Abstract:

Movies aid in knowledge construction by presenting audio and visual material which assist in knowledge construction by followig the "dual channel assumption" which states that humans process information through two channels: the auditory/verbal channel and the visual/pictorial one (Mayer, 2009). Podcasts "exercise oral speech and aural comprehension" (Thorne and Payne, 2005) and improve student motivation, collaboration, attention to accuracy, mixed-ability teaching and student confidence (Man-Man Sze, 2006). In this study, students were asked to view a Latino/Spanish movie in the target language and to write a movie review following specific guidelines that included writing a creative introduction, the cast of characters, a synopsis of the movie, and recommendations to potential viewers. The study analyzed student perceptions regarding their oral communication, written expression, and collaborative efforts. Pre- and post questionnaires were evaluated to determine student perceptions of the value of podcasting Spanish movie reviews as a form of developing linguistic accuracy in a Second Language. In general, students perceived that their abilities to write and to speak in the target language had improved after completing the podcast. However, not all groups enjoyed working collaboratively which leads to the recommendation to assign student groups carefully and to allow individual work as needed. Another recommendation would be to give students more technical preparation since only 5% of the student body was familiar with podcast technology.

Keywords:

Podcasting, movies, Second Language.