I was on my way home from an interview this evening and decided to listen to a podcast instead of the radio to while away the journey time.
It was a live recording of a Kevin Smith Q&A at Star Wars Celebration VI (OK, it's finally out - I'm a sci-fi geek and all-round slacker film fan) and I was happily smirking along until a comment at the end made my brain kick into gear. Mr Smith, a podcast devotee himself, was urging people to set up their own podcasts because he believes that everyone has something unique to share (Smith, 2012, closing comments)
For some reason this is what my brain did with that sentiment:
- Podcast, hmmmmm....professional artifact?
- Kevin Smiths podcasts are ongoing...
- Is my current thinking about the professional artifact limited by my idea of producing 'a thing,' i.e. a finished item to present?
- Does a finished 'thing' have any benefit to my practice or my audience? Short term, perhaps, but for future development...?
- Should I widen my scope to thinking about perhaps podcast, forum, blog, website that allows people to connect and share...
- By placing a full stop around my professional artifact am I, in fact, saying 'that's it, all done'?
- Do I mean that? No. This inquiry is only the first step towards creating a more motivational environment for my students, at present and in the future.
So, the up shot of all this is that I am going to consider an ongoing artifact that it may, or may not, be possible to create within the limited time frame for this inquiry. However, what I do know for sure, now, is that it would be more representative of the topic and it's application to practice - the need for continual interaction, understanding, reflection, and development - than a static artifact that presents a fait accomplie when it comes to motivating students.
Oh lordy! I've just thought...I've got a long drive to, and from, work, tomorrow. My apologies in advance for any blogging that might occur.
References
Be advised - sexual content and strong language in this podcast may cause offence
Smith, K. 2012. Smodcast #221: Orlando Calrissian. Smodcast. [podcast] August 29 2012. Available at: http://smodcast.com/episodes/orlando-calrissian/ [Accessed: 25 Oct 2013].
Be careful driving with all of these things going through your head!!! I have to say that I picked up a friend after the last campus session and explaining my work to her on the journey helped me put it all into perspective. I think you are right about our studies being an on going process, why should everything stop when our work gets handed in and we say goodbye to Bapp? A podcast sounds fascinating and a really good idea, I think you should go for it! Why not try recording a couple and see how it goes?
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