Podcasting Possibilities

The podcast can be a powerful tool for the language learner. I listen to Russian and French podcasts in my car, on the way to work. It's a great way to make productive use of your time and with a 30 minute commute, 6 days a week; I get 6 hours of language listening practice a week. The podcasts are constantly updated so I never get bored of a topic, and I practicing speaking by repeating the dialogues. Strangers may think you're crazy for talking to yourself, but its totally worth it.
So it makes sense in a language learning classroom that I would use an English learning podcast. Students can find one to download to their iPod or mp3 player, listen on the bus or commute to school and be asked to write about it in their journal once weekly. This promotes listening, pronunciation and writing skills.
Since podcasts are easily made by anyone, all over the world; there are endless possibilities. I chose to search itunes, because I am most comfortable with itunes and already subscribe to several podcasts. I found this ESL podcast that deals with Describing Distances. This podcast starts with a realistic dialogue read slowly, then explains the expressions, slang and even some historical information on these expressions, then the dialogue is read at a normal pace. There are a wide variety of topics so students can customize their lesson by choosing which to write about. The distance podcast included expressions like "stone's throw", "read my lips" and "out of your mind". As a language learner, I understand how difficult expression and idioms can be in a foreign language, so I find these elements particularly useful.