Beauty and the iPod – a story of contrasts and the use of podcasting in vocational education – Nail Technology

This paper takes a case study approach to provide evidence of the benefits of podcasting as a tool used to support a vocational qualification in the subject area of Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy (Nail Technology). It reflects on the experiences of both the lecturer and the students and concludes that podcasting is a valuable tool, supporting a range of learner needs and abilities. The paper presents the journey made by one Further Education (FE) lecturer and her students as they discover that by using freely available resources, such as open source software and low cost, handheld technologies, they learn more effectively, are more engaged and are able to share what they have created with their peers, future cohorts of students and through platforms such as PodOmatic and iTunes, the world. The paper demonstrates that both the creation process and the final product (the podcast itself) are equally valuable in engaging the learners by supporting self- and peer-assessment and through providing timely feedback. The paper suggests areas for further research and evaluation of using this technology in vocational education.