Episode 19: Beyond the Filters
In this episode of Virtual Staffroom, podcaster and teacher Chris Betcher gets interviewed by Texan librarian Carolyn Foote. Carolyn and Chris discuss a range of issues including different techniques for recording podcasts, dealing with the restrictions of policies and filters, the use of Skype as a powerful tool for cross-cultural learning, and pretty much anything else that came to mind!
Carolyn asked if we could record this chat for a librarian’s research project she was working on about the use of Skype for educational purposes, and we agreed to have the chat and release it on the Virtual Staffroom as well.
- Skype - Free VOIP Internet telephony
- Audacity - Free and Open Source multitrack audio recorder
- GarageBand - Apple’s amazing multitrack audio and podcast editor
- Levelator - Make your recordings sound their very best
- Operator11 - Multi camera video shoots
- Women of Web 2.0 - An excellent educational webcasting project
- iSight - Apple’s built-in webcam tool
- The Plague of Plagiarism - Chris’s blog post about plagiarism
- The Economist - Article about debating mentioned by Carolyn
Thanks to Carolyn for suggesting this chat and helping us to have such a fun (and hopefully useful) conversation.
Leave us a comment!
March 16th, 2009 at 2:43 am
thanks for this list about record this chat for a librarian’s research project she was working on about the use of Skype for educational purposes
March 24th, 2009 at 8:56 am
I realize this comment is more than a year late but my comment:
Unfortunately all teachers are not as in command of their students as they should be. They tend to give students an assignment and step out in the hall for a conversation. Some teachers feel that it is too much of an imposition to be vigilant about what is going on in the classroom regarding anything other than the content they are presenting. Yes, these people have no business being in the classroom, but they are there.
Regarding the use of computers in the classroom there are teachers who feel that the computer is not their responsibility. They are uncomfortable with the technology and don’t want to be responsible for possible misuse - like plagerism, listening to a radio station, having more than an assignment related site open in the tray so they can switch back and forth.
So for the person responsible for security it is easier to restrict access than to train or confront teachers about their role. For the person responsible for liability, probably a bigger problem in the US than in Britain, it is usually safer to err on the side of caution than on the side of more exciting and effective education. Unfortunately teachers and school systems in the US have found themselves both financially and criminally liable for student activity online.
Thanks for an interesting discussing and lots of good ideas. I just wanted to help Chris understand what people in the US are worried about around security issues.
Don Wilder