Use Podcast in teaching

I chose this Podcast from the website ESL Pod: English Cafe 498

I really like the podcast, in the following ways:

1. Speech speed: The podcaster speaks very slowly and clearly, perfect for English learners, especially for intermediate level students.

2. Content: The podcast clip I listened to consists of two parts, an introduction to a movie and an introduction to a website Craigslist. The two parts are totally relevant to students’ lives and fully cultural embedded. Students would learn so much from them.

3. Vocabulary and explanations: The podcaster would stress on new words, spell them and then give simple explanations and the contexts they could be used. This is the highlight of the podcast, which connects the podcast to my future teaching.

I would ask my students to subscribe the podcast. They can listen to the podcast whenever or wherever they feel comfortable. I want them to make notes when listening to the podcast. They should be writing down notes as such:

1. New words. Spell them correctly, simply explain them in one or two sentences and give one or two sample sentences where they can be used. Students don't have to write down all the new words they have heard in one podcast, but they should at least have five new words.

Objective: Students learn new words or expressions in contexts.

2. Summarize the content of one podcast. What does the podcaster mainly talk about? For example, for the podcast I heard, the podcaster talked about Craigslist. Then I would write something that I have learned about Craigslist. For example, it is a website for people to get or post information about apartment hunting or second-hand things. It now charges people a certain amount of fees, even though it was free before… The writing doesn't have to include all the things the podcaster said. Several sentences would do.

Objective: Students learn cultural facts about the United States.

3. Students keep notes and write short paragraphs in their journals. I will look into their journals once or twice a month, or everyone just shares their journals in class.

Objective: Students keep journals to accumulate knowledge and practice their oral English when sharing with classmates their journals.