Foreign+Language

Curriculum Standards:

 * Communication: Communicate in languages other than English.
 * Grade 9 Benchmark 1: Exchange information via letters, email/video mail, notes, conversations or interviews on familiar topics.
 * Grade 9 Benchmark 4: Give and follow directions, instructions and requests (e.g. installing software, dance steps).

Technology:

 * Laptop cart with 15 laptops
 * 15 USB microphones
 * One set of external computer speakers
 * Audacity opensource audio recording software (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/)
 * Class blog from edublogs ([|http://edublogs.org])

Description:
Students will create a short audio recording podcast using a laptop with an external usb microphone and Audacity recording software. The recording must:
 * 1) Contain instructions to their classmates that describe an object they will need to bring in from home. The object can be anything such as a basketball, a book, a pencil, a shoe, etc.
 * 2) Be recorded in the class language (e.g. Spanish, French, German, Italian)
 * 3) Contain an introductory sentence ("hello my name is "), 1-2 sentences describing the object to be brought into school, conclusion sentence ("Thank you for listening to my podcast,")
 * 4) Be between 30 seconds - 1 minute in length
 * 5) Exported as an .mp3 file and saved to their class network drive

Completed .mp3 files will be posted to the class blog site as podcasts. As a homework assignment, each student will then be asked to listed to the audio recordings on the blog site, select one other than their own, and follow the instructions provided. In class the following day each student will need to explain which audio recording they selected and present the object that was requested by the recording creator.



Supporting Resource:
Three foreign language teachers from North Olmsted High School, North Olmsted Ohio conducted a study entitled __Podcasting and Its Effects on Speaking and Listening Skills in the Foreign Language Classroom__. In this study the use of creating audio recordings and podcasts in grades 9 - 12 proved to have positive effects on student's willingness and ability to learn new languages. Such positive effects included: This study supports its claim with student test result data and other data collection methods such as surveys that reflect student performance and attitude improvement from the use of podcasting. The entire study report may be downloaded here: [|DocView.pdf].
 * 1) Student's perception of listening exercises changed drastically. Before the use of podcasts, students were bored with listening to CDs and tapes. After the introduction of podcasts, students found the listening exercises to be fun and exciting.
 * 2) Because of the portable nature of podcasts, students had more opportunity to listen and practice their listening skills both at school and at home. This helped improved listening skills overall.

Tried & True or New & Innovative:
The overall objective of this lesson, creating instructions in a foreign language for classmates to carry out, is tried and true. Recording the instructions in .mp3 format and posting them to a class blog site, however, implements this lesson in a new and innovative way. Overall web 2.0 technologies are making a significant impact on today's classrooms and, more specifically, blogging and podcasting are two new web 2.0 technologies that can be utilized across content areas.

APA Citations:
Cenin, F., McCullough, E., & Reynolds, B. //Podcasting and Its Effects on Speaking and Listening Skills in the Foreign Language Classroom//. Retrieved October 20, 2008, from eTech Ohio Web site: http://www.etech.ohio.gov/jcore/doclib/DocView.jsp?step=view&file=35943606-F86E-4F0C-A242-7A8CBBF22DB9