Austin language podcast creator hopes to make learning más facil.
By Omar L. Gallaga
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, July 29, 2007
¿Hablas podcast?
Jade Lindquist, a former part-time teacher at Austin Community College, hopes many commuters and owners of MP3 players do.
For the past two years, she's been working in Austin on Edufone, a Web site and cell phone-based service for those who want to learn Spanish or English.
The learning is done through free podcasts available on her Web site and on iTunes, as well as cell phone-based vocabulary-building quizzes and games. Lindquist is hoping listeners and cell users will like the service enough to sign up for a $9.99 or $12.99-a-month cell phone download or a $14.95 membership that includes expanded podcast features and downloads on the Web site.
Lindquist says she started the project two years ago as a way to spend more time at home with her young daughters Ava and Elissa (both now fluent in Spanish). One day, she said, she did a Web search and found a site called ChinesePod, which offers podcasts for learning the language.
"I'd put on my Chinese headphones and burn CDs (of the podcasts) and I was learning," she said.
She decided to adapt the idea for local friends who wanted to learn English. So she used her skills in language and IT (she has master's degrees in English literature, information systems and library science) to build a Web site, learn how to create podcasts and teach herself how to program in Java, a language that can be used for cell phone applications.
The result was the launch of her company in March of last year. The podcast, which is the heart of the program, began in December and has yielded 25 episodes. Podcasts - episodic audio recordings that can be subscribed to for automatic download in programs such as iTunes and listened to on a computer or portable music player - are a good way to learn a language, Lindquist believes. She said she imagines commuters with time on the road and laborers who can wear headphones while they're working can best benefit.
"Wasted time can be learning time," she said.
Lindquist said she's hoping to help Austin's continually growing immigrant population speed their learning of English with the podcasts. The audio programs themselves come in two versions: one predominantly in English that teaches Spanish, and the other mostly in Spanish with English phrases and words to learn. Both are laid-back affairs with topics such as going on vacation, shopping for housewares and one called, "La entrevista de trabajo" ("The Job Interview"). Lindquist's co-hosts are often native Spanish speakers who engage in bilingual chats with her.
What might have been at one time a venture hobbled by high costs for much of its intended audience (owning a computer, buying an expensive MP3 player, having Internet access) has since become more feasible, economically. Public libraries and restaurants like Schlotzsky's provide free Internet access. MP3 player prices have dipped below $20 for basic models. And just about everyone has access to a cell phone.
In June, Edufone's Web site had about 50,000 unique visits, much of it traffic from listeners who found the podcast on iTunes. The podcasts for Spanish learners were downloaded 188,283 times; English-learners downloaded the podcasts 57,425, Lindquist said.
Next, Lindquist wants to incorporate Skype, a program for free voice chatting online, to her site. She's hoping members learning English and Spanish will be able to practice with each other, online.
"I want to use technology to break down the barrier to learning," Lindquist said.
ogallaga@statesman.com; 445-3672
Edufone
What it is: English- and Spanish-language learning podcasts available for free download. Edufone also offers MiniMentor, a vocabulary builder that can be downloaded on cell phones.
Who's behind it: Chief executive Jade Lindquist, an Austinite with degrees in library sciences and information systems. She hosts the podcasts with family members and area Spanish teachers.
Pricing: Podcasts are available for free download in MP3 format. Extended podcasts and supplemental materials are available with a $14.95-a-month membership. Full versions of the cell phone software are available for $9.95 and $12.95.
Where to find: Podcasts are available on iTunes (Under 'Finally Learn Spanish' and 'Por fin aprende inglés') and at edufone.com. A demo of the cell phone software is available at wap.edufone.com and can be downloaded to many kinds of Java-enabled phones.
View the Article in the Austin-American Statesman
PodCamp highlights online broadcasting
Web Posted: 05/19/2007 09:51 PM CDT
Anastasia Ustinova
Express-News
Ever wondered what it's
like to host
your own radio or TV show?
Then podcasting may be for you, says Michael Verdi, a video blogger from San Antonio. Verdi and dozens of
other podcasters, video bloggers
and online pundits from all over Texas gathered in San Antonio Saturday for PodCamp, a free, informal conference to share ideas and
learn about the latest trends in multimedia.
Podcasts are
usually video and audio files posted online. Users can subscribe to receive
podcasts and download them to digital players such as an iPod.
The
possibilities are endless for anyone with a laptop, camera and microphone, said
Verdi. Some host radio-like shows; others produce documentaries and video
diaries.
"The
point is that not only could you do something like radio and TV shows, but
because it's Web-based, there are other possibilities for interaction with your
audience," said Verdi, who co-authored "Secrets of Videoblogging."
Jade
Lindquist, the founder of edufone.com, said more than 15,000
subscribers receive her Spanish and English language lessons via podcasts.
"Podcasting helps us to do what we enjoy, which is teaching,
but for a very big audience," Lindquist said.
PodCamp was an example of a new type of online community "unconference," free show-and-tell sessions that have
attracted hundreds of participants in cities including New York, Boston and San
Francisco, said podcaster Jennifer Navarrete, who hosts an online show called "Morning Brewcast."
"An unconference is meant to be interactive and is meant to
encourage discussion," Navarrete said. "If you have something to present, get up and present it.
It's the new thing that is sweeping the nation."
Saturday's
event, which was carried live online, offered insights on how to produce a
successful radio-style show or start a video blog and
make money from it."The main key in doing
anything in podcasting or blogging
is do it about something you are passionate about,"
Navarrete said.
Podcamp San Antonio Express-News Story
STOP ALL-NIGHTERS
Edufone's Cell Phone Software Helps You Learn On The Go
Press Release November 25, 2006
Austin, TX - Many students juggle academics, athletics, and work. Finding enough time to study is a continual challenge. Yet, most students own cell phones but they don't realize that they can be used to help them study. We all waste minutes everyday waiting in line or waiting for friends or the bus. Most of the time, we don't have our study materials with us to review while we're waiting. Part-time Austin Community College instructor, Jade Lindquist, saw the need for educational cell phone software so students can learn anything, anyplace, anytime. In March of 2006, she founded Edufone to develop this software.
Learning a foreign language requires a lot of memorization. Yet, straight memorization is boring. Knowing that people learn more when they're having fun, Edufone's software includes the following fun games: hangman, concentration, and jumble. Its Spanish and ESL versions can be downloaded directly onto their cell phones, just like ringtones. Edufone's award-winning software runs on almost all java-enabled phones including Blackberry devices. Free demo versions are available by browsing to wap.edufone.com from your cell phone.
It is well-known that frequent focused shorter study sessions are more effective than longer study sessions. This is called the "spacing effect." Educators are also familiar with the saying "repetition is the mother of all learning." Cell phone software that is with you at all times allows you to study in short focused bursts. Students can easily learn many words in short frequent study sessions. When they study the same vocabulary in different games, they not only have fun but they increase their retention.
An April 2006 study at the Washington University in St. Louis found that repeated testing is better than repeated studying. "Our study indicates that testing can be used as a powerful means for improving learning, not just assessing it," said Henry L. "Roddy" Roediger III, Ph.D., the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and an internationally recognized scholar of human memory function. "Students who self-test frequently while studying on their own may be able to learn more, in much less time, than they might by simply studying the material over and over again. Edufone's software includes multiple choice drills that can be used for self-testing. Players earn points when they get the right answer.
Edufone can also create mobile versions of your existing training content for java-enabled cell phones.
Edufone was created to empower people to learn anything, anyplace, anytime.
###
If you'd like more information about this topic or to schedule an interview with Jade Lindquist, please call 512-280-7711 or Contact Us.