Podcasts in Foreign Language Learning
The topics of two sessions were podcasts and videocasts.
(Note: This definition is based on the dictionary entry “podcast” in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (“Podcast.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 8th ed. 2010. Print.). For further information, you can read the entry on Wikipedia. Click here.)
In order to create own podcasts we were divided into groups. My group decided to create a podcast about “Märchen”, fairy tales. The podcast can be used for teaching advanced learners of German as a foreign language or for teaching younger German pupils in their native language classes.
First of all, we discussed the content of our podcast. While researching the internet, each of us had to focus on a specific aspect. Our podcast is composed of three main parts. First, information on fairy tales and secondly information on the brothers Grimm are given. Thirdly, one of Grimm’s tales, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is presented. |
Note: The picture is taken from Microsoft Word. It is a clip art.
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We used a microphone for recording our podcast. The speakers change two times. This change facilitates the comprehension of the document as the listener’s attention is attracted again. While cutting the sound recording with the help of Audacity (it is a sound editor and recording software), we added the sound of a gong. This signal separates the individual parts of the document from each other. For this reason, the audio file is structured clearly and unambiguously. Thus, the signal facilitates the comprehension of the audio document.
We published our podcast on the website podomatic (cf. screenshot below). That way, pupils can also listen to the podcast at home. If the podcast was only at the pupils’ disposal in school, they could not listen to it for the purpose of further practice or for the purpose of doing specific tasks for homework.
The podcast can be used in various ways. For instance, teachers can emphasize cultural aspects by working on the brothers Grimm and their literary work. Teachers can also use the podcast in order to introduce their pupils to a literary topic, i.e. fairy tales as a specific literary genre. In any case, it will be a good idea to start the work with writing a very short poem consisting of eleven words. According to the topic of the lesson, pupils have to write a so-called “Elfchen” after having listened to the podcast for the first time. The first line of the poem consists of one word, the second line of two words, the third line of three words, the fourth line of four words, and the last line of one word. That way, pupils can recapitulate what they have just listened to and they can use their personal associations. Such a creative approach will be motivating. And it will allow teachers and learners to start working on a specific topic by considering the pupils’ individual responses to the audio document.