Benefits and drawbacks of using podcasts in the EFL classro

om

Matthew T. AppleDoshisha University, Institute of Language and Culture,Kyoto, Japan

Presentation order• Podcast explanation• Previous research / projects• Current study background• Demonstration of podcasts and web

pages• Discussion of benefits / drawbacks• Future directions / questions

• Online radio shows using RSS feeds

• In essence, podcasts are a kind of online subscription service

What are podcasts?

Podcast origins• Apple MacIntosh iPod• iPod + broadcast = Podcast• The first podcasts appeared in late 2004• There were an estimated 30,000+ podcasts in ci

rculation as of fall 2005 (according to www.podcastalley.com)

However…However… You do not need an iPod or mp3 player to listen to or subscribe to podcasts!

Popular podcast sites• www.podcastalley.com• www.podcastnews.com• www.podomatic.com

• The last one was used in the class in the current study

EFL/ESL podcasts• A large number of podcasts exist for learne

rs of English (also small numbers for learners of German, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, etc.)

• Most of these podcasts are created by native speakers (e.g., The Daily English Show)

• Only a few podcasts by non-native speakers (i.e., learners) exist

Podcasts in SLA research• Diem (2005) mentioned the potential of

podcasts as an alternative source of aural input to learners

• McCarty (2005) described the history of podcasting and his university’s decision to require all students to have iPods

• Stanley (2006) detailed possible steps for learners to create their own podcasts in English

SLA Hypotheses and Concepts

• Comprehensible input (Krashen, 1982)• Comprehensible output (Swain, 1985)• Interaction (Long, 1983)• Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1982)• Noticing (Schmidt, 1990)• ZPD (Vygotsky, 1938/1978)• Problem-solving (von Glaserfield, 1995)• Learner agenda (Warschauer, 2000)• Cooperative Learning

(Kaplan, 1994; Slavin, 1995; Jacobs et al., 2002)

CALL criteria (Chappelle, 2001)

1. Language Learning Potential2. Learner Fit3. Meaning Focus4. Authenticity5. Positive Impact6. Practicality

The Podcast Co-construction Hypothesis

• Listening to podcasts increases input, but…

• Making podcasts enables learners to• (Co-)Create• Negotiate• Monitor• Control• Have more fun with

their language use

Background of the current study

• 20 second-year Japanese university students (non-English majors)

• English Workshop 3-speaking• Course met twice per week (Mon & Fri)• 90 minutes each class meeting• Monday class meeting was in a normal

classroom, Friday was in a computer classroom

• No streaming, wide range of proficiencies

Structure of the classesMonday

• Vocabulary word cards• Pronunciation sheets (phonemes, reductions,

sentence rhythm, etc.)• Work on podcast ideas/script/practice

Friday• Read student-recommended podcasts and the

n follow links and listen• Type scripts/peer review/practice

Structure of podcast creation1. Brainstorm in groups of 2, 3, or 42. Write a summary of the show3. Write a first draft of the script4. Peer review another group’s script5. Rewrite the script and practice6. Record in the studio / do interviews7. Edit recordings / add effects or music8. Post to individual podomatic web sites9. Listen to classmates’ podcasts and evaluate

Student podcast “schedule”

Podcast examples from class• http://mapple.podomatic.com

• This is my podcast page for English pronunciation

• There are links to my students’ pages

• http://ew3freipod.blogspot.com• Each week, students had to recommend at

least one podcast by describing it briefly and providing the URL

FREiPOD web site from podomatic

Students’ recommendations

Student Podcast example

2 Man Show

News21

ESS Show

Student peer evaluation

Benefits• Students noticed their language use, eithe

r by listening to themselves or by listening to each other

• Students actively asked their friends outside class and their relatives to listen to their podcast and paid attention to feedback

• Students were able to see (via statistics) that others outside their classroom/ campus/ region/country were listening

Benefits (2)• Increased autonomy / agenda• Improved group work skills (for some)• Improved motivation and desire to use E

nglish• “I had fun!”*• “I enjoyed creating the podcast”• “I liked learning about computer editing”• “I could record myself for the first time”

* Quotes are from an end-of-semester online questionnaire

Drawbacks• Technology difficulties

• The computer classroom was equipped with 48 IBM laptops that were three years old and had no microphones (some had no sound)

• Internet access was often painfully slow• Only 4 computers in the multimedia center h

ad appropriate audio editing software• Students didn’t have flash memory sticks

(need for easy-access HD to store projects)

Drawbacks (2)• Classroom demands

• Twice per week for 13 weeks -- enough time?• Different proficiency & motivation levels of students

possibly encouraged “social loafing”• Assessment of performance difficult

• Student beliefs about language learning• “I don’t think I’m improving”*• “I don’t like to work in a group”*• “Is this correct English?” **• Teacher-centered classroom exposure may have en

couraged a “When are you going to teach us something?”attitude toward classroom behavior

*Quotes are from an end-of-semester online questionnaire

**Spoken in class

Future directions• Investigate possible increases in studen

t English proficiency• Investigate possible changes in student

motivation or desire to use English• Investigate possible changes in learner

beliefs about language learning and/or use of computers

Contact informationMatthew T. Applemapple@mail.doshisha.ac.jphttp://mapple.podomatic.comhttp://homepage.mac.com/matthewtapple

• Feel free to contact me at my snail mail:Doshisha UniversityInstitute of Language and Culture1-3 Tatara-miyakodani, Kyotanabe-shi 610-0394 JAPAN

Thank you for listening!

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