Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the world of education, prompting the need to explore new methodologies to maintain student interest. This research examines the effectiveness of podcasts as a pedagogical tool to promote cooperative learning and content generation in English Language Teaching (ELT) using the Google Meet platform during virtual classroom sessions in the pandemic.

Based on the principles of cooperative learning and learner-centred pedagogy, this study adopts an ethnographic methodology that includes qualitative data collection techniques such as class discussions, questionnaires and group dialogues. Upon completion of the task, learners responded to questionnaires and participated in group discussions to assess their satisfaction with the project.

The participants are 30 upper secondary English learners (14-15 years old), divided into cooperative learning groups. For six weeks, the students used Google Meet to consult, plan and develop podcast episodes on the topic chosen by each group, with guidance from the teacher.

The students' podcasts incorporated their voices, background music, images and relevant information, highlighting their creativity and further emphasising their role as content generators and active agents in their learning process. The study also addresses the challenges faced by students and teacher in adapting to the new learning scenario, and provides concrete examples of how these obstacles were overcome during the research. The evaluation was carried out using a rubric that included teacher assessment, self-assessment and co-assessment.

The results indicate that podcasting as a teaching tool effectively enhanced participants' collaboration, content generation and active participation in the ELT classroom. Students showed high motivation, autonomy and control in their learning. The cooperative learning groups promoted critical thinking, problem solving and the development of communication skills, while the Google Meet platform provided an easy-to-use, accessible and efficient virtual collaboration channel for both cooperative teamwork and teacher guidance.

In conclusion, this research underlines the potential of podcasting as a pedagogical resource for teaching in times of pandemic, empowering students to take on the role of content creators and promoting collaborative learning through Google Meet. The findings underline the students' satisfaction with the activity, as it fostered creativity, provided a sense of normality during the lockdown, and increased participation, engagement and collaboration; they also contribute to the body of knowledge on the use of digital technology in education and provide useful insights for educators seeking to adapt their teaching strategies to the demands of distance learning.

Keywords:

Podcast, blended learning, ICTs, ELT, Cooperative Learning, creativity, content-generation, pandemic.