Stephen Downes’ OLDaily for today referred to Derek Morrison’s discussion about using Skype recordings (done with Alex Rosenbaum’s Skype Answering Machine) as learning resources.

Morrison’s discussion is a good one to read, as he reviews various ways he’s tried to do audio recordings. He poses some excellent questions for educators to consider. He’s got some interesting thoughts about using voice recordings for simulated interactions (such as patient-provider). Health science educators need to get more creative about using (and publishing their use) of these innovative mechanisms to enhance student learning. We need to be systematic about the inclusion of such materials, though, lest we have one more “neat thing” that we think students will benefit from … while students are drowning in the multitude of “neatness” that we’ve so painstakingly assembled!

Morrison also cautions about the future of VoIP, particularly as it relates to proprietary systems such as Skype. I’ve been “Skyped” by a colleague in South Australia and today I Skyped another colleague in Canada on his birthday. This technology has some fascinating potential … I would hate to see it become costly or legislated out of use!