Bringing Wikis, Blogs and
Podcasting to Your
Classroom
Lina Lee
University of New Hampshire
NECTFL – New York
March 27, 2010
21st Century Learning
“I never teach my pupils; I
only attempt to provide the
conditions in which they can
learn.”
--Albert Einstein
Transform your classroom into a
creative learning space and
provide the opportunity for
students to collaborate.
Welcome to
21st Century
Learning
Web 2.0 for Social Networking
Collaborative
Writing
Sharing Ideas
via Voice
Personal
Journals
Social Networking …
Connect YOU with people from …
Share information via texts, images, audios, videos ….
Collaborative learning
Build community
No HTML knowledge required
FREE
Part 1: Wikis
How the wiki got its name?
“Wiki-wiki to the beach.” - Elvis
Presley in the movie Blue Hawaii
(1961). The line was said with a
snap of the fingers.
Wikis …
Sand Box
 Collaborative writing tool
 Work divided by several people
 Add and edit content together
 Final product displayed in one common place
 Hyperlinks, photos, audios and videos
 Support the content
Why Wikis?



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


Collaborative writing anytime and anywhere
Collection of ideas to make it better
Learner-driven content
Multiple ownership
Community building
Accountability
FUN!
Wikipedia/Español/Cine
Wikipedia/Francais/Musique
Free Wiki Hosts
Wikispaces
 http://www.wikispaces.com/
Wetpaint
 http://www.wetpaint.com/
PB Wiki
 http://pbwiki.com/
Wikidot
 http://www.wikidot.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY
Wiki Space (Web page)
Grammar
 Present
 Past
 Future
French 2
homepage
Group Writing
Cultural Projects
 An ideal weekend
 Halloween 2009
 Plans for Christmas
Collaborative Writing
 Quebec
 France
 Niger
 Congo
 Central Africa
Five Basic Features
(1) Main page: home page
(2) Navigation: list of pages (links)
(3) History: tracking changes
 Green - text added
 Red - text deleted
(4) Discussion: providing feedback/suggestions
(5) Edit page: making changes
Wikispaces for Educadors
Make it protected
Manage Space Page
Main Page with Navigation
Navigation
Main Page with Edit
Edit - Save
Edit - Save Page
Compose ideas
Make and save changes
Discussion Page
Discussion Page
History Page
History Page
Wiki Essays at UNH


Spanish 402 (second semester) taught by TAs
 Three essays outside of class
 One in-class essay at the end of the semester
Wiki essays in Spring 2008 (15% of course grade)
 Writing as “process” not “immediate product”
 Replace three traditional essays
 Groups of 4-5 students
 Each essay @ three weeks
Wikis Essays (continued)

Topics with linguistic focuses
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“Erase una vez …” (Once upon a time …)
“Viajamos a ….” (Traveling to …)
“Una carta a Abby” (A letter to Dear Abby)
Instructor’s role


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Create groups in
Provide guidelines, grading criteria and feedback
Monitor discussion page
Wiki Guidelines/Grading Criteria
Lee, L. (2010). Exploring wiki-mediated
collaborative writing: A case study in an
elementary Spanish course. CALICO
Journal 27(2), 260-276.
Linguistic Issue (discussion page)
S1: However, I had a question in the last paragraph. Should it be “Me molesta
que Alejandro fume tanto” instead of “fuma tanto”?
S2: Is it one of the WEIRDO verbs that we have learned in class?
S3: I think it is like “no me gusta” –one of the emotional verbs but I’m not
really sure.
S2: Yeah… I think you guys are right. I see Michael’s note that we should use
the subjunctive here, expressing wishes, hopes and emotions (p. 365+).
Let’s change the verb. Anything else?
S3: Now I see that we also need to change --espero que Ud. ‘puede’ to ‘pueda’ the subjunctive. What do you guys think?
S1: I agree. I’ll finish some final edits. Now it's even kinda' funny and flows
a bit better than our last one.
Pragmatic Issue
S1: Hey guys. Do you think this "letter" should be written in
tu form or usted?
S2: I'd say usted because we’re talking to someone who we
don't know but I'm not sure.
S3: Yeah i would think it would be usted. We don't know him,
and he is also a Dr?
S4: Yeah, I agree, we don't know him and he is a doctor –a
doctor of love hahah - but a doctor none the less.
Quantity of Edits (Revision Rates)
Affective Support



“Sarah, I liked your part of the essay, it was pretty
funny. I think we kind of have a pattern here of
growing up with movies and a nice connection with
Grandma and other loved ones.”
“Hey guys this looks pretty good. This is a really
creative story with a great plot.”
“Bev, your questions are very good ones. I will try to
do my best to clean up some of the "yo"s etc as well
as accent marks.
Pros and Cons


Pros
 Collaboration, team work, creativity
 Writing as process, tracking changes, more
transparent, accountability
 Learner-driven, pride of authorship
 Broader audience, not just for teacher
Cons
 Overriding someone’s work without permission
 No single ownership but multi-authored product
 Discomfort feelings or aggressive attitude
Ideas for Using Wikis
Collaborative Writing
Wikis for Collaborative Writing
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Recipe book
Story telling
Travel guide
School newspaper
Summary of a
reading/lesson
A movie review
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An ideal trip to …
Showcase of class
project
Birthday party plans
Culture projects
Part 2: Blogs
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI&feature=user
Blogs …
Weblog
 Collection of postings like an online journal
 Postings in a reverse chronological order
 Sharing common interests
 Reading others’ posts and making comments
 Promoting critical thinking
 Hyperlinks, images, music and video

Wikis vs. Blogs
Wikis
 Multiple authors
 Topic-based
 Evolving and
expanding content
 Collective feedback
 Knowledge sharing
Blogs
 Individual author
 Reverse chronological
order
 Historical record; rarely
changes
 Feedback via comments
 Reflective thoughts
Free Blog Hosts
Blogger
 http://www.blogger.com
Wordpress
 http://www.wordpress.com
Edublogs
 http://www.edublogs.com
LiveJournal
 http://www.livejournal.com
Blogger: How to start a blog?
Dashboard
Posting
Permissions
Types of

Personal blogs
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Group/class blogs
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Autobiographical writing
Personal interest: favorite artist/painter/musician
Discussions about readings
Cultural projects
Intercultural exchange blogs

Ethnographic interviews
Part 3: Podcasting
iPod + Broadcast
= Podcast
RSS
A
Podcasting
web-based audio or video broadcast
 MP3 vs. MP4
 Download to MP3 player or iPod
 Distributed over the Internet using
syndication feeds (RSS--Real Simple
Syndication)
Why Podcasting?
Listening to authentic materials
 Talk show, cooking, music, news, stories;
poems and more …
 Videos from YouTube
 Practicing speaking and enhancing
pronunciation by producing your own
podcasts

Spanish Podcasting Sites

Notes in Spanish
http://www.notesinspanish.com/

Voices en Español
http://spanish-podcast.com/

Viajero del Mundo
http://www.viajerodelmundo.com/

ChilePodcast
http://www.chilepodcast.cl/

Español Podcast http://www.spanishpodcast.org/
French Podcasting Sites
LeMonde.fr from Paris
http://podcast.blog.lemonde.fr/
 Learn French by Podcast (all levels)
http://www.learnfrenchbypodcast.com/ind
ex.php
 Daily Frenchpod (all levels)
http://www.dailyfrenchpod.com/
 Learn French in Boston
http://learnfrenchinboston.com/

You Will Need …
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Fair amount of memory
Good microphone (built-in mic)
Software program to record your voice
 Audacity + LAME to make MP3 files
A place to host your podcasts
 Your own website via Internet services
 Third-party site: avMypodcast (75 MB--small)
Free Software to Make Podcasts

Download software from Google

(Mac and PC)
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GarageBand (for Mac only)
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iMovie (Mac) and Movie Maker (PC)
Places to Host Your Podcasts
Save them to MP3 files
 Publish them using free hosting services
 iTunes
 Odeo
 Podomatic
 MyPodcast
 avMyPodcast

Examples of Using Combined
Web 2.0 Tools
1. Intercultural Exchange Project
(Spring 2008) - Graduate Seminar
2. Reflective Writing Blogs (Spring 2009)
-Advanced Composition & Conversation
León - NH Online Exchange

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Cross-cultural exchange (Spring of 2008)
Participants
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10 graduate students from UNH, USA
23 undergraduate students from University of León, Spain
Three major tasks with combined tools
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Bloggers for group blogs
iMovie or Audacity for podcasts
Message board for ethnographic interviews, feedback and
comments
Intercultural Exchange Blogs
UNH blogs
http://tecnolodos.blogspot.com/
http://pekepeki.blogspot.com/
http://kaneycourtney.blogspot.com/
http://sebrenes.blogspot.com/
León blogs
http://leononfocus.blogspot.com/
http://7legion.blogspot.com/
http://castanaspilongas.blogspot.com/
http://penwizards.blogspot.com/
Task #1: Group Blogs
Topics Chosen by American
Students
Topics Chosen by Spanish
Students
Blog #1: University Life; Stereotypes; Blog #1: A City Tour of León;
Global Warming
University of León and Technology
Blog #2: Super Bowl; Crossword
Puzzles; Cyberlanguage
Blog #2: Night Life in León University
Life; Brief Guide to Spanish Music
Blog #3: Political Figures-Obama and Blog #3: Spanish Films; A Famous
Romney; Economics in USA
Place in León; Spanish Music
Blog #4: University Life in USA;
Presidential Debates
Blog #4: University Festivals;
Smoking; Interviews with University
Professors
Task #2: Podcasting
 Controversial
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issues
Global warming
Euthanasia
Same sex parents
Capital punishment
Drug related issues
Immigration
Task #3: Ethnographic Interviews
Topics Chosen by American
Students
Topics Chosen by Spanish
Students
Flattering
Capital Punishment
Educational System in Spain
Cinema
University Student Life
Free Time
Politics in Spain
Life in New Hampshire
Student Exchange and Travel
Weapons in the USA
Farewell to Students from León
Iraq War
Super Bowl from NH
Blog - UNH
Road to Presidency from UH
Blog UNH
About Old Part of León
Blog – León
Blog - León
Blog - Leónwith León Students
Interviews
Vodcast in Blog from UNH
Podcasts in Moodle
from León
Ethnographic Interview:
Questions from León
Responses from UNH
Vodcast: Capital Punishment
Post-Task: Peer Feedback
 Read
blogs and listen to podcasts
 Linguistic feedback by

Written comments or voice recordings
 Focus-on-form

Lexical and morphosyntactic errors
 Use
of both English and Spanish
Feedback in Message Board
For more information …
Lee, L. (2009). Promoting Intercultural
Exchanges with Blogs and Podcasting: A Study
of Spanish-American Telecollaboration.
Computer Assisted Language Learning, 22(5)
425-443.
Reflective Writing Blogs

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Personal blogs over a 14 week period
Participants

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A four-skill integrated approach to task-based activities
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17 undergraduate students in a fifth-semester advanced
language course
Two 150-200 word entries per week
Read and comment on others’ blogs
Web 2.0 technology

Blogger, Podcasting and iMovie
Four-Skill-Integrative Approach
Assigned readings from Revista textbook
 Free topics
 Listening to podcasts
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Notes in Spanish: http://www.notesinspanish.com
Cody’s cuentos: http://www.codyscuentos.com/
3-4 minute oral recordings for “Tertulia”

Ideal personality, imagination, globalization
Topics For Each Type of Task
Assigned Readings
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“Another circle”
“Four scientific formulas for happiness”
“ TV garbage”
“I was my own path”
“Ten minutes”
Free Topics
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Women’s rights
Red Sox in Boston
Country music
Swine influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico
Mayan culture
Listening to Podcastings
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Energy saving
Facebook
Eating out and fast food
Adoption
Smuggling
iMovie: Oral Recordings
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Ideal personality
Imagination
Immigration
Euthanasia
Globalization
Comments on Facebook

“Your point was interesting. I have never
thought about the parents. My mom has a
facebook but she only uses it to post family
pictures. I agree that facebook is a wonderful
tool for us to connect with people. However, I
think people spend too much time online. Also
there is not much privacy. I actually prefer email.”
Affective Support

“I really enjoyed reading your entry about
having New York City go dark for Earth
Hour. I did not know about this and I think it
is a great idea to shut off the lights for an hour
to save energy. I wish people would turn off
the light when they leave the room. We waste
too much energy in this country. Well-done!
Matt.”
Students’ Reactions …
 “Writing
has become easier for me. I’m
now more confident in expressing myself
after having posted more than 20 entries.
Not only did I improve my writing skills
but also gained different perspectives
that I had never thought
about before.”
Preterit vs. Imperfect

“El año pasado mi familia hizo un viaje a europa.
Este fue mi primer viaje afuera de los estados unidos
y mi primera vez en un avión. Estuve muy
emocionada y tuve miedo también. Cuando llegamos
en Barcelona, fueron casi las once de la tarde. Nos
quedamos en Barcelona tres días y veíamos muchas
cosas como Montserrat …. Al final, era muy contenta
con la experiencia.” (Third Week)
Preterit vs. Imperfect

“Me gustaban estos podcasts mucho. Recientemente
empecé a mirar la tele española y a veces, es muy
difícil comprender. La historia que Mariana y Ben
hablaron era muy interesante. Un hombre robó
muchos bancos y la policía no pudo cogerlo por 15
años. El hombre llevaba una peluca y tenía armas.
La polícia descubrió que robó casi 600,000 euros
y mató dos guardias civiles.” (Eighth Week)
Comments on Task Design
 “I
liked how teacher-assigned topics
required us to critically think about the
readings and free topics allowed us to
incorporate personal interests and write
about world issues that concerned us the
most.”
Comments on Task Types
 “In
my view, using various types of tasks
that required the use of certain language
skills was the most beneficial aspect of
this blog project. I enjoyed most the
native-speaker podcasts because it helped
me improve my listening
comprehension.”
For More Information …

Lee, L. (2010). Fostering Reflective Writing
and Interactive Exchange through Blogging
in an Advanced Language Course. ReCALL
22(2), 212-227.
Contact Information
Lina Lee
llee@unh.edu
PowerPoint
http://www.slideshare.net/leelina/nec2010-3516401