BLOGS, WIKIS AND PODCASTS

Mauricio Cadavid

Sergio Ospina

Yenifer Agudelo

Language Learning Resources

Universidad de Caldas

2015

By the end of this presentation you will…

• Know the definition of blogs, wikis and podcasts.

• Know how to use each one of them in language teaching.

• Have reference of software and sites to help you set up blogs, wikis and podcasts.

SOCIAL SOFTWARE

Computer tools which allow people to connect, to communicate and to collaborate online.

MATCH

•Web log • „Quick‟ • „iPod Broadcast‟

• Audio/video file that is „broadcast‟ in Internet and can be downloaded.

• Collaborative web space, consisting of a number of pages that can be edited by any user.

• Web page with regular diary or journal entries.

BLOGS Blogs in language teaching

WHAT IS A WEB LOG (BLOG)?

„…a web page with regular diary or journal entries‟ (Harmer, 2007)

BLOG TYPES Blogs for cooking

Blogs for sports

Blogs for music

Blogs for everything you want

BLOGS

Informal

blogrolls

online community

EDUCATION BLOGS

BLOGS IN EDUCATION

Advantages of blogs

Real „world tool‟ for learners to practice English

Interaction with other learners

Public Availability

Accuracy

Assessment

How to use blogs with learners

Stage 1: setting up a sample blog

Stage 2: setting up Students‟ blogs

Stage 3: posting to and visiting blogs

Stage 4: follow-up

SOME BLOG PLATFORMS…

WIKIS Collaborative web spaces

Public web pages

WIKIS

can be written and updated very quickly

using text editing

Have a non-linear structure

Collaborative

Previous versions of the pages are

automatically saved

Straightforward process

allow the import of images and other media files into the webpage

Reading and writing

POPULAR WIKIS

SOME FREE WIKI CREATORS

Why using Wikis in teaching?

They are quick and simple to use and allow collaboration, independently of time and space, via easily accessible online spaces.

They offer authentic writing practice.

They allow students to be actively engaged in reading and writing: correcting, editing, and up-dating. (author, co-author, reader)

They teach students the skills of collaboration alongside language skills.

They present the student writers with a ready audience and critics.

They are flexible enough to incorporate multi-media content.

They can potentially be shared with a wider audience and made public.

Seven Steps towards successful wikis

1. Show students an example of a successful wiki to motivate them.

2. Allow students to choose their own tasks, agreed upon collaboratively, in order to stimulate and maintain their interest.

3. Seed-corn the wiki. Writing on an empty page is always difficult, so start the wiki yourself with a short entry or a set of linked pages.

4. Set clear guidelines and time limits for all tasks, but allow the wiki to stay open even after the tasks are officially completed.

5. During the wiki task phase, check regularly to prevent excess corrections and “wiki-wars” (two students or two groups fighting about editing and reverting to previous versions).

6. Comment on the wiki entries. and encourage writing, editing and linking.

7. Celebrate the completion of a task (by publishing the wiki content to another class or group, inviting their comments).

USING WIKIS WITH LEARNERS

1. Enter http://www.wikispaces.com/

2. Click on ‘Education’

3. Click on „Teachers‟

4. Enter a name for the Wiki, email address and a password.

5. Click on „Create Classroom‟

USING WIKIS WITH LEARNERS

6. Read the information and follow the steps. 7. Click on „Create Wiki‟

USING WIKIS WITH LEARNERS

8. Click on „Your industry‟ and choose an option. 9. Click on „Continuar‟

USING WIKIS WITH LEARNERS

10. Fill up with information. 11. Click on „Crear‟

USING WIKIS WITH LEARNERS

12. Ready to start editing!

USING WIKIS WITH LEARNERS

TASK 2

1. Create your own wiki site.

2. Set up a simple collaborative writing project. Include:

Title of the lesson

Steps (instructions)

Images or videos

EXAMPLE 1. Title of the lesson: „Interesting Facts about Latin America‟

2. Instructions:

In pairs, you are going to choose a Latin American country. Then, write two interesting facts about it that contain a number of factual errors. Google the facts before start writing.

Part I:

a) Click on ´Add page‟ on the right.

b) Write a name (country) for the new page and click on „create‟ .

c) Add an image that shows a remarkable aspect of the country you chose.

d) Write your facts including some wrong information. Remember to add your names at the end of your facts.

e) Click on „Save‟ before you leave the page.

PART II:

a) Read another group‟s facts.

b) Correct any wrong information that you find with a different font color.

Part III:

a) Go back to your facts and read the corrections that were made. Are they right?

PODCASTS Create. Deliver. Educate.

WHAT IS A PODCAST?

Audio or video broadcast distributed through the Internet on a subscription basis

Thousands of FREE topics to choose from

Based on RSS (Really Simple Syndication, Rich Site Summary)

Portable technology

HISTORY OF PODCASTING

First podcasts in

2004

2005 word of the year -New

Oxford American Dictionary

Nearly 200 million iPods have been sold

> 6 million adults subscribe to podcasts and download onto portable media

device

More than 100,000

podcasts are available

Convenient - listen anytime, anywhere

BENEFITS OF PODCASTING

Portable - download to portable media

device

New episodes automatically downloaded

Free (mostly)

Wide variety of topics

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY

REMEMBER… YOU DON’T NEED AN IPOD

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vpciLIA0Kn4 by jmoonah

Increasingly, the term is also being applied to video

(vodcast)

Podcasting in Education

Publish student work

Assess student learning

Distribute school assignments

Create archive of class lectures

Interview guest experts

Archive oral histories

Communicate with parents

Provide community outreach

Create audio tours

Provide public safety messages

Access personal and professional development

USING PODCASTS IN THE CLASSROOM

“Instead of making kids power down when they enter school, why don‟t we let them use their mobile computer devices and iPods to continue their high powered learning.” -Ewan McIntosh

Podcasting in Education

A podcast is simply an audio program that is usually distributed on the internet and can be downloaded from a website or a school server and listened to on a computer or a portable MP3 player.

It can also be a recording created by a teacher to enhance the learning and teaching process within and beyond the classroom

A podcast or radio

program created by pupils.

What can I listen to?

Anything you want. Choose

from thousands of selections.

Teachers might use podcasting to…

Ensure that curriculum uses technology.

Promote personalized and independent learning.

Create audio material for learning „on demand‟, anytime/anywhere, which Ss can access in their own time.

Engage and motivate ss to progress beyond written work.

Promote creativity in the classroom.

Teachers might use podcasting to…

Supplement existing text resources and audio methodologies.

Provide additional content linked directly to class activities.

Create differentiated materials that can be matched to the abilities, needs and motivation of different Ss.

Students might use podcasting…

To plan, prepare, record and broadcast their work to a wider audience both within and beyond school.

By producing a podcast, students will…

be inspired and motivated not only to be the most creative, but also to use and develop skills including:

Thought showering

Team work

Story boarding

Script writing

Rehearsing

Time keeping

Drafting and editing

Accuracy and presentation

Receiving and responding to feedback from others to their podcasts

Pupils might use podcasting to…

Engage in digital story telling

Practice reading with expression

Create podcast book reviews

Read a play out loud with sound effects (e.G. Door closing, footsteps, thunder and lightning, rain etc)

Conduct interviews

Do a daily/weekly commentary on school activities or news

Give speeches on topics

Engage in debates

Remember: Your greatest podcast resources may well

be those created by yourself and your pupils!

A Few Suggestions

Keep it short and informative.

5 to 15 minutes a good rule.

Collaborate with colleagues.

Talk to students.

Equipment Needed

PC or Mac

Microphone

Video camera (optional for video)

Recording software

Locating and Obtaining Podcasts

Podcatcher software automatically downloads podcasts to your computer and/or iPod or other media device:

www.apple.com/itunes/

juicereciever.sourceforge.net/

www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Software.html

Podcast search engines allow you to find podcasts:

www.apple.com/itunes/

www.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/On_the_Web/Podcasts/Directories/

podcasts.yahoo.com/

www.podscope.com/

getapodcast.com/

podcast.net/

podcastdirectory.com/

ipodder.org/

www.allpodcasts.com/

Planning a Podcast 1. Research your topic.

2. Write out what you plan to say.

3. Block out the segments of your podcast.

a. Typical 60-minute radio show:

b. Introduction and “hook” (a snapshot of what is covered and why listeners would want to listen)

i. Segment 1

ii. Break

iii. Segment 2

iv. Break

v. Segment 3

vi. Break

vii. Final points and summary of podcast

c. Typical 10-minute podcast:

i. Introduction and “hook”

ii. Main segment

iii. Summary of segment

iv. Final points

Recording and Editing Podcasts

To record a podcast, you will need:

1. A computer (any modern computer will do – Mac, Windows, Linux)

2. A microphone http://radio.about.com/od/podcastin1/a/blcomparemikes.htm

3. Software to record and edit the podcast. For audio podcasts, Audacity is a good choice. For video podcasts, Windows Movie Maker (Windows) and iMovie (Mac) are good choices.

4. Storage for the audio file you create (a web server)

Software

Audio Software (Free tools)

Audacity (Mac/Windows): http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Garage Band (Mac only – it‟s part of iLife, and is free with new Macs): http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

Other tools

Audition (Windows only): http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/

Soundbooth (Mac/Windows): http://www.adobe.com/products/soundbooth/

SoundEdit Pro (Windows only): http://www.rmbsoft.com/sep.asp

Video Software

iMovie (Macintosh only): http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/

Windows Movie Maker (Windows only):

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/cr

eate/default.mspx

Avid FreeDV (Mac/Windows): http://www.avid.com/freedv/

MovieWorks (Mac/Windows): http://www.movieworks.com/

Quicktime (Mac/Windows): http://www.quicktime.com/

Director (Mac/Windows):

http://www.adobe.com/products/director/

WindowsMedia: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia

TASK 3

1. Use your cellphones and in groups create a podcast for your students and upload it to your WIKI and to our FACEBOOK page.

HOW MUCH DID YOU LEARN?

1. BLOGS AND WIKIS ARE EXAMPLES OF…

a)social networks

b)social software

c)social media

d)none

2. TRUE OR FALSE?

The term wiki comes from the Hawaiian Word for „quick‟

true

3. RIGHT OR WRONG?

The term podcast is a combination of the words „ipod‟ and „forecast‟

Wrong

REFERENCES

Dudeney, G., & Hockly, N. (2007). How to teach English with technology. Harlow: Pearson/Longman.

http://ict-rev.ecml.at/Portals/1/documents/Wiki_offline.pdf