The use of podcasts to integrate language and culture in L2 teaching Claudia Fernández DePaul University CLAC Conference Thursday, October 16, 2008

What is a podcast?  It is similar to a syndicated radio program, but distributed over the internet.  It consists of an audio or video file (usually an MP3) downloadable to a computer and listened on an iPod or any other MP3 player.  Users can subscribe to get the podcast programs automatically delivered to their computer each time a new episode appears.

What do podcasts offer to L2 learning?  Potentially unlimited audio language exposure outside of class  Hundreds of hours of comprehensible input  Comprehensible, interesting material that can be listened for its own interest  Listening material that is culturally relevant and accurate  Podcasts are a way to provide a connection to the target culture

The project  Spanish Podcast on Demand (SPOD)  Objectives:  To provide students with extra language exposure where they could review and expand not only the language learned in class but also the cultural topics addressed.  To break away from the traditional, discrete point-focused, skill building listening activities, often dull and unsuccessful.  To provide interesting material that can be listened for its own interest while being exposed to Spanish.

The project  17 podcasts for basic Spanish  One academic year  Students’ survey at the end of each quarter on topic appeal and perceived usefulness to learn Spanish

An example of a podcast for beginning students of Spanish  Format of each episode:  Greetings  Introduction to the topic  Main text (short dialogue, narration, or description) read at a slower than normal rate  Expansion and explanation of the phrases and ideas included in the text (in English)  Text (read at a more normal rate)  Good-bye

Podcast 2A: Una plaza típica del mundo hispano

Results  The podcasts that were perceived as most interesting were the ones that addressed cultural aspects of the Hispanic world.

How to produce a (culturally rich) podcast  Choose a cultural topic or theme.  Decide on the genre: narration, description, dialogue, biography, etc.  Design the format of your podcast  Write the script  Record (Garageband, Audacity)  Edit  Post it (iTunes, a website, Blackboard, etc.)

Assessment  In the podcast itself  In quizzes

Cultural topics for podcast production  Cultural aspects of everyday life: soccer games, maids in the Hispanic world, going shopping in a market (el pilón), posadas, “la cuesta de enero”, going out drinking, lunch in the Hispanic world, time concepts, doing business, university life  Important passages in history  Important celebrations, religious celebrations

Cultural topics for podcast production  Recipes, local cuisines  Biographies  Current events  Linguistic colloquial expressions  Art and literature: virtual museums, poetry/short stories

Conclusions  Podcasts are the ideal tools to promote second language acquisition and awareness of the target culture.  The probabilities for being used are high because they are short, interesting, accessible, and portable.  Podcasts are ideal tools to supplement textbooks and to make our courses to fit our needs better.

 Thank you