- Now that you have had the opportunity to consider the two case studies, what have you learned about why and how audio has been used for educational purposes?
In Canada, the impetus came from a commercial drive for one Rail Company to make the experience of using their trains better to compete with another company providing the same service. It soon struck them that they had the potential to use the radio on the trains for educational purposes and it became a philanthropic motivation. The design was mainly passive, listening and writing into the broadcasters.
In South Africa, the impetus was purely educational and to help achieve the aims of universal education and universal literacy and numeracy. The Audio project was used to develop the teachers and the students. The design was active and interative, teachers facilitated the learning in the audio lessons with print, posters and activities.
- Do you think that it is possible to generalise your findings to other educational developments or innovations involving the use of technologies?
Of course, different teachers/departments/institutions will see different uses for the same technology appropriate to the current circumstances.
- To what extent were there similarities between the advantages or benefits that you noted for each case study?
Widening access to education
New technology for the time and place at the time
- To what extent were there similarities between the disadvantages or limitations that you noted for each case study?
Lack of support
Keeping funding and engagement in the resources
- What do you think were the primary reasons for using audio in the two cases?
Canada – competition
SA- Widening access to education, other ICTs were not readily available
- What assumptions about (or models of) teaching and learning underpinned each of the cases?
Canada - unsure
SA – constructivist, mulitchannel
---- Note any implications for you as a teacher or as somebody who uses technologies to support learning (e.g. does it make you think differently about what you do?).
In supporting academics to adopt technologies I have learnt that you need to make sure they have good support in implementing a new style of teaching – as in the SA case. Mulitchannel support to make it most effective.
I also liked the idea of the Interactive radio lesson design and I could see this working with podcasts and course materials on the DL MBA.
Here are some quotes from the forum to help me understand these cases more:
"Support is required at all levels, on all sides: government, teacher training, teacher and learner, family and community.
Both implementations recognised that there were lessons to be learned: that the learning process needs to be interactive, which the medium of radio is readily open to – but can be adapted; that the teaching process is as, if not more, important as the learning process.
The primary drivers for each implementation were different: Canada – commercial and philanthropic; SA – educationally driven, raising standards.
The major difference between the two teaching/learning models was that the SA recognised that their initial model needed to change; to move from distance learning being included, to open learning being the basis of the programme." Anthony Berry, 17 February 2009 13.32 H800 Forum W2 A8.
"In Canada the educational aspects seemed to be a byproduct of a commercial interest in promoting the use of railways. In South Africa, by contrast, the initial aim was to meet educational goals" Sharon Clark, 17/02/09 19:44 W2 A8
