Podcast #2- Planning a Vacation

Podcast #2 - Planning a Vacation

The podcast can be found at the following link: http://ecrofford1.podbean.com/

This podcast was created for a beginning- intermediate speaking course. We have created a pre-listening activity and a post- listening activity for this podcast. This lesson is meant to introduce students to the vocabulary and dialogue involved with planning a trip.

Pre-listening activity:

Below is the vocabulary list for the unit we are about to begin. Before listening to the podcast at home tonight, work through this list and try to define as many of these words as you can. After you have completed your list as best as possible, get in a group with 1-3 other classmates, and share your definitions. Try to come up with complete, logical definitions for each of the words. If none of your group members can define a word, look it up in your dictionaries, and copy down the definition.

Vacation

Travel

Trip

Flight

Depart

Departure

Arrive

Arrival

Destination

Luggage

Suitcases

Airplane

Airport

Travel Agent

Reservations

Tickets

While listening to the podcast:

During the podcast, try to gather some information about the trip the speaker is taking. Some information you should listen for:

Where is the woman going?

Where is she leaving from?

When is she leaving?

What time is her departure?

What time is her arrival?

Is she traveling alone?

How much luggage can she bring?

What airport is she leaving from?

Is the travel agent helpful?

Post- listening activity:

Take the information you uncovered, and type it into your blog in summary form. Include the main points, using as much of the vocabulary list as you can.

For the next assignment, you may work alone or with a partner.

Choose a location you would like to visit, and do the following:

Come up with 5 questions to ask a travel agent.

Some examples you can use:

How much are your tickets?

What time is departure?

What time is arrival?

What is your destination?

If you buy more tickets, is the cost less?

You may use some of these questions, but also come up with your own questions to answer.

After coming up with 5 questions, try to do a little bit of research, and answer the questions yourself. If you have trouble finding information, work with a classmate to plan your trip together. Use the internet to answer your questions. Type up a short blog postt using complete sentences, much like the one you did after listening to the podcast, and give us the important information that you discovered. Use as many vocabulary words as you can.

Google Wave for ESL Instructors

Episode 1:

We created a podcast geared towards instructors with the purpose of introducing Google Wave (www.wave.google.com). This episode is the first in a series of instructional videos and ideas concerning Google Wave. This podcast is a general overview, but future episodes will be more specific.

Google Wave is pitched as the new generation of email, and the capabilities of the tool far surpasses basic email. As instructors are listening, they should be clicking and exploring the few features we selected to highlight. We suggested a few hypothetical projects that students may use Google Wave for, and directed instructors towards the specific gadgets that are the framework for these projects. Students can plan trips using the itinerary, pinpoint specific locations on Google Maps, video chat with people from all parts of the world, and do much, much more.

Activities within Google Wave:

Trip Planning
Map Building
Slideshows/Powerpoints
Blogs
Twitter Updates
Concept Maps
Video Chatting

For more information on Google Wave:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ

Our podcast can be found at:
http://ecrofford1.podbean.com/