Podcasting Projects for Language Classes: What, When, Why and How

1. Podcasting Projects for Language Classes: What, When, Why and How ACTFL 2007San Antonio, TX Lara Lomicka, Ph.D. (lomicka@sc.edu) Gillian Lord, Ph.D. (glord@rll.ufl.edu)

2. Presentation Goals • Introduction to podcasts • Why use podcasts in language classes • How to integrate podcast projects into language classes • Examples of successful projects • Where and how to find target language podcasts • How to create podcasts • How to assess class projects • Suggestions

3. Introduction

4. Introduction to Podcasts • What is a podcast? • a digital media file or a series of files • distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers • can refer either to the content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated • podcasts are automatically transferred to a mobile device after they are downloaded. • a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added -Wikipedia

5. Why is podcasting attractive? • Dissatisfaction with lack of diversity on radio • Cultural tendencies to migrate toward latest and greatest technological tools • Podcasts offer original programming with a variety of perspectives • Rapidity of delivery speed • Up-to-date content • Subscriptions are unobtrusive and automatically updated • Delivery of information addresses issues of learning styles and multiple intelligences • Learning is self-paced • Podcasts allow for time shifting and place shifting • Ease of publication allows for less savvy tech users to participate • Podcasting can be a creative outlet • Podcasting gives access to information to those in rural areas From Young, 2007

6. Why use podcasting in language learning? • Godwin-Jones (2005): accessibility; target language listening practice • Stanley (2006): authentic listening contexts; create own materials; increase motivation • Meng (2005): make course materials available to students out of class; record and share interviews or other projects • Warlick (2005): listening practice; ease of use

7. Podcasting research in language learning • Many teachers are conducting their own classroom-based research and we continue to learn with each project and each semester... • Ducate & Lomicka (2006): Intermediate language classes first listen to then create their own podcasts to practice listening, speaking • Thorne & Payne (2005): Discuss Duke University’s iPod projects as tools to facilitate immersion and develop oral and comprehension skills • Young (2007): Discusses Middlebury College’s podcasting projects in Russian, Chinese and Spanish, where students listen to flashcard formatted vocab words and the University of Wisconsin’s projects for Spanish (students listen to directions, news, interviews)

8. PROJECT 1 Blog/Podcast Combo for Intermediate French Students

9. Record 3 podcasts • Semester long project • University level • Intermediate French (4th semester) • 10 students (majority freshmen) • 1 podcast per month; comments the following week • Context: study abroad – generate interest and most students in class go on to do a semester or summer abroad

10. 3-part project Context – study abroad 1. Blog - Introduce self -Required image: picture of yourself -Podcast (1 minute) – intercultural story/misunderstanding that occurred either in US or abroad and what you learned from it

11. Comments

12. 2. Interview with someone who has recently studied abroad Interview (4 minutes) – Interview someone who has studied abroad. – Required image: picture of person you interviewed (could also be a picture of interviewee taken while studying abroad)

13. Comments

14. 3. French – Tourist advertisement Podcast (3-4 minutes) – Create an advertisement (what to see, do, eat, sleep, university, classes, etc.) for a city where you might like to study abroad. -Required image: 3-4 pictures of the town

15. Comments

16. http://www.rfi.fr/communfr/dynamiques/podcasting.aspx?rubrique=lffrhttp://www.rfi.fr/communfr/dynamiques/podcasting.aspx?rubrique=lffr Listening to Podcasts

17. Listening to Podcasts • Listen to one podcast a week in French • Lire le script (in written form) • Complete weekly worksheet to put in listening journal • Journal collected every 3 weeks

18. Project 1 Assessment (rubric designed by Ducate & Lomicka, 2006)

19. Podcasting: Students’ responses I know how to make a podcast now! I liked recording podcasts and listening to others. The podcasts were an interesting way for me to improve both writing and speaking skills, I thought that my accent improved. Podcasting is fun! Once I got the hang of it, I saw my language skills improve.

20. PROJECT 2 Podcast Communities and L2 Pronunciation

21. Justification • There is a need for pronunciation training and practice at all levels of Spanish instruction. • Most programs offer a Spanish Phonetics course for majors/minors... • But how much practice do students really get in these classes? • And even if we offer pronunciation instruction... • Is it effective?

22. Students • 16 students enrolled in an undergraduate Spanish phonetics course • Spanish majors or minors • Between the ages of 19-24 • Native speakers of English with only formal instruction in Spanish

23. Groups • Students assigned to groups of 3 or 4 for duration of semester • Each student created and maintained her/his own podcast channel. • Groups subscribed to each others’ channels to automatically receive most recent recordings in their Odeo inboxes. • 6 grad students ‘visited’ each group 3 times during the semester.

24. Materials and Assignments • Pronunciation Attitude Inventory (Elliott 1995) • administered in early January and late April • Six oral tareas focusing on particular areas of pronunciation in accordance with course material: • short text taken from La lluvia amarilla • language background and impressions of pronunciation • [p, t, k, b, d, g, , ,] • /n/ and allophones, /r, , l, / • vowels, diphthongs and linking • same short text from La lluvia amarilla; reflection and reaction questions

25. Group feedback • After each tarea students listened to and evaluated their groupmates’ recordings. • Each student provided comments on all recordings, in writing, directly on Odeo channel • At least one positive comment and one piece of constructive criticism for each recording. • Comments were to focus specifically on pronunciation only.

26. Allen’s recording Comments from Allen’s groupmates Example

27. Results - Benefits • Students evidenced improved attitudes towards the importance of and possibility of achieving accurate pronunciation • Overall, students demonstrated improved pronunciation as judged by 3 judges before and after project • Increased practice speaking and listening to Spanish and increased awareness of and attention to the phonological properties of their L2 • Collaboration can help students to develop stronger bonds to their classmates; a stronger sense of community has been associated with increased motivation and improved performance in educational settings (i.e., Rovai 2002)

28. Project 2 assessment • Originally, tareas assessed for completion only. • Future project (Spring 2008) implementation incorporates three elements: • Original podcast recording (25 points): • 12 possible points for content (contains all elements, shows effort to complete assignment) • 13 possible points for delivery (quality, timeliness, professionalism) • Students’ self-analysis of recordings (25 points): • ability to analyze own work • focus on phonetics/phonology • relation to themes discussed in class • Comments for group members (50 points) • timeliness • focus on phonetics/phonology • relation to themes discussed in class • usefulness of comments • professionalism of comments (one positive, one constructive)

29. Student reactions • Students filled out a survey, rating statements on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) • Overall, they... • Enjoyed the project • Valued the feedback they received • Felt project should be carried out in future semester • Became more conscious of their pronunciation through the project • Feel they can generalize what they learned in class and practice in tareas to everyday use • Learned a lot about their own pronunciation strengths and weaknesses

30. Student reactions • Favorite parts of the project: • Tongue twisters; learning to listen to and analyze own voice; receiving feedback from peers • Least favorite parts of the project: • Tongue twisters; having to record and listen own voice; providing feedback for peers; technological glitches • Suggestions: • Would like to hear input from professor; provide native version of the tareas for comparison; find more reliable program

31. Designing your own projects Things to think about...

32. What can you do with podcasts? • How can you use podcasting in the classes you teach? • Listen to a recipe and then make/cook food • Create a radio show on a particular theme and ask students to include jingles, advertisements, etc. • Produce an auto narrative (story, poem, film review…) • Conduct an interview • Listen to target language news, information • Vocabulary learning with images • Record oral histories • Student critiques • Develop a tour (museum, campus, school, etc.)

33. Finding target language podcasts • There are many podcast directories available, but often they are too general to be of use to FL teachers • http://www.podcast.net/ • http://www.podcast411.com/ • Conduct an Internet search for: • “foreign language podcasts” - generally yields podcasts designed to teach a FL to users of a different native language • http://www.oculture.com/category/foreign_language • “podcast” in a FL search engine (such as www.google.es) - yields directories and sites with podcasts created by and for native speakers • http://www.podcastellano.com/directorio/

34. Finding target language podcasts • For French -- Le podcasting ou baladodiffusion • http://www.touslespodcasts.com/ • http://www.podflux.net/ • German • http://www.podcast.de/ • Annik Rubens: Schlaflos in München 3-5 minute daily podcasts http://www.podsitter.com/wordpress/ (specific example) • Spanish • http://www.podcastellano.com/directorio/ • http://www.podcastdirectory.com/format/Spanish

35. Creating podcasts • There are many podcasting hosts available • Most free podcast services offer: • The ability to find, create, distribute, promote and listen to audio casts, as well as... • access to recordings others have made • subscriptions to podcasts (RSS) • recording tools • website ‘badges’ • contact lists • personalized pages, channels, podcasts, etc. • and much much more!

36. Creating podcasts • Some services include: • Odeo (http://odeo.com) • PodOMatic (http://www.podomatic.com/) • MyPodcast (http://mypodcast.com/) • Podbean (http://podbean.com/) • Podcastpeople (http://podcastpeople.com/) • OurMedia (http://ourmedia.org) • HipCast (formerly audioblog.com) (http://www.hipcast.com) • Liberated Syndication (http://www.libsyn.com) • iTunes (http://www.apple.com/itunes/) • etc.

37. Creating a Podcast 101… • Creating your own podcasts is not difficult. You will need a computer with microphone and internet access as well as a blog service or other server space (and RSS capabilities). • Most podcast services come with their own instructions, so check the “Help” area. • Other tutorials: • http://www.wikihow.com/Start-Your-Own-Podcast • http://how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/ • http://www.podcastingnews.com/articles/How-to-Podcast.html • http://podcasting.about.com/od/podcastbasic1/Podcast_Basics.htm

38. Designing and integrating FL podcast projects • Considerations • Goals • Linguistic: pronunciation, speaking practice, fluency, listening • Cultural: perspectives and topics • Media and equipment availability • Microphone • Headset • Internet access • Time to be devoted to project • Once a semester • Once a month • Other combination • Assessment of project • Rubric • Feedback • Backup plan in case of technological problems

39. Assessment • Rubric produced by Ann Bell – U of Wisconsin: introduction, content, delivery, interview, graphics/music, technical production, group/partner work http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/podcastrubric.html • Podcasting rubric: introduction, artwork, internet links, audio/music, interviews, group/partner work: http://www.beaut.org.au/podcastrubric3.pdf • Questions about listening to a good podcast and evaluating it (Kathy Schrock) http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/evalpodcast.html • Podcasting rubric by Mary D Bradford (High School): content, delivery, enhancements, technical production http://sblogs.writingproject.org/filer/yvpBawpManilaWebsite/ejmaterials/schoolInTheCouleePodcastRubric.pdf

40. Conclusions and Discussion • Podcasts can be used in a variety of ways and for a variety of purposes. • The benefits are as limitless as the possibilities. • Have you implemented podcasting projects? • Do you have any ideas to share? • Questions?