippi and arkansas both have higher graduation rates. geez.
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MATAlac
Member
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Posted: Jun 22, 2006 2:36 pm
Damn, I wish I had a podcast to get me thru this exam I've got next week. I would put it on my stereo and sleep to it. The only material that I have is a poorly photocopied text book.
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Jack Stands
Member
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Posted: Jun 22, 2006 5:14 pm
Irony: Skim milk latte and a Bear Claw.
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Rachelandthecity
Member
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Posted: Jun 22, 2006 5:37 pm
that makes perfect since to me!
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Rachelandthecity
Member
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Posted: Jun 22, 2006 6:10 pm
sense even...
duh.
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tet68
Member
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Posted: Jun 28, 2006 9:28 am
didn't Soren Kierkegaard write a doc thesis on "The Sense of Irony in Socrates"
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Rachelandthecity
Member
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Posted: Jun 28, 2006 12:04 pm
nope, it was called "The Concept of Irony With Continual Reference to Socrates."
but close!
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clubber lang
Member
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Posted: Jul 3, 2006 1:45 pm
irony: when my clothes are wrinkly i get irony on their asses!!!
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jerryd
Member
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Posted: Jul 3, 2006 5:11 pm
The above comment is fucking funny!
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