Audioblogs in ESP
Joel raised an interesting question yesterday when he asked why people choose to use audio files and whether they would include different things in the audio file than they might if they had written the text out instead.
Nathan suggested that ”the decision to use audio has to do with determining whether there is a legitimate message to be made that extends beyond the mere text of the piece. If a transcript carries the message, there is no reason for audio.” He also sees timing, tonality and dialect as the major advantages of audio files over texts.
Tom agreed and added a link to an article on digital storytelling. It describes the various uses of digital storytelling in education. Basically, this is what happens: students record their personal stories, then they mix the recording with drawings, photos and music and the end product seems to be a multimedia presentation. Bonds between people are strengthened as a result, students master a new self-expression and may even gain in self-respect. It sounds great, but I’m not so sure of the value of such activities in the EFL/ESP class (at least not on tertiary level).
John then came up with more ideas: students could listen to themselves from the archives or they could run an Internet radio. Both ideas are good.
However, I think Lesley was the one who started to streamline our ideas towards EFL matters by raising the issue of our teaching aims. She said that in ESL classes we are “preparing people for real life situations in which they might not have any textual/visual input.” I couldn’t agree more.
Aaron then stressed that the purpose of the site will affect our choice and suggested that “the potential to bring the myriad spoken voices of the world into the classroom itself, both synchronously and asynchronously, adds an exciting dimension to the learning activities that occur there.“ True.
I keep thinking of my own students and I'd like to suggest another possible use of audio files which may help to enhance learning a foreign language. Students who learn EFL at tertiary institutions tend to focus on English used in their future professions, i.e. ESP (at least in Continental Europe). They have to rely on written sources of information most of the time (especially on levels B2 and onward). The reason is very simple: radio stations and television channels, which often serve as great input source, rarely feature programmes for professionals. Do you remember the number of things we need to learn about new words before we really know them? ESP students can find the meaning of professional words in glossaries or even encyclopedias, they can see how words are used in context and learn their forms and their collocates, however, they may have great difficulties finding out how these same words are pronounced. Encyclopedias, glossaries and terminology dictionaries don’t provide pronunciation information. English dictionaries for advanced learners provide pronunciation information, but unfortunately tend to exclude highly specialized words. Teachers could help, but students rarely approach us with questions about pronunciation. Hearing the new words in class a couple of times is usually not enough for students to remember them later when they want to use them independently in a discussion of a professional issue.
I see audio files as a teacher’s opportunity to provide audio resources that can help students improve their pronunciation of discipline-related words as well as their listening comprehension skills for professional purposes. And it’s definitely an advantage if the passage (short news items, short reports, interviews with professionals, etc.) is read by a native speaker of English. I can easily envisage pronunciation exercises as well, for example, the type that requires students to match the words they hear to the list of written words. However, I agree wholeheartedly that we have to follow the rules of sound material design as
well as the aims of the curriculum.
I don’t think digital storytelling of students’ personal experiences would solve the problem. However, recording the summary of the professional articles the students have read seems to fit into ESP more easily.
Lesley also raised the question of why we would include an audio file in a blog rather than on a web page. I can think of a number of reasons. First, a blog is easier to maintain: the teacher is in charge of the blog and does not need to contact a third party to alter it (at the college where I work I cannot alter my webpage whenever I want - I need to contact the person in charge of the college’s IT system first and put up with his moody nature. Sometimes it takes days before the new webpage is uploaded).
Next, comments are not something web pages allow us to incorporate easily, but they are common in blogs. They open up the space for a dialogue with our students or dialogue between students. Students can add their own comments to what they’ve heard based on their own readings and knowledge and this could add new dimensions to an audio file: a different point of view, a comment in a different (written) medium of communication, etc. However, I’m sure many of my students would be equally happy with a web page that would provide only listening comprehension and pronunciation activities without the comment sending facility.
All in all, the decision to include audio posts in EFL/ESP blogs (or web pages) should be based on our students’ needs (learner and future professional) and the audio activities adjusted to the aims of the curriculum that we want to achieve.
Nathan suggested that ”the decision to use audio has to do with determining whether there is a legitimate message to be made that extends beyond the mere text of the piece. If a transcript carries the message, there is no reason for audio.” He also sees timing, tonality and dialect as the major advantages of audio files over texts.
Tom agreed and added a link to an article on digital storytelling. It describes the various uses of digital storytelling in education. Basically, this is what happens: students record their personal stories, then they mix the recording with drawings, photos and music and the end product seems to be a multimedia presentation. Bonds between people are strengthened as a result, students master a new self-expression and may even gain in self-respect. It sounds great, but I’m not so sure of the value of such activities in the EFL/ESP class (at least not on tertiary level).
John then came up with more ideas: students could listen to themselves from the archives or they could run an Internet radio. Both ideas are good.
However, I think Lesley was the one who started to streamline our ideas towards EFL matters by raising the issue of our teaching aims. She said that in ESL classes we are “preparing people for real life situations in which they might not have any textual/visual input.” I couldn’t agree more.
Aaron then stressed that the purpose of the site will affect our choice and suggested that “the potential to bring the myriad spoken voices of the world into the classroom itself, both synchronously and asynchronously, adds an exciting dimension to the learning activities that occur there.“ True.
I keep thinking of my own students and I'd like to suggest another possible use of audio files which may help to enhance learning a foreign language. Students who learn EFL at tertiary institutions tend to focus on English used in their future professions, i.e. ESP (at least in Continental Europe). They have to rely on written sources of information most of the time (especially on levels B2 and onward). The reason is very simple: radio stations and television channels, which often serve as great input source, rarely feature programmes for professionals. Do you remember the number of things we need to learn about new words before we really know them? ESP students can find the meaning of professional words in glossaries or even encyclopedias, they can see how words are used in context and learn their forms and their collocates, however, they may have great difficulties finding out how these same words are pronounced. Encyclopedias, glossaries and terminology dictionaries don’t provide pronunciation information. English dictionaries for advanced learners provide pronunciation information, but unfortunately tend to exclude highly specialized words. Teachers could help, but students rarely approach us with questions about pronunciation. Hearing the new words in class a couple of times is usually not enough for students to remember them later when they want to use them independently in a discussion of a professional issue.
I see audio files as a teacher’s opportunity to provide audio resources that can help students improve their pronunciation of discipline-related words as well as their listening comprehension skills for professional purposes. And it’s definitely an advantage if the passage (short news items, short reports, interviews with professionals, etc.) is read by a native speaker of English. I can easily envisage pronunciation exercises as well, for example, the type that requires students to match the words they hear to the list of written words. However, I agree wholeheartedly that we have to follow the rules of sound material design as
well as the aims of the curriculum.
I don’t think digital storytelling of students’ personal experiences would solve the problem. However, recording the summary of the professional articles the students have read seems to fit into ESP more easily.
Lesley also raised the question of why we would include an audio file in a blog rather than on a web page. I can think of a number of reasons. First, a blog is easier to maintain: the teacher is in charge of the blog and does not need to contact a third party to alter it (at the college where I work I cannot alter my webpage whenever I want - I need to contact the person in charge of the college’s IT system first and put up with his moody nature. Sometimes it takes days before the new webpage is uploaded).
Next, comments are not something web pages allow us to incorporate easily, but they are common in blogs. They open up the space for a dialogue with our students or dialogue between students. Students can add their own comments to what they’ve heard based on their own readings and knowledge and this could add new dimensions to an audio file: a different point of view, a comment in a different (written) medium of communication, etc. However, I’m sure many of my students would be equally happy with a web page that would provide only listening comprehension and pronunciation activities without the comment sending facility.
All in all, the decision to include audio posts in EFL/ESP blogs (or web pages) should be based on our students’ needs (learner and future professional) and the audio activities adjusted to the aims of the curriculum that we want to achieve.
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