Using Escape Artists' Podcasts as teaching material

[Moritz]

Hi there, it's me, posting the first time from work, as I have a work-related question.

There was recently a question going around some teaching related mailing list about using genre fiction as teaching material. Now, I don't believe that using a novel - as proposed in the original discussion - would be the best way, because it's just too much reading to be done apart from the usual workload. Podcasts would be an ideal solution though - you can listen to them on the commute (about half of our students have a 1 hour commute), they are usually about 20-40 minutes long, and they are often connected to a clear topic.

My big question is - would this be allowed under the license? It would mean distributing the files in a closed network (e.g. Moodle) without altering them, so that should work. Indirectly, though, this is connected to money, because I am being payed for teaching and would use the material for my payed work... in a way. I just want to make sure before I delve any deeper into the idea.

[Fenrix]

You're not changing it or selling it, so I'd say that what you're proposing is covered under a creative commons attribution non-commercial no-derivatives license.

I look at it as a public service. All the extra fiction reading I had to do for class in high school and beyond came out of my pocket. You're saving the students money, and may hook a few new listeners to boot.

So what's the topic you're teaching?

[matweller]

Agreed. You're getting paid whether you use our materials or not, so I think it would be a pretty big stretch to associate the two.

I wonder if you could get into trouble on the parent/administration side for the content of the stories or the intros, though.

Thanks, now my head is spinning at the thought of doing an alternative version -- same show with no ads, no swearing, and school appropriate intro/outro segments -- for use in education... It could be such a great tool if we had a way to get a foot in the door with English teachers. You're right, though, kids could do it on the bus. So many schools have mandatory tablets or laptops that all have MP3 software. There's a lot of potential there.

[Moritz]

I am talking about university here, so people would be at least 19 if they are at bachelor level. I still have to think this idea over a bit though, I just collected three stories which would fit. Sort of.

[Alasdair5000]

You're not changing it or selling it, so I'd say that what you're proposing is covered under a creative commons attribution non-commercial no-derivatives license.

I look at it as a public service. All the extra fiction reading I had to do for class in high school and beyond came out of my pocket. You're saving the students money, and may hook a few new listeners to boot.

So what's the topic you're teaching?

This is a fantastic idea, Moritz! Seriously. If this goes ahead, could you let us know how it goes? Because both you and Mat are right, there's a lot of potential here.

[Moritz]

OK, I talked a bit with my professor about the idea and I recorded some mini-casts for a different subject. So we think about giving this a try. I am not really sure how to grade a course using podcasts - currently I am thinking about the students having to write essays about the topics of the episode, or maybe having to find a method/model that fits the story.

So... now I am looking for episodes. I think most will come from Escape Pod, and probably few from Pseudopod. I haven't listened to all Escape Pod episodes yet (the first 100 and the latest 10...), and I of course can't remember all the Podcastle and Pseudopod episodes, so help with finding episodes would be greatly appreciated.

The general topic is economics and management, with a focus on international management.

Here are examples of episodes I found that fit the topic:

EP 054 Tk'tk'tk - this one fits intercultural communication, expatriate & acculturation issues, and general discussion about foreign cultures
EP 075 Nano Comes to Clifford Falls - some microeconomics, especially supply and demand
EP 098 Just Do It - marketing psychology & ethics

[Fenrix]

PP006 - What Dead People Are Supposed to Do deals with some interesting spec fic implications of debt, along with poor decision making. So does PP355 - The Chair but in a much more grim fashion.

PP337 - At the End of the Passage if you want to talk about British Colonialism

PP197 - Set Down This - The cost of our current wars

PC154: Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Under the Still Waters - because it's awesome and also good fiction dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster

[Moritz]

thanks a lot, I'm going to check these out.

I now had some talks with staff, so it seems like the course is good to go. Mind you, it wouldn't start before April 2014, so that gives me some time to collect stories (they don't all have to come from Escape Artists...). I am still pondering over how to limit the participants and the exact expectations I will have, but we'll see. My boss is also exited about the idea and will support this.

Maybe we can later donate some money to Escape Artists for the valuable teaching material they gave us 

[DKT]

Since you mentioned economics, you may want to check out Daniel Abraham's "The Cambist and Lord Iron," featured on PodCastle 51. It's a big one, but it's also a longtime favorite of our audience, I think.

[Unblinking]

Not from the EA casts, but:

Anakoinosis by Tobias S. Buckell:  http://dunesteef.com/2011/03/27/episode-97-anakoinosis-by-tobias-s-buckell/
The effects of free labor on social, economic, and technological issues.

I'll see if I can think of other ones.  I'm sure there are plenty.

And seriously, so cool!

[Unblinking]

and:

Expiditer on Escape Pod:
http://escapepod.org/2013/10/28/ep419-expediter/
Communism and economics, many people commented that it was outdated, but I think there's plenty there of interest.

[Unblinking]

And:

Special Economics by Maureen F. McHugh on Clarkesworld, which, surprisingly, involves economics:
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/audio_11_13d/

[Moritz]

Accounting 
http://podcastle.org/2009/10/09/pc-miniature-38-accounting-for-dragons/

[Moritz]

So does PP355 - The Chair but in a much more grim fashion.

Yeah, though the minimum age of my students would be around 21, 22, I think this one is too gruesome for class in general.

[Unblinking]

Dragonomics on Cast of Wonders:
http://www.castofwonders.org/2013/04/22/ep-76-dragonomics-by-lance-schonberg/

[Fenrix]

The Tamarisk Hunter seems like it would inspire some conversations about water rights, ownership of natural resources, and what forced markets do to behavior.

[Moritz]

and... it's happening!

"Business and Economics in Fiction Podcasts", summer semester 2014

 

edit: it will start in April 2014. There will be no grades, just credits for pass/fail. I am not sure yet whether students would also create their own podcasts - I'd have to check the equipment here. An interaction with this forum and the good people at escape artists is certainly possible.

[Unblinking]

So Cool!

After the semester's over, do you think you might be interested in writing up a guest-blog kind of post about the experience?  I think that would be cool, especially since I've never heard of this particular class niche being done before.

[Moritz]

So Cool!

After the semester's over, do you think you might be interested in writing up a guest-blog kind of post about the experience?  I think that would be cool, especially since I've never heard of this particular class niche being done before.

Ha, I've never heard of it being done either!
Yeah, I will write something about it. Actually currently I am already working on chapters in a book on experimental teaching. The deadlines are way before this, but it might be a start into this field.

[Fenrix]

So Cool!

After the semester's over, do you think you might be interested in writing up a guest-blog kind of post about the experience?  I think that would be cool, especially since I've never heard of this particular class niche being done before.

Ha, I've never heard of it being done either!
Yeah, I will write something about it. Actually currently I am already working on chapters in a book on experimental teaching. The deadlines are way before this, but it might be a start into this field.

The folks over at Mythgard.org might be able to help focus or expand your notes, since they're doing related but different educational experiments.

[matweller]

I think you should video record it and then record intros & outros and then post everything as a podcast. MEGA META!

[Unblinking]

Another one I remembered:  "Face Value" by Sean Williams:
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/face-value-sean-williams/

About a world where replicators are available to everybody, so money isn't a thing anymore, and someone comes on the market claiming that he can make a material which cannot be replicated in order to re-introduce money.

[Listener]

Another one I remembered:  "Face Value" by Sean Williams:
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/face-value-sean-williams/

About a world where replicators are available to everybody, so money isn't a thing anymore, and someone comes on the market claiming that he can make a material which cannot be replicated in order to re-introduce money.

Basically gold-pressed latinum, right? Although I don't think ST ever explained what latinum was used for.

[Fenrix]

I think this was posted elsewhere, but also should be co-located in this thread

http://attipscast.com/2013/12/15/a-t-tipscast-episode-127-audio-stories-for-secondary-students/

[Moritz]

interesting podcast, though not the same target audience I'll have.

The course won't start until early April, but I am making the slides for the course now. Hm, should also decide on the episodes sometimes soon I guess...

We might need to delete this thread by March maybe, so that students can't find it  Actually, who of Escape Artists' crew should I talk to if there are any other meta-questions?