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Throughout the many novels and books read throughout schooling, I have often bought the podcast of the book to listen while I read. For me, this kept me engaged and interested. I found this article interesting that their was not that much of a difference between the increased progress of students vocabulary, listening, and speaking when using textbooks or podcasts. As far as being most effective, I do not know if one is more effective over the other. I would think it came down to the individual student or class. In an English Language Learning class, I would say that podcast have the potential to be more effective. My mom currently uses them in her ESOL classes. Reading is only one component of language. Being able to listen and speak with understanding are important factors that podcast can provide. I do not think that there should only be one or the other in a class but rather there should be a variety of activities that incorporate podcasts and textbooks. If only podcasts were used, no one would be to master the reading skills in a certain discipline. In an English classroom, I would say that podcast have the potential to be more effective due to the increase in use of technology by students. The article mentions that podcast " have the potential to motivate because they are often published weekly or monthly."(Selwood, Lauer, and Enokida, 425). Textbooks are easily out of date, but podcast provide opportunities to relate to certain subject matters. Students today have trouble finding why the topics they are learning are important to their lives.
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