Learner Engagement: Podcasting

I interviewed an old friend who fights human (sex) trafficking. It’s only about 11 mins long, but I added intro and outro music. The music is from Bensound.com — they have royalty free music for free and some paid, depends on what permissions and quality you want.

I used Audacity to edit the tracks.

Finally, I used Zencastr.com to record and it is amazing. It was so easy to record a high quality audio interview on our computers in different states. It records each person on a different track, which was very handy because I could easily mute the static and background noise. I HIGHLY recommended it.

I published the podcast on Anchor.fm for free, and I love that platform, too. It was super straightforward and they even provide royalty free music, an image and they push your episodes out to podcast platforms. You can find my podcast on 7 outlets.

Some ideas about using podcasts for language learners include picking out some vocabulary to teach, in context, before listening. You might also make some comprehension questions and an extension activity that would push students to learn more about the topic. And, of course, students could make their own podcasts about a grammar point or a cultural matter. It’s probably best for a pair or trio, as that would promote cooperation, using the target language and taking turns speaking.