Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology

Noelle Isenberg, director of the Foreign Languages Podcasting Studio and Studio Research Lab, described the use of podcasting for German language classes. Students record themselves speaking German. The recordings may be as short as eight seconds in the case of German I students, for example, introducing themselves, or as long as fifteen minutes in the case of more advanced levels. The students in the courses place podcasts in iTunes U, with a folder for each week. She described why the department chose to use podcasts to share audio files. The alternative would be to e-mail large files. From the instructor’s point of view, the files are easy to locate and grade, and the instructor can listen and assess student work while walking around campus. Because students make recordings each week, it is easier to assess their progress throughout the semester. A benefit to students is that they get more feedback on their language use than they might in a large class, where time does not permit everyone to have a chance to speak. That seemed like a very good benefit. They also benefit from hearing each other’s recordings. This creates a sense of community, particularly beneficial for online students. Students can gauge how they are doing compared to others. She mentioned mobile language immersion, students’ ability to listen to the target language while riding the bus, shopping, etc. Mobile language immersion provides options not even available through domestic or foreign immersion in a language environment. Research has also shown that listening while mobile enhances blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain.

Scott Stilson, assistant coordinator for French 3, described an assignment in which students research, write and record three- to five-minute presentations on some aspect of Francophone culture they did not previously know about (e.g., other than the Eiffel Tower). The purpose is to support the cultural content in the course. The students submit their recordings to an ANGEL drop box. The instructor listens to and assesses the recordings, and posts them in iTunes U so that students can subscribe to the podcast and listen to each other’s recordings. The recordings are actually done in the English language, not French, which was somewhat surprising. He said this allows students to go deeper into the subject, be more free, and be able to express nuances. Students are asked to listen to each other’s recordings, then must post an evaluation or comment on an ANGEL discussion forum. The instructor also includes content from the presentations in class, and builds cultural lessons around them. Over time, the course benefits from a growing library of student work, and thus a growing collection of information on French culture. For the future, Stilson would like to arrange collaboration with a class of French students studying English on the equivalent level, which seemed like a fascinating idea for cross-cultural sharing.