Digital Tool 7: Images and Podcasts

All students learn in different ways, as can be found in the Learning Style Matrix. It is important to cater for each of these styles, to ensure that all students have a positive learning experience. Visual and Auditory learners are two of the most common learning styles and can be catered for through images and podcasts.

Images can be uploaded and edited on many digital tools such as PowerPoint presentations, webpages, wikis, and Learning Management Systems. Online the main formatting for these images is GIF or JPG.

Teachers can incorporate images in order to engage their students, provoke emotion, create interesting effects, and create an interactive and exciting material. They can also add pictures of work that students have done and access pictures from other students or learning environments.

There must be some care taken when adding pictures from outside sources and when uploading pictures of students and adolescents as there are copyright and permission laws which are applicable.

Flikr is a website which provides viewers with a large selection of pictures which they are able to upload and can be edited in programs such as Picnik.

This is a picture provided by Flikr.

This is the picture once edited by Picnik.

Podcasting is an audio file which uses MP3 formatting and can create a new dimension to a lesson plan. This is particularly for auditory learners, and is a different type of learning as instead of just listening to the teacher, students have another influence and voice to listen to.

Podcasting can be used for:

1. Self-Guided Walking tours - Informational content

2. Music - Band promotional clips and interviews

3. Talk Shows - Industry or organizational news, investor news, sportscasts, news coverage and commentaries

4. Training - Instructional informational materials

5. Story - Story telling for children or the visually-impaired.

These Podcasts can be accessed through programs such as Itunes or on websites like ABC, SBS, Discovery school, BBC etc.