Using Technology to Promote Advanced Foreign Language Proficiency

• iPod + Broadcasting = Podcasting
• Leveraging habituated activity to foster mobile language immersion.
• Real simple syndication (RSS) technology and applications together with portable mp3 players form an efficient and effective means of sharing, finding, and downloading audio resources.
• Provide language learners with access to authentic audio materials in diverse genres.

Applications of Podcasting to L2 Instruction:

• Oral comprehension exercises for use in class
• Audio flashcards for improving pronunciation
• Songs for downloading
• Students can construct oral production portfolios
• Student-produced radio plays

Before you get started, download the following applications (unless they are already installed):

• Download and install iPodder (view full directory of podcasting software)
• Download and install iTunes
• Download and install Audacity (open-source audio recording and editing software)

Click on the icon to view screen-capture movies for each step.

First view iPodder tutorial movie1 and movie2

1. Launch iPodder and click on "podcast directory."
2. Select iPodder.org: Podcasting Central, open podcasts > categories > languages > German, select Deutsche Welle Nachrichten (langsam gesprochen) and click the add button then save.
3. You are now in the subscriptions section and the podcast feed Deutsche Welle Langsam gesprochen is selected.
4. Click either the yellow or green podcast download buttons in the upper-left corner
5. iPodder will automatically download the Deutsche Welle podcast and import it into iTunes.
6. To add the CALPER Technology Workshop on Podcasting feed, click the add feed button and copy-and-paste the following url into the url box and click save: http://language.la.psu.edu/~calpertech05/spayne/calper_podcast.xml
7. The podcast feed "Scott Payne: Mobile Language Immersion" should now be selected in the subscriptions section.
8. This action will download the podcast and automatically create a new playlist in iTunes with the title, "Scott Payne: Mobile Language Immersion" and import the mp3 file into iTunes.

1. Record audio with Audacity and export as mp3.
2. Upload your podcast (mp3) to your web space.
3. Use the podcast RSS feed generator to create the XML for an RSS 2.0 podcast.
   • Blog/Website title: this information is used as the name of your podcast channel.
   • Enclosure link: is the link to your first podcast mp3 file.
   • Enclosure size (in bytes): is how iPodder knows how big the file to be downloaded is.
4. Copy-and-paste the XML from the text box into a text editor and save the file as yourfilename.xml.

   Note: to added additional podcasts, you simple duplicate the <item> tag set.
   
   <?xml version="1.0"?>
   <rss version="2.0">
   <channel>
   <title>Scott Payne: Mobile Language Immersion</title>
   <link>http://php.scripts.psu.edu/faculty/j/s/jsp17/index.php</link>
   <description>just my personal website</description>
   <language>en-us</language>
   <copyright>J. Scott Payne, 2005</copyright>
   <lastBuildDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2005 01:00:53 GMT</lastBuildDate>
   <generator>tdscripts.com Podcast Generator</generator> <webMaster>jspayne@psu.edu</webMaster>
   <ttl>1</ttl>
   <item>
   <title>CALPER Technology Workshop on Podcasting</title>
   <description>welcome message and overview</description>
   <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2005 01:00:53 GMT</pubDate>
   <enclosure url="http://language.la.psu.edu/~calpertech05/spayne/calper_podcast.mp3" length="549,223" type="audio/mpeg"/>
   </item>
   <item>
   <title>German 101 Week One</title>
   <description>this is the first podcast of the semester</description>
   <pubDate>Mon, 28 Aug 2005 01:00:53 GMT</pubDate>
   <enclosure url="http://php.scripts.psu.edu/faculty/j/s/jsp17/podcasts/ger_week1.mp3" length="876,243" type="audio/mpeg"/>
   </item>
   </channel>
   </rss>

5. Upload the XML file you created with the code from the Podcast RSS feed generator to your web space.
6. Launch iPodder.
7. Add the url pointing to the location of your XML file (http://www.yourschool.edu/yourfilename.xml).
8. Download your podcast and listen to it in iTunes.

Note: it is possible to produce very elaborate podcasts including multiple audio chat channels for including featured guests as well as music. Instructions for doing this on the Mac with Garageband have been posted here and here.

Thoughts & Discussion

Share your thoughts on how you could use podcasting in your instructional context.

Can you think of any other applications for podcasting?

Readings:

• Thorne, S. L. & Payne, J. S. (2005). Internet-mediated text and multi-modal expression in foreign language education. CALPER Working Paper Series, No. 5. The Pennsylvania State University, Center for Advanced Language Proficiency, Education and Research.
• Podcasts: New twist on net audio. Wired Magazine, October 8, 2004
• Audience with the Podfather, Wired Magazine, May 14, 2005
• Duke University case studies of the use of podcasting in Spanish and German courses.

Links:

• German podcast directory - http://www.podcast.de
• Podcasting News - http://podcastingnews.com
• Podcast Directory - http://www.podcast.net