blogs, wikis, and podcasts.slides

Blogs, Wikis, and Podcast.

Language Learning ResourcesUniversity of Caldas

School of Arts and HumanitiesForeign Languages Department

Master in English Language Teaching

Instructor: Yamith José Fandiño Parra

Presenters:Paola Andrea Lizarralde Duque

Luz Dary López ChicaMaria Eugenia Martinez Tabares

Luz Alieth Naranjo Cardona

Blogs, wikis, and podcast

Social software Blogs in language teachings How to start using blogs with learners Wikis in language teaching How to start using a wiki with learners Podcasts in language teaching How to create learner podcasts

Social Software“Computer tools which allow people to connect, to

communicate, and collaborate online”.Gavin Dudeney and Nicky Hockly (p. 86)

Conversational interaction

Social networksSocial

feedback

groupsIndividuals

Estimates contribution to a

group

Visible links between groups and individuals

Group communication software

Previous knowledgeMatch

Blog An audio or video file that is broadcast via the internet and can be downloaded

Wiki A web page with regular diary or journal entries.

Podcast A collaborative web space, consisting of a number of pages that can be edited by any user.

Blogs

Edublogshttps://www.youtube.com/user/edublogssupport

Blogs in Language TeachingTutor blog Student blog Class blog

Set homework Personal and family information (including photos)

Reactions to a film, article, class topic, current affairs.

Provide a summary of class work

Extra writing practice on class topics.

Things learners like/don’t like doing in class.

Provide links to extra reading/listening material.

Regular comments on current affairs.

Class project on any topic.

Question and answer (e.g. about grammar, class work)

Research and present information on a topic (e.g. an English speaking country).

Exam/Study tips A photo-blog on learners’ country, last holiday.

Advantages and Disadvantages of blogs

Advantages“Real-world” tool to practice

EnglishOpportunity of interacting

with other students

It is publicly available on the internet

Comments can be selected only for invited members

Disadvantages

It is time demanding editing students writings

Students can feel insecure due to the public accessible.Teachers need to establish a

clear rubric to assess the students entries.

How to start using blogs with learners

• Setting up a sample blog (1-2 hours) Teacher’s model illuminates students.Step 1

• Setting up student blog (1 hour) Step 2• Posting to and visiting blogsStep 3• Follow-up (2 or 3 hours or several

lessons)Step 4

Some blog platformshttp://wordpress.org

http://www.blogger.com

Set up your own blog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvd7F9Tlvz0&nohtml5=

False

What is a wiki ? A wiki is a Web page that can be viewed and modified by

anybody with a Web browser and access to the Internet. Wikis are able to incorporate sounds, movies, and

pictures; they may prove to be a simple tool to create multimedia presentations and simple digital stories.

Open editing. Non linear structure. Links pages.

Wiki Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

Who’s doing it? Educators and students, as well as amateurs

and professionals (artists, writers, collectors).

Why are the wikis important?

Collaborative communication tool for developing content-specific Web sites.

People can address a variety of pedagogical needs student involvement, group activities, and so on.

Easy access. Automatically saved.

What are the wikis pros and cons?

It may have some risks. Time-consuming Over time, the values, perspectives, and

opinions of its users can become embedded in a wiki.

Bias.

Where are they going?

Since wikis are easy to edit, they carry an inherent potential to change how we construct knowledge repositories on the Web. Wikis allow groups to form around specific topics.

The low barrier to entry makes them the equivalent of shared digital paper—literally anyone with access to the Web can post, modify, and delete content on that site.

What are the implications for teaching and

learning? A wiki’s versioning capability can show the evolution of thought processes as students interact with the site and its contents.

wikis are being used as e-portfolios, illustrating their utility as a tool for collection and reflection.

Wikis might also prove to be an ideal vehicle for soliciting ongoing input for research or projects where community input can help inform and direct subsequent investigation.

Wiki enabled projects can provide various levels of site access and control to team members, offering a fine-tuning element that enhances the teaching and learning experience.

How to start using a wiki with learners?

• Preparation before the lesson: Setting up the first page of a wiki (30-60 minutes).Step 1

• Descriptions: Ss write a description of a famous person (some factual errors) (1 hour) Step 2

• Corrections: Allocate one description to each pair. Edit and correct (1 hour). Step 3

• Alternative: (3 or 4 hours or several lessons)Step 4

Some wikis platforms

Podcastswhat is it?

“Podcasting” is a term inspired by Apple Computer Corporation’s iPod-a portable digital audio player that allows users to download music from their computer directly to the device for later listening. The term is no longer specifically related to the iPod but refers to any software and hardware combination that permits automatic downloading of audio files (most commonly in MP3 format) for listening at the user’s convenience. It differs from broadcasting and Webcasting in the way that content is published and transmitted via the Web. Instead of a central audio stream, podcasting sends audio content directly to an iPod or other MP3 player.“Podcasting’s essence is about creating content (audio or video—vodcasts) for an audience that wants to listen when they want, where they want, and how they want.”*

Who is doing it? Podcasting can involve practically anyone with an

Internet connection. With its roots in the blogging world, part of the appeal of podcasting is the ease with which audio content can be created, distributed, and downloaded from the Web.

How does it work?

Why is it significant ?Allows education to become more portable than ever before.

Podcasting cannot replace the classroom, but it provides educators one more way to meet today’s students where they “live”—on the Internet and on audio players.

Barriers to adoption and costs are minimal.

The tools to implement podcasts are simple and affordable.

Podcasting is predicted to soon become a mainstream application, much like video-on demand recorders (such as TiVo).

Recordings of lectures for those students unable to attend the lecture in person;

Audio recordings of textbook text by chapter, would allow students to “read” or review texts while walking or driving to class (significant aid to auditory learners)

What are the downsides of podcasting?Users must have sufficient bandwidth to download the

podcast. Beyond access, there are potential issues with the format.

Podcasting is primarily an audio delivery technology and, as such, has limited usefulness for the hearing impaired.

Podcasting is not designed for two-way interaction or audience participation. Podcasters are essentially “sound amateurs” producing and publishing audio feeds.

The quality of speakers’ voices, speech patterns, intonations, and other sound effects may not be the same as those of a professional broadcast. Faculty who wish to record their lectures or other instruction for podcasts may need some training, both in handling an audio-only medium and using the technology

Where is it going?Podcast enthusiasts see no limit to the potential uses of this technology, particularly in education, and the number of podcast aggregators (sites that collect, categorize, and then make available podcasts for subscribers) is growing. It is possible that specialized higher education–based aggregators will emerge, offering students access to missed lectures, instructions for laboratory experiments, and so forth. Interlacing podcasts with video applications—listening to a podcast while viewing related material on the Web—is another area of experimentation in education.

What are the implications for

teaching and learning?Podcasting allows students to use their technology-based

entertainment systems (iPods, MP3 players) for educational experiences.

Students are already familiar with the underlying technology, podcasting broadens educational options in a nonthreatening and easily accessible manner. For example, podcasting allows lectures or other course content to be made available to students if they miss class.

Podcasting can provide access to experts through interviews. Podcasting is not limited to content delivered to the student, however; students can create their own podcasts—as a record of activities, a way to collect notes, or a reflection on what they have learned

let’s go to…

More info…

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References Dudeney, G., & Hockly, N. (2007) Blogs, wikis, and podcasts. In

How to teach English with technology (pp 86-102) Pearson education, series editor:Jeremy Harmer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvd7F9Tlvz0&nohtml5=

False http://en,wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast https://audioboom.com/ http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7003.pdf https://www.youtube.com/user/edublogssuport