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iTunes has a plethora of podcasts available for free, many of which are for language purposes. Podcasts are audio shows, so to speak, which are uploaded in an episodic fashion. I browsed through some of the language podcasts, including ElementalEnglish.com's "English Pronunciation and Language Lessons," the VOA's "American Stories--Voice of America," and BBC World Service's "English at Work." In the podcast descriptions, the authors usually list language level, and the speakers tend to modify their input so listeners can understand. These types of podcasts are useful for listening practice and for supplementary material in the classroom. There are other podcasts available as well, ranging from Mugglenet's MuggleCast (a Harry Potter themed podcast) to podcasts dedicated to comedians. These podcasts can be useful in the language classroom, as they present more authentic listening material, especially for more advanced learners. Podcasts are a great way for students to engage in their interests while practicing listening, with just one potential set-back: the set up. To access the podcasts, students must download iTunes (if they do not already have it) or it needs to be downloaded onto school computers. From there, one can access the Apple Store (though podcasts are mostly free), and then they can browse the selection. It can be tricky at times to find a good one, but once you do, the podcast can be downloaded onto mp3 players, so students can listen to them on the go, if they want. Note: Because the iTunes store is accessed through iTunes, I could not put a URL. The one above does, however, provide more information on what goes into making a podcast.

Podbean.com offers a place to produce and store podcasts. The basic (free) package offers 5GB of bandwidth and 50mb of starting storage space. This could be an option for creating your own listening lessons that learners could download for listening on their own.

A site for publishing podcasts

A quick overview of using three (iOS) mobile apps for recording podcasts on your phone: Cinch, ipadio, and Audioboo

Eslpod is a site replete with listening passages for English language students on a variety of subjects. Where eslpod differs from sites such as Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab is that following the listening passage portion of the podcast is an explanation of the vocabulary included in the passage and what the speakers meant in certain portions. This site has the potential to be incorporated into a listening and speaking class in that the explanation portion of the podcast serves as a lecture of sorts. Students might benefit most if required to complete a listening guide while listening to the passage. Eslpod may in fact offer such resources, yet they are unavailable without a membership. Regardless, the podcasts are free to listen to, are clearly articulated, and delivered at a rate to benefit English language students.

Here's the Google Doc on podcasts we worked on in class; feel free to add to it as you see fit.

Grammar Girl is a website and podcast with a daily grammar rule or tip. When we listened to Bek's podcast, I was reminded of Grammar Girl. It has a similar quick and fun feel. The podcasts are likely most appropriate for advanced learners. It's useful for teachers, too, as I frequently learn something new through the show.

This is an excerpt from an International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) publication that shares some case studies and a lesson plan for employing cellphones in the classroom. Students use texting, blogging, QR codes, and call into a Talk Radio style voice blog (podcast/webcast kind of thing).

This is the YouTube channel for Intelligence Squared Debates (also available as an NPR podcast)