Making teaching more human with podcasting is the second episode of the TechnoLOTE podcast from Jess McCulloch, a Chinese teacher from Australia whose excellent DIY Podcasting tutorials appeared on this blog, only a month ago.
The 30 minute Podomatic podcast focuses on the basics of podcasting and its 'enormous potential' for enhancing language learning.
The show starts however with Jess's Blog of the Moment which so happens to be this one which she describes as being 'really inspiring' and 'definitely worth checking out'. Bless you Jess!
Talkabout Primary MFL also gets a mention as well as Jo Rhys-Jones's new site Primary MFL, the MFLE and the Nodehill French Grammar Podcasts.
The main focus of the podcast then begins in earnest with Jess's explanation of what podcasting is, how you can do it and how to get started. Her thoughts on how this 'exciting tool' can benefit language learning is made clear when she states:
"For language classrooms, podcasting is a great way for students to record their own progress in speaking the language, to share it with other schools and other students and indeed get feedback."
For our listening pleasure, we are then treated to a great interview with Microsoft Innovative Teacher of the Year, Andrew Douch from Wanganui Park Secondary College who describes his biology podcasts as having 'changed his classes' and 'his teaching'. Andrew feels that by podcasting his lessons he is enhancing his existing classroom practice and helping his pupils in the following ways:
- he feels podcast lessons are arguably better than those he delivers face to face because he can edit out any mistakes he may make when recording, add sound effects and humour and therefore make them more interesting and engaging to listen to
- the pupils are further ahead in their knowledge than they would be otherwise and therefore have more quality class time to develop their ideas
- absent pupils can still continue their learning away from the classroom
- they are able to choose when and where they learn which as a result makes their learning more effective and personalised
- they can listen back to the podcast as many times as they wish
- it helps to create a community around the podcast where pupils are encouraged to collaborate, share ideas and learn together through an online Google Groups forum
- he has seen an improvement in results
- it generates teamwork, excitement and passion about learning
- after the inital learning curve, it saves explanation time as the teacher doesn't have to go over the same concept repeatedly as everything is contained on the podcast
When asked what suggestions, Andrew could make for how podcasting could be used specifically in a languages class, he says:
"Languages is the obvious place for podcasting to be, more than probably any other subject. I would say a language class is the home of a podcast."
Andrew then goes on to explain in more detail how his pupils and colleagues are using podcasts at Wanganui Park. For the last section of the podcast, Jess quizzes Andrew on some 'one liners'. To find out his answers you can listen here. There's also an interesting challenge of particular interest to Chinese teachers around the world.
I think Jess has done a great job of demonstrating the value of podcasting in this episode and I look forward to catching more of her thoughts in the coming months.
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