The proposed educational podcast series is a convenient and anxiety-free method of learning the basics of a foreign language. It is geared for beginning language learners of Spanish between the ages of 14 to adult who wish to enhance their grammatical knowledge, listening and speaking skills. It will also assist the secondary level student who is required to take the PALS speaking exam or other similar mandatory oral tests. The listener will be exposed to “authentic” and “accent-free” conversations and dialogues that are relevant and current.
In addition, simple grammar explanations and mnemonic phrases or memory devices for learning verbs will appeal to new learners along with other entertaining and educational methods. Moreover, this series can assist students in the classroom by forming part of the class coursework and/or for extra credit assignments. However, this podcast series can be helpful to anyone who is interested in learning or refreshing their language skills due to the simple, relevant and casual nature of each lesson.
Content
1. Introduction to Listeners and expectations (may have an alter ego or enlist a helper in the series) 2. Brief Bio and Teaching Qualifications 3. Overview of Episodes and Lessons
Program (Episode 1) Principles of the Language
Lessons: (5 min. each)
· Greetings (Various times of the day) · Family/Friends · Numbers · Time (U.S.) · Weather (Seasons, Temperature) · Days of the Week · Months · Food · Likes and Dislikes · Leisure Activities · The Arts (Music, Fine Art, Literature/Film) · Vacation/Travel/Culture
Program (Episode 2) Framework of the Language
Lessons: (5 min. each) · Grammar basics (alphabet, vowels & special characters) · Words common in English and Spanish (false cognates) · Nouns and Articles (gender) · Verbs (using mnemonic phrases) · Verb conjugation (infinitive · Adjectives (agreement, comparisons) · Pronouns (possessive) · Prepositions · Exclamatory Phrases · Prepositions · Negative words · Conversational Prompts (Oral test taking strategies)
Format (Episode 1 & 2) First, I have changed the title because I think it is catchier than before. It was originally, "I Can Speak Spanish" and now it is, "Speak Spanish Now!". I am using Audacity to record my audio Spanish lesson podcast and I will be using Royality Free music that I purchased from a recommended website for educators. I will include various musical clips and stingers throughout the podcast, some with a latin beat, but I don't want to just use ethnic music. I might include some other sounds. I decided not to do an enhance audio and just audio to start out and when I feel more comfortable, I will incorporate all the bells and whistles. For right now, I think it will serve the purpose for learning the language using an audio format.
I will have certain prompts that the listener will recognize such as saying the word, "repitan" which means repeat in Spanish and other phrases such as "Now you try it". These will help beginners stay focused and organized while they listen and learn. I will also use mneumonics to enhance understanding and as a way of helping the listener rememeber hard to understand concepts or words..
Originally, I was going to make this a dialogue, but I have changed it so it's mostly a monologue with interviews, email responses, informational material, short cultural tips and special guest stars to add more interest. This way I feel that I am not dependent upon having a cohost.
Episode 1 (First segment will be a monologue)
1 . Show and host identification credits including the title of the show. 2. Use background music to enhance the podcast in the intro for 15 seconds and outro as a transition to show for 15 seconds.
3. I will explain what type of Spanish I will be teaching and also go over the gudelines to the listening audience, such as prompts for repeating words or phrases or when I want them to practice along with me.
4. The first segment will be about a Spanish lesson starting off with
introductions and greetings and some important cultural information.
5. Outro with brief music segment
(Second Segment will be dialogue)
6. Transition with musical intro between segment 1 and 2 for a student interview.
7. Introduce special guest and interview him. (dialogue)
8. Musical outro/intro between segments
9. Brief Review
10. Wrap up the episode with information about the upcoming episode 2
11. Sign off musical outro
12 I will include references or attribute sources and address any copyright
issues as needed.
Episode 2 (First segment will be a monologue)
1. Show and host identification credits including the title of the show.
2. Use background music to enhance the podcast in the intro for 15 seconds and outro as a transition to show for 15 seconds.
3. I will explain what type of Spanish I will be teaching and also go over the gudelines to the listening audience, such as prompts for repeating words or phrases or when I want them to practice along with me.
4. The first segment will be about a Spanish lesson starting off with
grammar basics and conjugating the verb to go or "ir". (Musical jingle to transition to a guest).
5. Outro with brief music segment
(Second Segment will be dialogue with a special guest)
6. Transition with musical intro between segment 1 and 2 for a a guest.
7. Introduce special guest and interview him. (dialogue)
8. Musical outro/intro between segments
9. Answer weblog questions (musical jingle) cultural information
10. Brief review
11. Wrap up the episode with information about the upcoming episode 2
12. Sign off musical outro
13. I will include references or attribute sources and address any copyright
issues as needed.
Evaluate & Refine Design self-evaluation: Students will document a self-evaluation of the initial recording.
I replayed the podcast several times and I thought the sound was okay and of course there is always room for improvement. I also listened to the cast using the Logitech/usb connection headset and the Apple and Skullcandy earphones and I still couldn't hear any hissing or sounds that do not belong in the recording. I am a bit frustrated because I want to remedy the problem, but if I can't hear it, then I can't fix it. However, I will look into it and read other podcasting books, including Farkas and links that are on the course site to see how I can fix this audio problem. My goal is to get the best audio quality that I can achieve.
I was thinking of using sound FFT Filters, Equalization, and Noise Level Removal tools in Audacity to improve the audio quality and hopefully this will work for the next podcast episode as well. I will also make sure that the mic is not touching the cord or my shirt just to make sure the sound is perfect. I was reading in the book "Podcasting for Dummies" about soundproofing the room by placing towels underneath the doors and another suggestions that I will try, like using the computer's internal versus the Logitech mic. I will try my best to improve the audio quality in this podcast and in episode 2.
The other things that I will try to improve upon is the length of the musical intro and outro to make sure it does not interfere with the voice recording. I will also lower the volume in the intro or use the Fade tool, so the sound is not too loud in certain transitional sections.
Unfortunately, I only had 5 minutes maximum to work with and I could not repeat the Spanish phrases more than I wanted to nor could I include more material, so it may have sounded like I cut it short, so I will work on including as much material as I can use without it seeming so cut-off in order to improve that aspect of the podcast especially for episode 2.
For Episode 2, I made the necessary modifications to improve the audio quality of the sound. I could not pick up any additional noises that were not meant to be there. I think I was successful with this episode compared to the first one. I was also careful to repeat the phrases several times as was suggested by the peer review.
How did you evaluate the sound (and/or video) quality of your recording?
What types of edits did you make to your audio files?
Design IdeaSpeak Spanish Now!
Brief Description
The proposed educational podcast series is a convenient and anxiety-free method of learning the basics of a foreign language. It is geared for beginning language learners of Spanish between the ages of 14 to adult who wish to enhance their grammatical knowledge, listening and speaking skills. It will also assist the secondary level student who is required to take the PALS speaking exam or other similar mandatory oral tests. The listener will be exposed to “authentic” and “accent-free” conversations and dialogues that are relevant and current.
In addition, simple grammar explanations and mnemonic phrases or memory devices for learning verbs will appeal to new learners along with other entertaining and educational methods. Moreover, this series can assist students in the classroom by forming part of the class coursework and/or for extra credit assignments. However, this podcast series can be helpful to anyone who is interested in learning or refreshing their language skills due to the simple, relevant and casual nature of each lesson.
Content
1. Introduction to Listeners and expectations (may have an alter ego or enlist a helper in the series)
2. Brief Bio and Teaching Qualifications
3. Overview of Episodes and Lessons
Program (Episode 1) Principles of the Language
Lessons: (5 min. each)
· Greetings (Various times of the day)
· Family/Friends
· Numbers
· Time (U.S.)
· Weather (Seasons, Temperature)
· Days of the Week
· Months
· Food
· Likes and Dislikes
· Leisure Activities
· The Arts (Music, Fine Art, Literature/Film)
· Vacation/Travel/Culture
Program (Episode 2) Framework of the Language
Lessons: (5 min. each)
· Grammar basics (alphabet, vowels & special characters)
· Words common in English and Spanish (false cognates)
· Nouns and Articles (gender)
· Verbs (using mnemonic phrases)
· Verb conjugation (infinitive
· Adjectives (agreement, comparisons)
· Pronouns (possessive)
· Prepositions
· Exclamatory Phrases
· Prepositions
· Negative words
· Conversational Prompts (Oral test taking strategies)
Format (Episode 1 & 2)
First, I have changed the title because I think it is catchier than before. It was originally, "I Can Speak Spanish" and now it is, "Speak Spanish Now!". I am using Audacity to record my audio Spanish lesson podcast and I will be using Royality Free music that I purchased from a recommended website for educators. I will include various musical clips and stingers throughout the podcast, some with a latin beat, but I don't want to just use ethnic music. I might include some other sounds. I decided not to do an enhance audio and just audio to start out and when I feel more comfortable, I will incorporate all the bells and whistles. For right now, I think it will serve the purpose for learning the language using an audio format.
I will have certain prompts that the listener will recognize such as saying the word, "repitan" which means repeat in Spanish and other phrases such as "Now you try it". These will help beginners stay focused and organized while they listen and learn. I will also use mneumonics to enhance understanding and as a way of helping the listener rememeber hard to understand concepts or words..
Originally, I was going to make this a dialogue, but I have changed it so it's mostly a monologue with interviews, email responses, informational material, short cultural tips and special guest stars to add more interest. This way I feel that I am not dependent upon having a cohost.
Episode 1 (First segment will be a monologue)
1 . Show and host identification credits including the title of the show.
2. Use background music to enhance the podcast in the intro for 15 seconds and outro as a transition to show for 15 seconds.
3. I will explain what type of Spanish I will be teaching and also go over the gudelines to the listening audience, such as prompts for repeating words or phrases or when I want them to practice along with me.
4. The first segment will be about a Spanish lesson starting off with
introductions and greetings and some important cultural information.
5. Outro with brief music segment
(Second Segment will be dialogue)
6. Transition with musical intro between segment 1 and 2 for a student interview.
7. Introduce special guest and interview him. (dialogue)
8. Musical outro/intro between segments
9. Brief Review
10. Wrap up the episode with information about the upcoming episode 2
11. Sign off musical outro
12 I will include references or attribute sources and address any copyright
issues as needed.
Episode 2 (First segment will be a monologue)
1. Show and host identification credits including the title of the show.
2. Use background music to enhance the podcast in the intro for 15 seconds and outro as a transition to show for 15 seconds.
3. I will explain what type of Spanish I will be teaching and also go over the gudelines to the listening audience, such as prompts for repeating words or phrases or when I want them to practice along with me.
4. The first segment will be about a Spanish lesson starting off with
grammar basics and conjugating the verb to go or "ir". (Musical jingle to transition to a guest).
5. Outro with brief music segment
(Second Segment will be dialogue with a special guest)
6. Transition with musical intro between segment 1 and 2 for a a guest.
7. Introduce special guest and interview him. (dialogue)
8. Musical outro/intro between segments
9. Answer weblog questions (musical jingle) cultural information
10. Brief review
11. Wrap up the episode with information about the upcoming episode 2
12. Sign off musical outro
13. I will include references or attribute sources and address any copyright
issues as needed.
Evaluate & Refine
Design self-evaluation: Students will document a self-evaluation of the initial recording.
I replayed the podcast several times and I thought the sound was okay and of course there is always room for improvement. I also listened to the cast using the Logitech/usb connection headset and the Apple and Skullcandy earphones and I still couldn't hear any hissing or sounds that do not belong in the recording. I am a bit frustrated because I want to remedy the problem, but if I can't hear it, then I can't fix it. However, I will look into it and read other podcasting books, including Farkas and links that are on the course site to see how I can fix this audio problem. My goal is to get the best audio quality that I can achieve.
I was thinking of using sound FFT Filters, Equalization, and Noise Level Removal tools in Audacity to improve the audio quality and hopefully this will work for the next podcast episode as well. I will also make sure that the mic is not touching the cord or my shirt just to make sure the sound is perfect. I was reading in the book "Podcasting for Dummies" about soundproofing the room by placing towels underneath the doors and another suggestions that I will try, like using the computer's internal versus the Logitech mic. I will try my best to improve the audio quality in this podcast and in episode 2.
The other things that I will try to improve upon is the length of the musical intro and outro to make sure it does not interfere with the voice recording. I will also lower the volume in the intro or use the Fade tool, so the sound is not too loud in certain transitional sections.
Unfortunately, I only had 5 minutes maximum to work with and I could not repeat the Spanish phrases more than I wanted to nor could I include more material, so it may have sounded like I cut it short, so I will work on including as much material as I can use without it seeming so cut-off in order to improve that aspect of the podcast especially for episode 2.
For Episode 2, I made the necessary modifications to improve the audio quality of the sound. I could not pick up any additional noises that were not meant to be there. I think I was successful with this episode compared to the first one. I was also careful to repeat the phrases several times as was suggested by the peer review.