Poscasting has now becoming popular not just in the socialising world but also in the language learning world. Today I am going to present about a free, newly established tool which makes podcast-ing as something which is interesting enough to be introduced in the classroom. As all of you can see, the marvelous website is called AUDIOBOO. Eventhough this is a free tool, you still need to sign up for an account so that you can share your voice and your excellent ideas with your friends, family and the rest of the world!
Good news to anyone who already have their very own Twitter account, you can simply sign in using your Twitter account. To the rest who have not got a Twitter account, dont worry because you can follow the steps below in order to sign up for a new Audioboo account.
There are 4 basic steps which you need to follow. Firstly, key in your email address followed by a username of your choice. After that, please create a memorable password and confirm it. Once you've done this, please refer to the next picture as there are quite important information which need to be filled in. To make your account more recognizable, do upload an image of yourself.
Once you have successfully logged on to the website, you are now be able to follow any other users available on the user listings. This is quite similar to the Twitter concept in which allow you to freely follow anyone whom you would like to listen to and definitely closely related to your field.
This tool is designed to integrate with other available social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Posterous, Tumblr and Friendfeed. Although Audioboo is just a tool for podcasting, the needs of Audioboo has become massive. This is maybe because people have realized that information should be spread quickly and effectively and they, at some point may prefer to listen rather than to spend time on reading a long article.
The positives of Audioboo are:
1. Learners can simply record their audio thoughts and ideas and post them quickly to real listener all over the world.
2. It encourages them to be more confident in speaking the target language as the tool provides them an environment for practicing the speaking skill.
3. Audioboo is absolutely a free tool but all you need to do is sign up for your very own account.
4. Easy peasy lemon squeezy type of tool, information can be spread just by clicking on the recording button and post the audio quickly!
However,
1. Learners need to have a high level of confidence before posting any audio post as any minor error and mistakes made represent their level of language. Learners might easily become less motivated if their weaknesses are revealed publicly.
2. A great podcast, a latest advanced gadget, a powerful skill of speaking do not make any sense if the learner are incapable to get an excellent connection to the internet. Make sure you have a great access to it otherwise, the speaking development could not be carried out.
