Some of the Issues
Just to get our heads attuned to the problems we may have to address. This is a schools example but I'm sure we'll come across similar issues. From Dave Riley in the Podcasting-Education group.
--- In Podcasting-Education@yahoogroups.com, "RMTheatre"
wrote:
> accessing the podcasts they record. Is there a format that isnt
> blocked by schools in the UK. Any ideas, greatly appreciated.
The schools are blocking all web multi media surely? It isn't just
podcasts but all audio formats just like so many public access
computers do for the main reason that users download music (and I
guess the fear of viruses along with them)..as well as porn. The same
issue applies to web video. Theres' also a classroom noise issue when
audio is involved.
In my experience -- give an adolescent or child free access to
broadband and the music or the games will be the first to be downloaded.
All schools know that.
Also I guess the schools don't want to be held liable to the content
the students could download from the web unsupervised. So sites are
going to be locked out as a matter of course by various controls.
Thats' standard. Schools are set up as isloated islands in cyberspace
ruled by strict protocols.
Here in Australia the same controls kick in in regard to any
photograph of students published on the web by schools --each is
vetted and authorised by school officials and parents before being
uploaded.
Issues of not only peadophilia but family custody battles etc can
really impact on a school's liability if they don't take thorough care
in protecting their students from such traps.
The only option I can see --while such a policy remains in place (and
that's what it is likely to be) -- is to broadcast the podcast at
school by downloading it separately off campus to an mp3
player/device and sharing it with the class by playing it through a
portable speaker, computer with speakers or a radio/tape deck that has
a line-in port.
Maybe this can be arranged as part of the school library services?
Students can listen at home too on their family's computer and the
podcast can also be shared by cutting a cd of it.
The other associated problem here is that schools are dark on students
bringing expensive electronic items to school such as Mp3 players and
mobile phones --as they are bait for theft. Some schools no longer
confiscate them, as all used to do here, but will instead limit their
use to recreational periods only.
So to introduce podcasting into such constrained environments is going
to be difficult without the active support of, say, the school's IT
officer.
But hey! Teaching is now governed but such hard rules.
It is here -- so I'm projecting the same for the UK.
dave riley
Organisational Blogging
Check this - a bunch of Law Schools in the US using this facility to podcast lectures.
http://www.classcaster.org/
