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Faculty Use 'Podcasting' Technology

By Lisa Stratton
UW-RF University Communications

MARCH 24, 2006--One might wonder at the connection between a ‘reality” show cast-mate's prizes and the introduction of new technology at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. But this is exactly what transpired when Landon Lueck, veteran of several MTV reality shows, brought home his prize loot to show his dad.

Among his prizes was an iPod, an Apple-manufactured device that can play music, display pictures, and play podcasts, which are audio or video uploaded from the iTunes Web site. Lee Lueck, Landon's father, an educator of 32 years and a faculty member at UW-RF, was immediately interested in the gadget.

"My son and my daughter were both running around with iPods," says Lueck. "I had seen advertisements before, but now my son and daughter each had one."
After examining the iPod more closely and attending sessions on podcasting last June at the National Educational Computing Conference, Lueck began to contemplate how his students could benefit from the device.

Lueck teaches technology classes for both undergraduate and graduate students. His graduate-level class, dealing with Kidspiration and Inspiration software, is taught completely online. Lueck says that it's hard to teach someone how to use software without being there in person to assist the students.

"Using podcasts would definitely enrich online classes," says Lueck. "It's like TiVo for educators – these are big, hot new items in the field of education."

By visiting the iTunes store, students would be able to download lessons that Lueck had videotaped and uploaded, giving them the ability to watch the lesson at their convenience, and also to repeat watching it as needed.

Lueck was put in touch with a group of seventh-grade students from La Crosse, who are experienced podcasters. The group plans to travel to UW-RF on April 20 for four informational sessions with Lueck, the Technology Leadership Cadre (TLC) members, and any interested students and faculty.

"I'm what you call a digital immigrant," says Lueck. "I wasn't born with a computer screen in my face and a mouse in my hand, the way kids are today."

Hired as the women's tennis coach six years ago and as an adjunct professor in the fall of 2001, Lueck says that changing gears midway through his career and teaching technology to university students was no picnic in the beginning.

"When I started, most of the students knew more than I did," says Lueck.

Now however, Lueck's interest in technology has led him to become an expert in numerous software programs, as well as hardware and technology equipment. He currently also serves as co-director of the TLC. He says he feels that sound integration of technology into the classrooms of new teachers is critical.

"New teachers face so many obstacles in the field. If I can help them overcome one, that's great," says Lueck. "We've got to equip our kids, expose them to new technology, and get them to understand how to infuse it effectively."

According to Lueck, other faculty members have responded favorably to idea of podcasting. Karen Ryan, director of the UW-RF Education Technology Center, is looking into her budget to try and allocate funds for purchasing Garage Band, a software program that quickly helps create podcasts. However, a few questions have been raised by UW-RF faculty members.

"People have wondered if using podcasts might cause class attendance to go down,” says Lueck. “Students might say, 'Well, why do I have to go to class if I can watch the class whenever I want?'"

Lueck says that Carlton College, a private institution in Northfield, Minn., has found that exactly the opposite is true – students actually came to class more often once podcasting was instituted.

It is unknown how widespread podcasting will become at UW-RF, but Lueck hopes to at least expose faculty and staff members to the possibility. He says that from there, they can decide whether or not they want to explore it further, but that outreach and graduate classrooms would be the ideal arena for the technology.

A former teacher and coach at River Falls High School since 1969, Lueck is a graduate of Osceola High School and has both an undergraduate and a master's degree from UW-RF. He currently resides in River Falls with his wife, Lu.

To fellow digital immigrants, Lueck offers the following words of wisdom. "Once you become confident with a program or the technology, something new comes out. You just have to try to keep up," says Lueck.

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Last updated: Thursday, 22-Apr-2010 16:07:12 CDT