The reading podcast

This week I caught myself thinking about home pretty often. Perhaps this is due to the fact that spring officially started over there or perhaps it is because Spring Break is approaching and everybody will be heading to the coast, while I try my utmost to come to terms with the fact that the tree in front of my house has decided that it is an excellent time to start to drop its leaves. Either way, I was lost countless times in the memory of spring on my southern continent. It is such a magical season (although my favorite is still summer). Everything seems to come alive, from the first birdsong to the night sky, all dancing to the rhythm of their own songs. So in celebration of the arrival of spring on my home soil, I turned up my iPod really loud and danced in celebration of life. It turns out that Plato (428 - 348 BC) was right when he said that "music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul".

This made me think how almost all of my students, my younger siblings and all of their friends have iPods, and seeing as this is in essence a blog about integrating technology in the language arts classroom, what about the use of said device in a reading classroom? In 2007, Apple announced that they reached the 100 million iPod sales figure and the figures for 2010 so far indicate 275 million being sold.

This means that so many of our students have access to iTunes and should be familiar with podcasting. However, one does not need an iPod to use podcasting as a technological tool for teaching or learning. Perhaps it would be ideal to give a brief explanation of a podcast. A podcast consists of audio or video files that are periodically transmitted and downloaded to a personal device such as a computer or an iPod or another mobile device. These are downloaded automatically and stored on the device and can be watched or listened to anytime and anywhere.

Perhaps podcasts could be an effective tool to help, especially lower proficient students with their reading ability. The teacher can create a podcast, or a series of podcasts for free, on example PodOmatic, and can ask the students to listen to this while reading a text. Lower proficient students, especially ESL students, often struggle with reading information in chunks. By listening to a read-aloud, while following in the text, students are shown how chunks of information is created, how English has a natural rhythm to it (even when you read), and ultimately, this might enhance both reading fluency and comprehension. In addition, students can listen to this podcast as many times as they want, they can replay certain sections or sentences, they can skip to parts that they struggle with, etc. I realize that some students might just listen to the text as opposed to reading it for themselves, but I do believe that the more motivated students, could easily be helped through the use of podcasts.

In addition, students can create their own podcasts, listen to one another's views and ideas and respond to it (in verbal discussions, or written assignments). Rossell-Aguilar (2007), wrote an article in which the use and benefits of podcasting in the language classroom is highlighted. Some benefits that the author mentions include:

• The ease of publication
• The ease of subscription
• It is applicable to various environments
• It is popular
• It is line with the constructivist view of language learning, where language learning is viewed as an individual representation of knowledge that is constructed through active exploration, observation, processing and interpretation (p.477)
• Authentic materials are used
• Informal setting, creating a positive learning environment.

I am excited to incorporate the use of podcasting in my reading and writing classroom, as I see applications and uses for all levels of proficiency. I will be delighted to receive any more ideas on the use of podcasts in the reading and writing classroom.

Until next week, please excuse me, I have some dancing to do.

Reference:
Rosell-Aguilar, F. (2007). Top of the Pods - In Search of a Podcating "Podagogy" for Language Learning. In Computer Assisted Language Learning. Vol 20(5), pp. 471-492.