Podcasts – independent learning outside the classroom.
Podcasts help to encourage the communicative competence, which is missed out in normal English lessons. Especially speaking and auditory comprehension.
Normal Homework vs. Podcasts as a Homework
Normally, the pupils get an exercise, write their text at home and read it out loudly in the classroom.
But language production does not occur like that in reality. Many pupils can not speak this way spontaneously. Hence, language production has to play a central role in the lessons. Though it is hardly possible to integrate every pupil into the class conversation. Every student approximately speaks just two or three sentences in one lesson.
Moreover, homework is hardly always in written form. The focus has to be more on Oral language production for effective learning of a language. The answer to this problem can be the audiobloggingsystem “loudblog” for example. It is for free and multilingual, so the learner can record his homework instead of writing. Consequently, oral language practice is becoming part of the homework.
Homework-podcasts help to develop the communicative competence which is often missed out in normal English lessons. Especially, auditory and reading comprehension. Oral language production is becoming controllable and assessable. So, language learning becomes an interactive and cooperative process. Pronunciation, intonation, vocabulary and grammar of every individual student can be analysed in more detail. Furthermore, the teacher can give an appropriate feedback.
Though, the additional work and expense for the teacher is comparable to a correction of vocabulary or grammar test because the teacher has to write nearly over 30 feedback mails. But the pupils can also correct themselves if the teacher gives them obligatory guidelines and categories. Moreover, pupils are able to help and correct each other.
Language laboratory vs. Podcasting
Laguage laboratory:
Man-made environment, torn out of the context of the classroom, separated through partition panels and headsets.
Speaking english becomes excursion to specifically for language exercises prepared rooms.
Podcasting:
At home in a familiar environment, performed in the context of homework.
Speaking english becomes part of everyday life.
