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How to Use Podcasts with ESL Students

Podcasts are audio or video digital media files that are often produced as part of a series. When a podcast is created as a series, it can be easily subscribed to using an RSS aggregator. The use of an RSS aggregator allows podcast episodes to be automatically downloaded to a teacher or student device. This is advantageous, as teachers and students are not responsible for repeatedly checking for new episodes, they will download automatically when ready. Notifications can be set up as well to alert the user to the presence of a new podcast.

Podcasts can be a very useful tool in the ESL classroom. Podcasts can be created by the instructor for ESL students who struggle with following the pace of in-class discussions, created by the ESL student to show understanding of key concepts and necessary skills such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking, or podcasts not created by the instructor can be listened to by ESL students to help solidify critical English language skills.

Whichever method of podcast use you intend to use with your ESL students, it is important to remember to gradually introduce the concepts to your students. The creation of a new type of media like podcasts can be overwhelming for students, especially if their digital literacy is lacking. It is often helpful to provide a list of engaging podcast examples for students to listen to first, to help them understand what a podcast should sound like. As an instructor it is also recommended that you create a podcast for your students explaining the parts of a podcast and how they can be used/created by students. It is also very important to explain the importance of copyright law with your students, as many students are not familiar with these laws. Finally, it is important to have patience with ESL students as they create their podcasts. This is likely a new experience for them and they will have a lot of questions and problems along the way. Be supportive and answer questions as best you can and you will be happy with the final results!

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