Podquests : language learning on the move

Abstract

Many teachers have used or at least heard about webquests. These online activities are great for bringing authentic materials into the classroom and for encouraging students to draw on a range of language skills at the same time. Here I will describe an alternative to online webquests, in an attempt to encourage out-of-class learning in the ‘real’ world.

What are podquests?

Podquests are out-of-class language learning activities that encourage interaction with people and objects in authentic contexts. Podquests use Ipods for instructions, language input, and to give feedback to the learner. Imagine the following scenario: as a teacher you want to encourage your students to use the language outside the classroom and to use a range of different skills. One option would be to send students on a ‘tour’ around the city to get information about various sites. They could then report back in class. But how will students know they are on the right track? And would it not be more interesting if they could access relevant information about the sites as they were visiting them? And how about if they could answer questions at the same time, and if their answers would change what would happen next? This is exactly what podquests are designed to do.