Горжу Л. І. ДЕЯКІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ МЕТОДУ ПОДКАСТУ ЯК ЗАСОБУ ВИВЧЕННЯ АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ МОВИ

УДК 3.378

 

ДЕЯКІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ МЕТОДУ ПОДКАСТУ ЯК ЗАСОБУ ВИВЧЕННЯ АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ МОВИ

Горжу Л. І.

Чернівецький торговельно-економічний інститут КНТЕУ, Україна, м. Чернівці

 

Дана стаття присвячена обґрунтуванню особливостей, важливості й доцільності функціонування такого явища як подкаст на заняттях з англійської мови. Дослідження доводить, що використання подкастів у освітніх цілях є ефективним засобом вивчення та викладання англійської мови.

Ключові слова: подкаст, методи вивчення та викладання англійської мови, популярні сайти подкастів.

Горжу Л. И. Некоторые особенности метода подкаста как средства изучения английского языка/ Черновицкий торгово-экономический институт КНТЕУ, Украина, г.Черновцы

Данная статья посвящена вопросу определения особенностей и обоснования важности и целесообразности такого явления как подкаст на занятиях английского языка. Исследование показало, что использование подкастов в образовательных целях является эффективным методом изучения и преподавания английского языка.

Ключевые слова: подкаст, методы изучения и преподавания английского языка, популярные сайты с подкастами.

Horzhu L. I. Some peculiarities of podcast method as a means of English learning/ Chernivtsi Trade and Economincs Institute of Kyiv National Trade and Economics University, Ukraine, Chernivtsi

The article is dedicated to the question of definition of peculiarities and study of importance and reasonability of podcast-method at the classes of learning English. Given research identifies that usage of podcasts with educational purposes has proved to be an efficient method of learning and teaching English.

Key words: podcast, methods of learning and teaching English, popular podcast sites.

Вступ

Advances in technology favoured a new, more progressive and effective approach to education, but with its help teachers and educators face new tasks and new responsibilities for quality achievement ability to use new technologies in educational process. According to Academician V.M.Madzihon’s statements: "Reform of all aspects of society, democratization, and the information explosion generated by the scientific and technological revolution requires creative understanding of these processes of pedagogy and psychology to develop development strategy of public education in Ukraine." [1, p.7]. According to Betsko O.S. "The rapid development of technologies, including a worldwide network of Internet, with its abundant resources, offers a modern foreign language teacher veritable arsenal of technical means of language learning - websites, emails, electronic encyclopedias, blogs, wikis, podcasts, webinars and video conferencing, etc." [2, p. 1]. Taking into consideration the works of either domestic or foreign researchers, the topic of podcasts’ usage in the foreign language classroom is the problem of today. A new method of learning foreign languages using authentic materials in the Internet, a podcasts’ method, has become quite popular recently.

Objective of the article is to define the features of using an authentic podcast for English classes. The tasks of the article can be defined as the study of the importance and usefulness of such a phenomenon as a podcast for English classes and analysis of available podcasts created to promote the study of English.

Podcasting phenomenon is spread throughout the world, but in Ukraine it is quite a new method. To understand the technology better, let’s look at its derivation. The term «podcasting» was formed from a combination of English words iPod - the name of the popular Apple iPods and the second part of the word «broadcasting» meaning "transmission". Podcasting is a way to publish media streams (audio or video mp3-files) in the World Wide Web, where they are broadcasted via special Protocol (RSS), allowing all internet users to get acquainted with them and to download. Thus, we can describe podcasts as either a single file or a regularly updated series of files that are published at the same Internet address. Unlike simple audio file in MP3 format user can subscribe to a podcast of interest to him and regularly receive them.

There are such types as video podcasts and screencasts. Video podcasts have certain advantages over audio podcasts, as they do not only stimulate the auditory perception but they give visual picture, and that contributes to better memorization. Screen casting is a genre of podcasting, meaning to broadcast to a wide audience recording what is happening on your computer screen labels. They additionally impose audio commentaries and text blocks with author’s narration and explanation of what is happening on the screen.

The use of podcasts consists in a few simple steps:

1) to download an audio file and a text of a podcast;

2) to listen to it on your computer, music player or mobile phone at convenient for you time;

3) to better understand the additional processing of the text (vocabulary and grammar);

4) to use the knowledge gained and to download next podcast.

Teachers mostly use podcasts in two ways:

1.) To repeat the already learned material (repetitive), for example, to record lectures, including lecture slides and demontration material (screen cast)/

2.) To provide additional information (supplemental), for example, listening to interviews, various additional audio materials on a topic, radio programs, announcements, commenting on certain topics, giving instructions for the practical work of students and others.

Typical educational podcast are characterized by the following features: native speaker talks about certain events, grammatical or lexical phenomenon, considering it in different contexts; average duration of a podcast is 5-10 minutes; podcasts’ themes are modern and topical; text and audio file of a podcast are available online.

From the methodological point of view, it is noteworthy that podcasts are recommended to be used at the beginning of a class to create a favorable atmosphere for further linguistic work with students (replacement of a so-called «warm-up» activity), and for the presentation of new vocabulary or grammatical phenomena. Podcasts can be used for individual training of speech speed with the help of a simple exercise - to simulate the timbre, intonation and speech rate of the speaker, trying to repeat his speech after him. One must listen to it twice: the first time it is important to understand the meaning in general (scan listening) and during the second listening attention is paid to details.

There are many podcasts dedicated to the study of foreign languages teaching. They can be used either to improve own level of language proficiency or for teaching. First of all, it should be noted that podcasting helps to develop listening skills.

In terms of practical use, it is necessary to point out the most popular sources of podcasts about learning English, which can be grouped as follows:

-first, media sites, containing separate section for English learning- www.bbc.co.uk, www.voanews.com та www.dw-world.de;

-second, sites dedicated to English learning: www.breakingnewsenglish.com/, www.britishcouncil.org/professionals-podcast-english-listening-downloads-homepage.htm, www.businessenglishpod.com, www.listen-to-english.com, www.splendid-speaking.com, etc.

-authentic podcasts for learning English:

www.esl-lab.com/, www.eslpod.com,

www.speakingenglishpodcast.com/,

www.thebobandrobshow.com/,

website/index.php#,

www.betteratenglish.com,

www.china232.com/,

www.splendid- speaking.com, etc.

Besides it one can classify podcasts according to more detailed criteria:

-depending on the variant of English (Am/Br), presented in a podcast, for example, for the work using American English the following site is more suitable -www.voanews.com/specialenglish (Voice of America), as to the British variant it’s www.britishcouncil.org;

-specialized, depending on topical orientation of a podcast, for example, Business English (www.businessenglishpod.com),

sport orientation (http://languagecaster.com/),

mostly podcasts with news (www.breakingnewsenglish.com/),

podcasts with classical English poetry readings (http://classicpoetryaloud.com),

podcasts dedicated to Public Speaking (http://mastersacademy.com.au/podcasts/), podcast for children (Kids News, Storynory), etc.

-depending on the level of language proficiency level of the podcasts’ audience.

Thus, the main advantages of podcasts’ using are the following: accessibility and being free of charge; diversification of resources for distance learning; informative, creative presentation, humor; familiarization with different accents and variations of language, linguistic outlook development, the ability to adapt to the individual characteristics of pronunciation; podcasts for learners of various knowledge levels; podcast is the source of speech clichés; they make student’s independent work more efficient.

Let’s consider the main potential disadvantages of using podcasts in Ukraine: low-speed access to the Internet for the part of the population of Ukraine; large selection of podcasts makes it difficult to find the right materials; not all podcasts have transcript; finding or creation of a podcast may take some time.

The study of foreign scholars of the impact of technology upon learning results showed that students who were taught via podcasts lectures had much more significant and better academic achievements than the students who listened to the ordinary lectures with the lecturer.

Conclusions. Thus, podcasts provide innovative educational opportunities and new creative environment for learning. As a result students’ motivation in the subject is much higher as a foreign language is not the aim any more here but a means to obtain interesting and useful information. Students get more opportunities for high-quality distance education.

Modern research shows that the use of podcasts for educational purposes is an effective learning tool. Practice has shown that regular use of podcasts in English classes improved the skills of listening, speaking, writing and and helped to increase students’ vocabulary. Classes become more interesting and less formal; discussion topics become more numerous and students are aware of more authentic cliches.

Further study of characteristics of the given theme and practical use of podcasts can improve the quality of learning and teaching English.

 

References:

1. Madzihon V. M. Informatization in the context of education democratization //Development of pedagogical and psychological sciences in Ukraine 1992-2002: collected articles dedicated to 10th anniversary of The NAS of Ukraine.-Kharkiv: “OVS”, 2002.-P.1.-640p.

2. Baltina О. B. – Podcasts as a means of learning and teaching English. [Електронний ресурс]. – Режим доступу: http://ea.donntu.edu.ua:8080/jspui/ bitstream/123456789/1702/1/Baltina%20Olena%20-%20Podkasty%20jak%20zasib% 20vyvchennia %20ta%20vykladannia%20anglijskoii%20movy.pdf

3. Betsko О. S. Didactic and methodological principles of podcasts’ integration into the foreign language learning process in a university. [Електронний ресурс]. – Режим доступу: http://confesp.fl.kpi.ua/node/1074

4. Hapachylo N. PodcastEng … What’s that? [Електронний ресурс]. – Режим доступу: http://greenforest.com.ua/articles/post/23)

5. Stupina T. L. The Basics of Podcasts’ Usage in Education: Methodical Manual / Т. L. Stupina. – Irkutsk: ISLU, 2006. – 22 p.

6. Podcasts in higher education : students’ and lecturers’ perspectives [Електронний ресурс].–Режим доступу: http://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/handle/1822/10080

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