PODCASTING IN PRE-SERVICE LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

8th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN) -- JUL 04-06, 2016 -- Barcelona, SPAINWOS: 000402955905120This study aims to investigate the perceptions of pre-service English language teachers towards the use of podcasts. In addition, it surveys to what extent pre-service language teachers use Web 2 tools in their academic lives as well as personal lives and their views on the benefits and possible drawbacks of podcasts. For this reason, Teaching Language Skills Course specifically for the third year pre-service teachers is blended with podcasting in a web based platform. Twenty-two pre-service English language teachers who take the course constitute the working group. The theoretical background of this specific study is based on social constructivism. Combining both qualitative and quantitative research methods, a mixed method research design is used. The questionnaire and face to face interviews are held at the beginning and at the end of the course and results are compared to see if there is a significant change. Though the results indicate that participants do gain from podcasts, they encompass crucial drawback as well. This study also has got some important implications for curriculum designers, language instructors and students