VOA慢速英语20060320b

THIS IS AMERICA - With Podcasts, When Students Speak in Class, the World Can ListenBy Brianna Blake

Broadcast: Monday, March 20, 2006

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. This week, an example of how podcasting technology is being put to the test in American schools.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Write a story about your life. It sounds like a simple project, especially for a group of high school students. But not for these students at Mountain View Alternative High School in Centreville, Virginia. They are among a growing number of students at schools in the United States that use podcasting in their classrooms.


Suzan Harkness at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington. She is among a growing number of professors who are making their own podcasts. They record short lessons or full lectures for students to download on their MP3 players.

Podcasting is like radio broadcasting, except it uses the Internet. Anyone with a computer and a microphone¹ can record a show about any subject. Anyone with a computer and an MP3 player can download the podcast and listen.

Podcasting does require some technical knowledge, but not very much.

Many education-related podcasts are aimed at college students. But a growing number are created for, and by, students in middle school and high school.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The students at Mountain View have spent several weeks preparing for their project. They have written their stories. And they have recorded music and other sound to use in their podcasts. Next, they bring together the different elements on a computer.

Their teachers help by offering comments and suggestions. The students have made decisions about how to present their information. They have decided² how it will be read, and how other sound will be used.

Some students decide to read their story themselves. Others choose to create a different effect by having someone else read parts of it.

VOICE ONE:

Through voices, music and sound effects, the students are able to create something deeply personal.

In this podcast, nineteen-year-old Tamim uses traditional music from Afghanistan to create the atmosphere of his homeland.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Through his story, Tamim brings us along with his family as they flee Afghanistan after Taleban forces capture³ their city. He and his family live as refugees⁴ in Pakistan for two years before coming to the United States. But his difficulties do not end there. Once in the United States, Tamim struggles to learn English.

TAMIM: The funniest thing about being in the U.S. was that I could not talk to my cousins. My cousins didn't know a word in Farsi and I didn't know a word in English. It took me about months till I start understanding what my cousins were talking about.

VOICE ONE:

Other students use different methods to tell their stories. Marvin tells the story of an experience he had as a young child. He was walking to the market, the mercado, in Guatemala City where his mother worked.

MARVIN: [music] I'm here to tell you a story about me, about my childhood 鈥?about something that left a scar⁵ not physically⁶, but mentally on me.

VOICE ONE:

Marvin goes on to tell about walking across the rail lines as he often did on his way to the market. But on this day, he falls down on the rails just as a train is coming in the distance.

MARVIN: I could see the entrance to the Mercado. Suddenly I fell over the railroad⁷ and then I could hear a train coming in the same direction towards me [train warning sound]. From that moment on, I got so scared that I couldn't even stand up. For myself, a woman with long hair came out of the nothing just to pull me 鈥?just to pull me off and save my life [train sound]. And the only thing I remember is that I was crying so bad and my brother did not even realize it. At that moment I thought that I was going to die.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In another podcast, Jonathan, in his last year of high school, describes his life in terms of basketball. He tells us his story by visiting different places he has played the game. He explains what he has learned⁸ about life while winning and losing.

JONATHAN: I guess that 's the story of this court. The winners come back because they love to win and the losers they come back because they hate being losers, and that's what keeps the circle going [music].

VOICE ONE:

Jonathan recorded the sound of a basketball hitting the floor. He says he wanted to give the listener the feeling of being there with him. Jonathan wants to become a professional basketball player.

But in his story, it sounds like he does not think that is possible, because of mistakes he has made in his young life.

JONATHAN: Man I felt like I was on the right road for years. I never was. You have all the support of the coaches until something happens. Then you're out of school and you can't play for a team if you're not enrolled⁹, you know. But I don't blame them. I take full responsibility for my actions. [music]

VOICE TWO:

Jonathan says he now wants to help his younger brother to reach his goals.

JONATHAN: I want to be the coach of him I never had. I'll teach him everything I know about basketball and life. I just don't want him to make the same mistakes I made in life, ya know what I'm saying?

VOICE ONE:

With podcasting, students are using their skills in writing, reading and public speaking. At the same time, they are learning¹⁰ several new skills. They learn to work with the computer programs that are used for podcasting. They also gain experience in communications, broadcasting and problem solving.

Podcasts are being used in English classes and social studies, as well as foreign language classes. Being able to listen to recordings¹² of their own voice helps students to hear mistakes.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

There are tens of thousands of podcasts on the Internet. They can be found on almost any subject, from current events to financial planning, religion and poetry. People are now recording¹¹ their thoughts on just about everything.




Any MP3 device¹³ can be used to play podcasts off the Internet. But the name comes from the iPod devices¹⁴ made by Apple Computer. IPods can also be used to record sound. Some schools are purchasing them for their students.

For the project at Mountain View Alternative High, the students used hand-held tape recorders or recorded directly into a computer.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

An alternative school is different from a traditional school. At Mountain View, many of the students come from difficult situations that have interfered¹⁵ with their schooling¹⁶.

Some are adults returning to finish their requirements for completing high school. Others just need a program that can fit their work or family situations.

This project was the first time that teachers Ann Bearden and Peter Garvey used podcasting in their English class. Both agreed they want to continue to use the technology for similar projects.

Miz Bearden says the students knew that a podcast can possibly be heard by millions of people through Web sites like Podcast.net. So it increased their desire to do a good job. Or, in the words of Marvin, I put a lot more heart into this one.

MARVIN: The one thing I have learned is to help others.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Brianna Blake and produced with Caty Weaver¹⁷. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Read and listen to our programs at www.unsv.com. You can also find a link to some of the podcasts from the students at Mountain View -- and download Special English podcasts. We invite you to join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 microphone   

n.扩音器，麦克风，话筒

参考例句：

• He gave a tap at the microphone before speaking.他在讲话前先轻叩了一下扩音器。
• She behaved naturally before the microphone.她在话筒前表现自然。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 capture   

vt.捕获，俘获；占领，夺得；n.抓住，捕获

参考例句：

• The company is out to capture the European market.这家公司希望占据欧洲市场。
• With the capture of the escaped tiger,everyone felt relieved.逃出来的老虎被捕获后，大家都松了一口气。

4 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

5 scar   

n.伤疤，伤痕，创伤

参考例句：

• This scar is from the bite of a dog.这是狗咬后留下的伤疤。
• The tragedy left a scar on her mind.这个悲剧给她造成精神上的创伤。

6 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

7 railroad   

n.铁路；vi.由铁路运输

参考例句：

• The railroad connects two cities,namely,New York and Chicago.这条铁路连接两个城市，即纽约与芝加哥。
• My brother is working on the railroad.我兄弟在铁路系统工作。

8 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

9 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

11 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

12 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

13 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

14 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

15 interfered   

v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉

参考例句：

• Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

17 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。