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

Informal
online
community

BLOGS
blogrolls

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

can be written and

updated very quickly
using text editing
Collaborative

WIKIS
Previous versions of
the pages are
automatically saved

Straightforward
process

Have a non-linear
structure

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 wikiwars (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.wik
ispaces.com/

2.

Click on
Education

USING WIKIS WITH LEARNERS

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!

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 groups 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

Portable - download
to portable media
device

New episodes
automatically
downloaded

BENEFITS OF
PODCASTING

Free (mostly)
Wide variety of
topics

WEVE COME A LONG WAY, BABY

WEVE COME A LONG WAY, BABY

WEVE COME A LONG WAY, BABY

REMEMBER YOU DONT 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 dont 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
Video camera
(optional for video)

PC or Mac

Microphone

Recording
software

Locating and Obtaining Podcasts

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/

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

www.podscope.com/
getapodcast.com/

www.apple.com/itunes/

podcast.net/

juicereciever.sourceforge.net/

podcastdirectory.com/

www.podcastingnews.com/topics
/Podcast_Software.html

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 its 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/

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/

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

Director (Mac/Windows):
http://www.adobe.com/products/director/

SoundEdit Pro (Windows only):

http://www.rmbsoft.com/sep.asp

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