A Design and a Practice of ELDP Project --- LMS, Podcasting, and English Presentation Class

This paper introduces a new type of English presentation course that emphasizes project work and internet technology. The course model discussed here was conducted at the authors‟ institution during the 2008 academic year over a period of 4-months. The principle behind the project was ELDP, which stands for “English class Linked to a Direct Product”, and it is based on two themes: “creation” and “public participation”, with English being the project‟s target language. Specifically, students created a podcast movie, or vodcast, which could be shared with others. The ELDP module was conducted during the second term of a yearlong course, in which the first term was devoted to more traditional PowerPoint presentations that stressed public speaking skills, visual aids, and question-and-answer sessions. Under the ELDP project, students not only used English to create educational videos, they also had to acquire non-linguistic skills, such as uploading video to a server, downloading mobile content, and becoming familiar with the learning management system (LMS). While such a project can be demanding, the purpose-driven, real-world nature of the task can be motivating for students. It will be concluded in this paper that the concept of “creation” and its beneficial effects extends beyond engineering, and is applicable to the broader field of English education as well. For example, the vodcasting project mentioned in this paper could provide a platform for both English learners and educators to introduce and promote their communities, countries and cultures to the world at large.