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July again... the passing of the 2013-2014 academic year (part two)

IMG_6292Regular readers to this irregularly updated blog will know that I've been playing around with podcasts as part of my teaching over the past couple of years. This trend has continued and I've been very happy to see (or rather hear) that colleagues have been giving it a go on modules that I share with them. The Audioboo platform has improved, with more attractive embeddable players available that I can drop into our Moodle platform.An interesting development, back in April, saw me produce a series of five revision podcasts at the end of a module – so far so predictable. What made it a little different was the opportunity to address two different audiences with these recordings: one in Edinburgh, one in Hong Kong. Given the nature of Edinburgh Napier's business model we tutors regularly find ourselves out in exotic places to carry out teaching with students based in different markets. For me that's been Hong Kong, where the people are very friendly and the transport systems work well. (Now that my UK mobile provider lets me use my data allowance out there for no extra charge I too can spend my many journeys on the underground MTR system glued to the small screen or streaming some inspiring education tracks.) So it came to pass that after teaching a module for a few months in Edinburgh I took the same topics and themes out to Hong Kong, just before Easter. I recorded the revision podcasts with both groups of students in mind and hopefully they both benefitted. The module in question is relatively conceptual, with ideas and discussions that travel relatively well, though the way they are interpreted and discussed is open to local interpretation of course.If you'd like to take in a few minutes of my relaxed, warm and welcoming fireside chats you're most welcome. I'm told that in many ways the podcasts are easier to engage with than some of my other teaching – perhaps I should stick to remote, audio delivery!(If the pretty Audioboo player isn't visible below, with five podcasts in a neat row, please try refreshing the page. Alternatively head here for all five podcasts on the Audioboo site.)