The Potential of Podcasts for Exploratory Talk in High School

Abstract Educational podcasting may support student collaboration and learning. However, little is known about how students talk with each other when developing podcasts in groups. In this study, eight groups of Norwegian high school students (N = 30) developed podcasts about contemporary poems in their literature class. The study focuses on the extent to which on-task student talk was presentational or exploratory, and serves to illustrate occasions of exploratory talk in educational podcasting projects. Subsequent analysis of 50 hours of audio recordings collected throughout the four-week project showed that exploratory talk was most prevalent during the beginning of the project and presentational talk toward the end. Excerpts from two group works show how exploratory talk manifested in group conversations during the project. The study demonstrates that students may engage in exploratory talk when developing podcasts, indicating that such projects in combination with broad pedagogical approaches may foster educational dialogues.