The Learning Technologies @ Leeds podcast is a series of short audio and video files looking at the way that learning technologies are being used within the University of Leeds, featuring interviews and testimonials from academics and support staff.
Please get in touch with any feedback about the podcast or ideas for future podcast episodes: ltpodcast@leeds.ac.uk
Please note: you may need an up to date Flash Player to listen to the audio files below.
Episode 21: Social Networking with Ning
Ros Day and Bruce Holliday - School of Healthcare
A Masters in Social Work is using the Ning social networking tool to provide a secure online location for students to meet and get to know more about each other before the course starts.
The password protected site has been used for tutors to prepare students coming onto the course and set tasks designed to support orientation and socialisation.
Additional links
Educause handout: 7 things you should know about Ning
Episode 20: Podcasting at UCISA conference
Participants at the UCISA Master class
The Learning Technologies @ Leeds podcast was recently presented to delegates at the UCISA Masterclass Fresh ideas for successful IT training as an example of how social media can be used to engage learners. Participants were given the opportunity to listen to an episode or two and then asked for thier views on how they can see podcasting being used and what makes a good and bad podcast.
Additional links
Podcasting for pedagogical purposes wiki
Episode 19: Screencapture
Professor Alison McKay - School of Mechanical Engineering
Professor McKay discusses how she has used screencapture software coupled with a "digimemo" device for handwriting on a computer to qucikly create visual learning objects. The resultant videos are used to demonstrate techniques that students can practice at their own pace, following the narrated descriptions and creating their own versions on paper.
Screencapture software is often used for software demonstrations and tutorials and Professor McKay has also bene able to use it for this purpose within her research practice.
Additional links
Sample screencapture video from Prof McKay
Educasue handout - 7 things you should know about Screencasting
Episode 18: Creating interactive multimedia learning objects
Carol Elston - skills@Library
Carol discusses how the Skills@Library team have all been able to use Articulate Studio to create media rich interactive learning objects. Articulate presenter has been used to create stylish presentations that users can navigate through and Articulate Engage has been used to create a variety of materials from FAQs and Glossaries to clickable labelled images.
The team shares pre-created templates built in PowerPoint to ensure a consistent and professional look and feel to all materials. The "Rapid elearning" approach to development means that non-technical staff can produce highly polished content.
Additional links
SDDU Articulate support website
SDDU Articulate training courses (Narrated PowerPoint / Engage and quizzes)
LearnHigher Time Management resource (3rd prize Jorum Learning and Teaching Competition 2009)
Skills@Library tutorials page with links to multimedia resources (e.g. Exam skills Reading skills, Writing skills)
Skills@Library virtual tour - created in Articulate Presenter and Engage
Right click and choose "Save Target As..." to download this episode
Episode 17: Video editing overview (Windows Movie Maker)
Simon Davis - SDDU
When you have recorded your video you may want to edit it in some way – add titles, trim it down to show only a certain parts, join it with other video clips that you may have or add a soundtrack or narration.
There is lots of video editing software available from powerful industry standard applications like Premiere or FinalCut Pro to simple applications that might come free with your computer like iMovie for the Mac or Windows MovieMaker for Windows XP.
This video covers the basic stages of the video editing process using Windows Movie Maker as an example.
Additional links
SDDU blended course: Creating video resources for learning and teaching
SDDU online resource: Using video in teaching and learning
SDDU online resource: LUTube tutorials
Episode 16: Wimba create and digital audio
Ian Haslam - Department of Well Being
When delivering training to reasearchers and staff in the safe handling of radioactive materials, Ian is clearly keen that he is doing everything possible to ensure his message gets across.
He has created chunks of e-learning content on specific topics, using Wimba Create to quickly and easily turn word documents into webpages and embedding audio explanations to bring the topic to life.
Additional links
SDDU course: Create, mix and fix audio with Audacity
SDDU course: Turn your word documents into web pages - Wimba Create
Episode 15: Student videos for communication, community and reflection
Dr Ruth Swanwick - School of Education
Dr Swanwick talks about how her students have been using video clips for personal reflections and better communication within the group. When running a module for distance learning Masters students creating opportunities for students to get to know each other and network was always going to be a challenge. The use of video, hosted on LUTube and posted in wikis in the VLE allows students to get to know each other remotely, post questions and collaborate on solutions to common problems.
Hearing impaired students on the module for deaf education can use British sign language to communicate in the medium that they feel most comfortbale with. This is just one example of how LUTube has been used to provide new opportunities for non-written communication and reflection by students.
Additional links
SDDU course (23rd Nov): Creating video for learning and teaching - blended delivery
LUTube tutorials and case studies
Episode 14: Lecture Capture (ALT-C Special #2)
Jocasta Williams - lecturecapture.com
2nd podcast recorded at this year's Association for Learning Technologist's Conference in Manchester. Jocasta Williams used the conference to promote the launch of lecturecapture.com an online destination for the growing community of academics and support staff to discuss best practice and share experiences of capturing lectures and making them available online.
As Jocasta tells us, interest in this area is currently ballooning and the site provides research, how tos and discussion forums for both experienced and novice lecture capturers. The site is provided and supported by commercial vendor, echo360 but in addition to support for their products there is also plenty of general reserach, conference proceedings, articles etc. in this area as a whole.
Echo360 is currently being trialled in Faculty of Engineering (see below for sample link)
Additional links
Educause handout - 7 things you should know about Lecture Capture
Automated lecture capture system installed in Rhodes LT, demo by Simon Davis
Episode 13: Creating video resources for Learning and Teaching
Tony Jenkins, School of Computing
Tony Jenkins has been using a small handheld video camera or free screen capture software to create quick and easy video resources for his students.
Additional links
Using a handheld video camera with LUTube - tutorial video
Educause handout - 7 things you should know about Flip Camcorders
Episode 12: Mobile learning - with the ALPS program
Julie Laxton, ALPS program
The ALPS program (Assessment and Learing in Practice Settings) has been bringing learning objects to medical students on placement in their places of work and collecting evidence for assessment on mobile devices.
The project has developed secure methods of storing and transferring data on mobile devices essential for the NHS and assessment software that can collect evidence and allow tutors to set quizzes and other tasks delivered straight to handheld devices.
Music intro from: http://opsound.org/artist/ethnomitepux/
Additional links
ALPS mobile learning case study
MyKnowledgeMap Muli-port e-portfolio tool
Episode 11: Podcasting for learning and teaching
Mark Reed, Earth and Environment / Neil Morris, Biological Sciences / Karen Lee, Inst of Molecular Medicine / Aisha Walker, School of Education
Views from staff at the University of Leeds recorded in 2008 about the use of audio and podcasting for education. Topics discussed include:
- Producing short podcasts vs whole lectures
- Podcasts and informal mobile assessment
- Audio for explanations and learning styles
Note: Mark Reed has since left the University of Leeds and is now working at the University of Aberdeen
Music intro from: http://opsound.org/artist/ethnomitepux/
Additional links
E-practitioners network mailing list (meeting 23rd Sept about podcasting)
SDDU page of podcasting case studies (inc Mark Reed, Neil Morris and Aisha Walker)
SDDU Training: Podcasting and using audio in teaching
Podcasting at Leeds community blog
Episode 10: Google Docs (ALT-C Special #1)
Sarah Sherman, APT STAIRS project
Recorded live at the Association for Learning Technologists 2009 Conference following a presentation from the Appropriate and Practical Technologies for Students, Teachers, Administrators and Researchers (APT STAIRS).
Sarah talks about how she has supported academics to use the open collaborative services of Google docs for learning and teaching, research and admin.
Music intro from: http://opsound.org/artist/ethnomitepux/
Additional links
The APT STAIRS project website including Google Docs training
SDDU Training: Using Wikis for collaborative learning
SDDU Training: Develop a Blended Learning Community
Episode 9: Video reflections
Liz Lister, Medicine and Health / Kevin Houston, School of Mathematics
If you need to record audio then there is a range of equipment available to you. Some of it will be fine for making quick recordings on a computer while other tools are perfect for recording interviews.
This podcast episode gives examples of four commonly used tools (standard headsets, USB microphones, simple digital voice recorders and more professional standalone digital recorders) and discusses their pros and cons in ease of use, portability, cost and quality.
Music intro from: http://opsound.org/artist/ethnomitepux/
Additional links
Episode 8: Audio recording equipment
Simon Davis, SDDU
If you need to record audio then there is a range of equipment available to you. Some of it will be fine for making quick recordings on a computer while other tools are perfect for recording interviews.
This podcast episode gives examples of four commonly used tools (standard headsets, USB microphones, simple digital voice recorders and more professional standalone digital recorders) and discusses their pros and cons in ease of use, portability, cost and quality.
Music intro from: http://opsound.org/artist/ethnomitepux/
Additional links
4 Simple Tips for Recording High-Quality Audio - Rapid E-learning Blog
13 More Tips to Help You Record Audio Like the Pros - Rapid E-learning Blog
Episode 7: Student created e-journals
Jane Wardman and Paula Lancaster from Leeds Dental Institute
Creating links between research and learning and teaching as students engage with reading and producing journal articles for publication online and in print. Giving students a tangible goal and real audience for assessed pieces of work, with the added incentive and competition that comes from knowing that your work is going to be peer reviewed helped students to "up their game". At the same time the approach encouraged students to engage with and appreciate published journal articles.
Additional links
STUDENT RESEARCH JOURNAL Poster for ADEE, Helsinki, 26th - 29th August 2009. (opens in new window)
Episode 6: Dragster drag and drop quizzes
Dragos Ciobanu from SDDU
Dragster offers functionality in creating drag and drop quizzes and learning objects that other tools simply cannot match. Development is through a simple to use online interface, so no need to install any additonal software and the resulting quizzes can be embedded and tracked through the VLE. Allowing you to give in depth feedback for right and wrong answers, Dragster even allows you to tell your students when they are getting close and then show them the right answer. Thanks to Jason Shaw for music intro.
Additional links
Episode 5: Blackboard quiz tool
Dr David Marples from Biological Sciences
The quiz tools in BlackBoard can be used to provide students with the opportunity for online self assessment and revision. Using banks of questions supplied form a publisher, staff in Biosciences have been able to quickly create large, randomised and weighted tests that have proved popular with students and allow staff to monitor progress and how much their students are learning.
Additional links
VLE guide on assessment tools in BlackBoard
General guidelines for developing Multiple Choice Items - extract from article by Mary E. Piontek (University of Micihgan)
Episode 4: LUTube first look
Simon Davis from SDDU
LUTube is the secure video sharing and hosting application for staff and students at the University of Leeds. This video podcast gives a very brief overview of the funtionality and how you can use it to support learning and teaching. Future episdoes of the podcast will speak to practitioners who have used LUTube in their work.
Additional links
Episode 3: Marking with digital ink
Kris Moodley from Engineering
The VLE supports the electronic submission of work and students seem to express a preference for it. However, a first go at marking digitally was slow and inneficient. A new strategy combined with a tablet PC with the ability to incorporate handwritten notes into electronic documents, has made marking more secure, more convenient and produces more useful feedback, without taking any more time than traditional "paper based" approaches.
Additional links
Episode 2: Electronic Voting System
Paul Arnold from Healthcare
Handheld "clicker" devices are given to students at the start of lectures to allow them to vote or answer multiple choice questions. Engaging students with more interactive lectures, Paul and his students are also able to get instant feedback on how much learning is taking place in the room.
Additional links
Episode 1: Audio feedback
Dr Nick Robinson from the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS)
Confronted with large amounts of feedback to give in a short space of time, Dr Robinson was unwilling to compromise on the quality or depth of the feedback he provided. Using his iPhone to make audio recordings he was able to make in depth personalised feedback available to his students via the VLE.
Additional links
SDDU podcasting / audio case studies page
Sounds Good project: Quicker better assessment using audio feedback
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