The development of language skills requires immersive experiences involving a culturally rich environment of interactions among a variety of people and media. Specifically, podcasts are an effective approach to growing language. There are a variety of topics and genres that are covered with podcasts to interest any student and are conveniently available anytime and anywhere on any mobile device. Podcasts can be audio only or audiovisual adding to the differentiation of possibilities to meet individual learning styles. Students can also create their own podcasts on any subject that interests them. This fosters personalization and increases the engagement level to develop languages skills and students feel a healthy level of ownership in the creation of their podcasts. Podcasts also allow language learners to share their podcasts with teachers and peers to gain valuable evaluative feedback. According to Phillips (2017), "The use of podcasts inside and outside of the classroom is one such innovative tool that has garnered increased interest in the field of tertiary level language learning" (Phillips, 2017).
Educators can use podcasts in a number of ways. Podcasts can be used as a challenging tool by involving students in a podcast competition that can be voted on by teachers and student body. Also, students can create a digital story on a topic they choose that are within the lesson objectives and guidelines. Another option with podcasts is to have students share a brief bio about themselves to help peers to know them better and to create a supportive environment conducive to learning.
Podcasts have opened the door to possibilities to grow language and engagement levels in growing learning outcomes that meet a variety of learning styles to foster 21st century skills in preparing for a world that is yet to exist. I'm excited about the possibilities of podcasts to share with my students...and the world.
Source
Lynch, Matthew. “How Teachers Can Use Podcasts to Promote Learning.” The Tech Edvocate, 20 Mar. 2018, www.thetechedvocate.org/teachers-can-use-podcasts-promote-learning/.
Ph Phillips Birgit. (2017) Student-Produced Podcasts in Language Learning – Exploring Student
Perceptions of Podcast Activities Retrieved on July 31st, 2019 from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1162673.pdf
Image Source
https://pixabay.com/photos/microphone-tablet-podcast-2469295/
I agree! Podcasts are definitely an effective approach to growing language. I actually wish I had more time to listen to podcasts. There are so many podcasts out there that I believe everyone would be able to find something they enjoy. I love the idea of students creating their own podcasts. This could turn out to be a really engaging and beneficial project for students. I like the idea of using podcast to grow as an educator. I couple of my friends at work have mentioned ideas they have heard on the podcast they listen to that they are going to use in their classroom. I think I would listen to podcasts more if my commute were more than 5 minutes down the road! Thanks for sharing!
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