Introducing PoodLL

By Jez Bate

PoodLL is a set of open source plug-ins for the virtual learning environment (VLE), Moodle, that bring to learning some of the functionality of a language laboratory, a spoken (or written) journal, and a straightforward voice recording device for lessons, all combined in one online tool. It is relatively straightforward and intuitive to use, as long as the teacher and / or student using it is familiar with Moodle to some degree. For those teachers who are bold enough to try it out, it gives learners the chance to improve speaking, listening, pronunciation, intonation… and confidence – inside and outside of lessons. It therefore seems a must-have tool when using Moodle.

The beauty of its being situated on a VLE is that, like other activities and resources on VLEs, it can be used by learners from any location with a decent internet connection, either inside or outside of the classroom.

Functionality

From a material creation point of view, teachers can use it to very easily add recorded instructions of themselves (or family, friends or colleagues) speaking, or to set up a homework task asking learners to record themselves.

Learners can be asked to keep a spoken diary / journal that allows them to practise not merely their written language skills (as in the journal of yore) but also their speaking skills. Teachers can then review entries to the spoken journal and learners themselves can see an evolving record of their progress in the target language.

Apart from recording and then reviewing speaking tasks, either alone or with a teacher (or for the teacher to do alone and then provide feedback), an asynchronous dialogue is possible. In a group format this could involve presenting a topic for discussion or conversation. This could range from something as relatively simple as learners talking about their weekend, to in-depth tasks such as stating views on monetary policy or interest rate changes, for example – all depending on learner level and needs. In a one-to-one format, this might include an ongoing homework dialogue between teacher and learner, all of which enables considerable spoken (or written, if appropriate) practice outside of the classroom. Teachers might also use PoodLL to record students presenting / discussing in class and then review together.

Teachers can give feedback as a recording or onscreen text, which is accessed right there on the VLE page, or as a file (such as a Word document) that has to be opened and / or saved. Likewise, learners can be asked by teachers to record themselves speaking, type online text or upload a file. It all depends on how an activity is set up by the teacher and what works best for a given target.

Setting up PoodLL Activities

PoodLL activities can be set up easily within an Assignment activity or added to a Page or Label. PoodLL (i.e. spoken) questions can also be added to a Moodle quiz – although they do then need to be marked by the teacher, unlike many other types of quiz question in Moodle. To find the PoodLL recorder, look for the Toggle button (see below) that opens up a range of additional editing tools and here can be found the microphone and video icons (also below) to add PoodLL recordings. 

PoodLL vs Audacity

The old-fashioned (and useful) language laboratory enabled learners to focus intensely and without distraction on skills like listening comprehension and pronunciation, for example, listening and repeating phrases and then listening back to compare their utterances with the recorded ones. This is something that can be done using another open source tool, Audacity, and the latter has the benefit of a function to slow audio down, if necessary. Audacity is a valuable tool, but PoodLL is simpler to use, does not require anything to be downloaded and can be used in various areas of Moodle without uploading files.

Autonomy

PoodLL can also encourage learner autonomy, which is integral to successful learning: if learners are asked to keep an ongoing oral diary (using the Forum activity), they can decide what to talk about – weekend plans, progress / difficulties with language learning, or a news article they have read. The teacher might set parameters to guide learners.

All in all, it is a useful and straightforward audio and video recording tool that can be used without fuss within Moodle to add variety and value to the learning experience.