Week 6: Audio Documentary/ Podcasting

Introduction to New Media: Podcast/Audio Documentary

This week in blogging will be two-fold in the exploration of both podcasting and audio documentary.  In researching these technology and media based programs, I hope to not only learn to use these for personal use but also how to bring them into the educational fields and allow students to use to create new types of learning opportunities.  The reasons that these two types of media are particularly interesting and important for students is that it allows them the opportunity to give there learning a personal twist by allowing them to add there own commentary, sounds, and images to their educational experiences.  This can provide students reflective time so that they are able to process their learning materials and not just regurgitate the information but actually process it and then produce their own opinions, comments, and other related information as they see fit.  It gives them a chance to express themselves and actually change their educational experience to fit there needs. This personalization of education is important in order to keep the vast range of student interested and engaged in their school work.  This is something that I have been working on as well as with this blog and instead of regurgitating the information from the readings, I am trying to add my own point of view and influences to my writing, giving my blog a better sense of personalization and originality. I hope by learning about these two media options that I am better equipped to improve on this style of writing for both myself and as an educator. 

Podcasting

Before I began my research into learning about the podcast process, I first began exploring the Recap.Itd.uk website about their school's student podcasting project.  What caught my eye right away was at the top of the page stating that this project was "5+" in age range which means that even the youngest students are able to use and embrace this media technology.  As seen on the website/school, 

"In this section of our podcast directory you can select podcasts that have been published by schools with children from five years of age and their teachers. The range, scope and diversity of these educational channels illustrates the different uses that educational podcasts are being created for, every single day in schools across the world." 

After browsing some of the podcasts, I realized the value of such a program as a documentary device preserving activities, programs, and memories from the school year.  On example was an Australian school's 1st grade class creating a podcast as a farewell to the school year as a number of students told stories of their favorite parts of the year. Some other podcasts were used as sources of feedback on projects and experiments.  What I found most interesting was as I listened to the podcasts was the fact that the students wanted to share their ideas, thoughts, and information with as large of audience as possible.  They were very interested in the fact that they were able to express themselves with the entire world ( or anyone willing to listen) and they took it very seriously.  You could tell even with the youngest students that there was a lot of planning that went into their podcasts.  Although there was somethings a teacher/adult that lead the conversation for the most part it was the students that created and presented the podcast content which you could tell gave them a sense of power.

Continuing my exploration into the podcasting process lead me to the Ancient Art Podcast website, which I though at first was about the process of making podcasts but was quickly made aware that it was about the Ancient world of the Mediterranean World.  This podcast was created and hosted by Lucas Livingston and states that

" Each episode features detailed examinations of exemplary works from the Art Institute of Chicago and other notable collections in addition to broad themes and concepts of Ancient Mediterranean art and culture." 

I listen to his most recent podcast, " Star Wars and Stupas" about the Gandharan Stupa Reliquary in the Art Institute of Chicago and its comparison to the Jedi Temple from Star Wars because the architecture holds so many similarities that it would not be surprise if the designers of the Coruscant's Jedi Temple from Star Wars was  looking at the Gandharan Stupa directly.  This was extremely interesting and made me want to listen to the rest of the podcasts.  This podcast provided a fantastic example of what could be done with a topic like art history and the educational opportunities podcasts can provide. 

Continuing with the education opportunities that podcasts can provide the article 10 Podcasting Project Teachers Should Try in the Classroom presented some great ideas for the classroom.  My particular favorite was the Podcasting Pen Pals.  I always thought this was a very important project I completed in middle school but was becoming outdated in our current technology driven culture.  I think bringing Podcasts into the idea of Pen Pals all realize the potential for social media and form global connections.  Another great idea building on this was presented on the website WeAreTeachers.com.  They introduced their students and more importantly their student's parents to technology and communication.  A great way to have both students and parents engaging together and allowing them to take on roles of both teacher and student.

Furthering this and laying out the specific education uses, purposes, and benefits was the educator's technology website.  This provided step-by-step instructions for creating my own podcast and the appropriate tools needed to produce a quality podcast. Most importantly, "Podcast are great alternatives for delivering research content or lessons to students who need remedial or extended support."

Audio Documentary

From the ArtNew website introduced my to the topic of sound art, as someone who mostly studies kinesthetic and movement I don't really understand auditory learning and sound based art.  This article was fantastic as it allows for the engagement of multiple senses in places w here people are used to only using one sense.  I think that is extremely important to start opening people up to using multiple senses in order to experience in new ways.  This article provides a history of sound art and how museums are incorporating sound in new ways, the use of sound art has opened up the area of sound curating as well.  I also found their exploration of sound artist and how they use sound as their medium. 

 “Sound artists responded in a different way,” Cox says—”they thought the work of art could be about something you can’t touch, you can’t grasp, but is nonetheless powerfully physical.” 

This provided a great foundations for the youtube video on Max Neuhaus' Time Square. It discusses his last sound installation left in the USA located in TimeSquare located at 45th and 46th street.  It is based on already existing architecture under the streets is system of tunnels used to airrate the subway system has been covered by mesh metal tree grate work used to resonate sound.  He developed a cheap syineztsizer, and used the underground spaces to amplify sounds and ran from 1977 to 1992 and reinstalled 2002 and can be heard 24hours a day.Another artist that uses the sounds from New York is John Cage which he talks about in his video about silence.  When he hears music he thinks of it as someone  talking when he heard traffic from New York's  6th Ave he doesn't feel like anyone is talking instead he thinks sound is acting and he loves the activity of sound. 

Art Junction provides the question, " Do You Teach Sound Art?" It provides the statement, 

"While I  sound art isn't a part of many school art programs, it is gaining increasing acceptance in contemporary art circle Given it’s interdisciplinary nature, sound art seems a fertile area for classroom exploration and building connections between school subjects and with contemporary culture. Still, I’m curious how art teachers, especially those teaching digital media, view sound art? Is it something you teach? If not, what challenges do you see in trying to introduce sound art in a school art program?"

This makes me wonder about the importance I have given sound and that I need to start exploring its possiblities