I’ll admit it. I gave podcasts a 5-star rating in the Frontiers Poll. The only reason I didn’t select it as one of my top three choices because I was hung up on whether or not podcasts can be considered “transformative,” which was part of the criteria we were asked to consider. In the end, I decided podcasts were not inherently transformative, but are instead likely to be transformed by some of the other advances listed in the Poll (more on that in my upcoming A1).
Language revitalization is one of the areas in which podcasts have an irreplaceable role.
Here is an example of professional quality podcast on the topic. Word Up is a weekly Australian podcast produced by Daniel Browning of the ABC (Austraila’s public broadcasting corporation). The podcasts are less than 10-minutes long, and most are less than 5-minutes. Each episode has one or two aboriginal Australians sharing vocabulary from an aboriginal language they speak (either fluently or not) and short stories or anecdoates they associate with the words they share. In this way, the speakers place those words within their culture and landscape. I was reminded of it while reading this week’s content on Transmedia because of the way it connects an abstract construct (language) to the real-world (language and culture carried out in a physical space) by having a conversation in an intangible place (an online podcast), accessed in a changeable physical space (anywhere the user has access to a mobile device). I can be present in my physical space while consuming this content in a way that I cannot with video content.
Additionally, the making of podcasts has documented benefits to student’s language learning. This study (Phillips, 2017) tracked responses from Austrian, largely Native-German-speaking students enrolled in a health care related Bachelor Program who were asked to create two podcasts in English on certain medical topics. The study found students not only learned the material covered in the podcasts but also improved their confidence and skills in the language, the technological tools they used, and digital storytelling. Though most students reported apprehension at first and found the first podcast extremely time-consuming, the subsequent podcast was easier and, in the end, 91.1% of students found the assignment rewarding. It also found that even students who consume digital content often do not have any idea how that content is produced, which sounds like a pretty one-sided conversation and worth exploring.
So the burning question ends up being, can’t video just do anything podcasts do but better? I just don’t think so. There is an excellent debate regarding video podcasts (oxymoron?) right here in this blog. There you can read my thoughts on the topic, as well as the bright observations of those who have come before us.
By the end of Week 6, I will have the ETEC 523 2021W class on side!
Context for future readers: In the ETEC 523 2021W class, Podcasts was one of the lowest rated topics in the Frontiers Poll.
Reference
Phillips, B. (2017). Student-produced podcasts in language learning – Exploring student perceptions of podcast activities. IAFOR Journal of Education, 5(3), p. 157-171.
Hi Lyndsay, Thank you for elaborating on the topic of podcasts. I admit I had glossed over this medium in favour of videos, but reading your post as well as the discussion from last year has me rethinking the value of the podcast.
For instance, when I think of my choice for entertainment, I prefer reading or listening to audiobooks over watching a movie. I feel that I get more out of it! There are, in fact, certain elements of a story that are more easily described than portrayed by an actor on a screen. Is this a personal nuance?
I found a paper (commissioned and funded by Audible UK) that described a study comparing narrative engagement in listening vs watching. Participants were either assigned to watching or listening to a dramatic scene. There was a slightly higher physiological reaction in listeners than viewers. This was taken to indicate a more active engagement for audio narrative than videos, and yet the participants considered themselves more engaged when watching a scene. Would a review or knowledge test given after a time gap show a difference in retention?
Your account of the students taking time to acclimate to the use of podcasts is indicative of something. If just listening requires a more active engagement, then are we more comfortable with and thus choosing the more passive video narrative?
I have given the reference of the paper below, to add to the discussion. I am curious to read other people’s opinions on this subject!
Reference
Richardson, D.C., Griffin, N.K., Zaki, L. et al. Engagement in video and audio narratives: contrasting self-report and physiological measures. Sci Rep 10, 11298 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68253-2
Evelyne, Thank you for sharing this resource!! I think I’ve been circling around it in my research.
“If just listening requires a more active engagement, then are we more comfortable with and thus choosing the more passive video narrative.” I think you’ve hit right on it there. What we want out of audio and video are different things. So as successful as video is, it will never actually kill the “radio star,” so to speak. (That reference was from before even my time so I’m sure not everyone may get it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r-tXRLazs).