Integrating podcasts into
an ESL listening course:
The What, the How, and
the Why
Anne O’Bryan
Applied Linguistics Colloquium
November 27, 2006
Background

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
What is podcasting?
Use of podcasting in other educational
contexts
Tap into current practices among our
students
Surveying the field

Advantages of podcasting

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Excellent means for audio distribution
Seamless integration of in-class and out-of-class
activities (Thorne & Payne, 2005, p. 386)
Encourages “listening on the go” (Goodwin-Jones,
2005, p. 11)
Podcasting Project
Investigate:
 How we could integrate podcasts into the
existing listening course
 Whether students would like interacting with
podcasts as part of a course
 How students interacted with podcasts
Project Timeline


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Thinking and planning phase
(Spring & Summer 2006)
Development & curricular reorganization
phase
(Summer & Fall 2006)
Implementation phase
(Fall 2006)
Thinking and Planning Phase

ESL Pod
English idioms and slang
Learn a song podcast

The Bardwell Road Centre podcast


Thinking and Planning Phase
(cont.)

SLA theory

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Listening comprehension

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Rost (2002), Buck (2001)
Language strategies

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Interactionist approach
Cohen (1998), Rost (2002)
Strategy instruction and language learning

O’Malley and Chamot (1990), Hubbard (2004)
Instructional Purposes

Input salience--summary, modeling, practice

Enhanced input-- multiple modes of input

Authenticity-- real input, guest speakers (native and
non-native English speakers)

Motivational appeal
Curricular integration
Development Phase

Curricular changes: Syllabus for Unit 3 (video)
Unit 3: Key words, symbols and
abbreviations
Unit 3: Visually representing relationships
Taking notes: In-class Practice
Taking notes: In-class Practice
Unit 3 quiz; Non-academi c Engli sh
Homework (due on date assigned)
Read unit 3
Download notes for podcast from
WebCT, or get notes in class; Watch
video podcast Taking notes during a
lectureΣ; complete quiz with the notes you
downloaded in WebCT
Review video podcast
Listen to podcast Tips on taking notes in
classΣ
Listen to Unit 3 summary podcastΣ and
watch part 2 of the SpiderΣ lecture. Take
notes, and bring both your notes and ones
from video podcast to class
Development Phase
Primary function of podcast/vodcast
Number
Summary, Repetition
5
Outside perspective
3
Demonstration
2 (videos)
Targeted Practice
2
Raise awareness of strategies
1
Welcome/Intro to course
1
Total
14
Podcast Blog
Research Questions

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How do students perceive and interact with the podcasts?
Does student interaction with the podcasts help to shift their
role from “overhearer” to “non-addressee” (Buck, 2002, p.
254)?
Do having course podcasts help “to foster a more seamless
integration of in-class and out-of-class activity and materials”
(Thorne and Payne, 2005, p. 386)
Does the strategy instruction from the course podcasts help to
raise awareness of strategies, as perceived by the students?
Does the strategy instruction from the course podcasts help to
increase strategy use by students in class, as perceived by
the students?
How do students feel about/
interact with the podcasts?
Ave
SD
How interesting?
4.11
0.32
How informative?
4.15
0.38
Frequency
3.07
0.16
Minutes
40.93
8.21
N = 6; Information for first 9 podcasts
First two questions based on Likert scale from 1-5 (1 = not at all, 5 = very)
Does student interaction with the
podcasts help to shift their role
from overhearer to non-addressee?

“…sometimes I listen the whole podcast, sometime I just stop when I don't understand
what they're saying. I just stop and listen again, and then I continue” (DV)

“In the past I never stop, but now I stop. Another student gave me a suggestion-we can
hear every word of these listening materials…I used to be not stopped… But now
sometimes I stopped. I want to figure out what this sentence-every word” (JJ)

“…if I don't understand I have to repeat. Re-listen.” (TV)

“I listen on the computer…when I was listening, the missing word-I don't know the
sometimes the word's meaning so I stop it and find electronic dictionary and typing and
see that words and I knew the word's meaning…” (DK)
Do having course podcasts help to
foster seamless integration of in-class
and out-of-class activity and materials?

“Yes, I think so. Because the time of the class very short. If we want to
practice you need to pay a lot of time on this, because one class only
50 minutes. I think it's very important” (JJ)

“Yeah, I think for this class podcast is important for the class. Yeah, I
think it help summarize the detail from class for student to review…”
(NW)

"They are important…because you can practice the strategies that are
mentioned in the class, like you want to listen to number, you can
listen to that. When the instructor show you how to recognize the
number, how to write it down, then you should practice and write it
down. I think it's really good” (DV)
Raising awareness, influencing
strategy use

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“Yes. Before I also use not like use, I know this…main idea here, I know this
one, but I didn't know…before I don't know this is strategy. But I use it. I know
this strategy is kind of strategy, I can use strategy for listening, is more helpful
for understanding professor talking about....I think that in the class is many
many example. If the professor talking about-for main idea in this class, he will
say 'we will focus on' something. This is main idea. So, I need concentrate,
focus on something.” (ZY)
“Ok, so-yes, at the beginning of the course when I sit for the lecture, I just keep
writing down everything I listen…so I'm not going to listen to what is
important or what is the cues, or the main idea I just keep writing. And it takes
me time, I think. Thinking and listening and writing everything I think it's time.
But when I learn some strategies there's no need to write everything.
Concentrate on what is important, what is key words, what is lecture cues, tells
me what professor is going to say. And then I just keep the notetaking...You
don't need to write whole word or key sentence to keep the key idea...it helps”
(DV)
Final Thoughts from the
Instructor
Podcasts have the potential to expand class
time by:
-- responding directly to students’ needs
-- annotating audio or video materials from
class materials
--exposing students to outside speakers,
accents
Thank you!
Anne O’Bryan
Applied Linguistics Colloquium
November 27, 2006