-Sebastian J. Dorok: “Hausaufgaben-Podcasts im Englischunterricht”. In: PRAXIS Fremdsprachenunterricht. 1·2008. S. 31-36

-http://db2.nibis.de/1db/cuvo/datei/bs_ms_kmk_erste_fremdsprache.pdf, S.9

-http://www.podcast.de/informieren/

The interactivity of Podcasting does not only avoid the artificiality of language laboratories. Furthermore, it provides language for an additional playfully, interactive aspect. This aspect makes the learner forget about the fact, that he is learning English.

Podcasting is an innovation of English lessons, which opens new ground.

The use of Podcasts in class can probably be seen as a reasonable advancement of the language laboratory idea.

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.

Podcasts are ideally suited for project-work which supports the collaborative approach. The learner gets activated. Moreover, the motivation increases because the pupil is operating his own radio station for free. Finally, it enables regular immersion into the foreign language.

Podcasts – independent learning outside the classroom.

Is there a significant difference between Podcasts and traditional practising in listening and comprehension skills?

wikipedia says:

A tag cloud or word cloud (or weighted list in visual design) is a visual depiction of user-generated tags, or simply the word content of a site, used typically to describe the content of web sites. Tags are usually single words and are typically listed alphabetically, and the importance of a tag is shown with font size or color. Thus both finding a tag by alphabet and by popularity is possible. The tags are usually hyperlinks that lead to a collection of items that are associated with a tag.

I searched for wordle in the web and I found a wordle cloud about Barack Obamas Berlin speech.

Really interesting:)

I think wordle is a very interesting way to picturize a text in a colourful way. The learner gets a totally different view on a specific topic and it is possible to learn by playing, which is really important and useful.

Break the word Podcast down into two parts.

First the POD: you can either listen to a podcast on your computer or transfer it to your portable audio/video device, which means that file is Portable, and it’s On-Demand because you can listen to or watch it when you want, where you want.

The CAST means the file is sent out to you over the Internet, in the way a “broadcast” comes to you over the radio or TV airwaves. But instead of using a radio or TV, with podcasts you use a computer connected to the Internet, and on that computer you have a program that allows you to subscribe to, manage, and listen to or watch your favorite podcasts.

The Task is presented as a competition on a trip to Australia for the best youth travel brochure. This is a good motivation for students to create an appealing outcome.

The webquest is structured well. The roles contain the most important information you need to create a tourguide except from information about hotels or hostels.

The web is used productively because the students have to collect information about flights,wildlife warriors, sportsman…

According to the age of the students (9th grade) they have to think transformatively.

The real world feedback is very good because it is espacially for young people.

Summing up, it is a very good WebQuest.

Since those beginning days, tens of thousands of teachers have embraced WebQuests as a way to make good use of the internet while engaging their students in the kinds of thinking that the 21st century requires. The model has spread around the world, with special enthusiasm in Brazil, Spain, China, Australia and Holland.

(http://webquest.org/index.php)

Additional Links:

http://www.webquests.de/

http://www.lehrer-online.de/webquests.php