Hi guys!
Until a couple of days ago I didn’t even know what podcasts were! Well, now that I have become a bit more familiar with these tools, I have to say that they are one of the most useful technological advances in the history of new technologies! Just think of how you can exploit them for your English learning! Hundreds of English audio files on a variety of topics in your MP3 player or iPod! That means you can be exposed to English without being online and without relying on a teacher/native speaker.
Until a couple of days ago I didn’t even know what podcasts were! Well, now that I have become a bit more familiar with these tools, I have to say that they are one of the most useful technological advances in the history of new technologies! Just think of how you can exploit them for your English learning! Hundreds of English audio files on a variety of topics in your MP3 player or iPod! That means you can be exposed to English without being online and without relying on a teacher/native speaker.
You can listen to your podcasts while you’re in a bus, even while you’re working out at a gym (already experimented :-) hi hi)! Not to mention the fact that these websites also provide detailed explanations of new/idiomatic expressions ‘cause most of them have been specially designed for learners of English as a second language!
(this picture reminds me of the traditional English teacher everybody is scared of :-) )
After having browsed around in the world of podcasts, I sorted out three websites. The decision was tough…really! There were so many useful materials, I even found a site which offers podcasts in almost every kind of English, even Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Here you are the link…in case you’re interested in…but you cannot subscribe to it:
These are the ones I’ve chosen:
ESL PODCAST
http://www.eslpod.com/website/index.php
I was particularly struck by the organisation of this website ‘cause it was really user-friendly and easy to use. There was even a section with an introduction to the term “podcast” for people who had never heard of them before (and that was my case, a couple of days ago).
I liked this website ‘cause all the different podcasts are organised into different sections on the basis of the topic they cover (business, shopping, daily life, entertainment and so on). But what’s more is that every podcast includes a learning guide which I particularly appreciated: it offers the complete transcripts of the audio file, very clear explanations of difficult terms and even comprehension questions to better understand each podcast.
All these materials are offered for free, so there’s no need to be a member of the website. There’s also the possibility to have access to further materials and extra explanations but of course you have to register and it is not for free.
A FUN AND FREE WAY TO LEARN ENGLISH
http://www.china232.com/
I’ve chosen this website because all the podcasts cover topics related to your everyday life and therefore they give you the chance to learn a lot of colloquial English expressions that may come in handy while you’re having a conversation with a native speaker!
At the end of each podcast, there’s also a quick guide with the explanation of the phrases or idiomatic expressions used. After reading the one related to the podcast “Relationship problems” I went: “Oh my God, there are soooooooo many expressions I had never heard of before!” As a matter of fact, it is clear to everybody that mastering a language does not merely entail understanding what a native speaker says or knowing grammar rules. It is above all to use the appropriate or most natural words/expressions in each situation. Has it ever happened to you to remain speechless for a few seconds while someone is telling/asking you something in English just because you don’t know the appropriate words? In my case it has!
In the website, there’s also a forum where you can discuss the topics or give your opinion, but you have to register to have access to it.
I strongly recommend you this website, guys!!!! :-)
BETTER AT ENGLISH
http://www.betteratenglish.com/
I also recommend you this website which provides Real English Conversations about a variety of topics and current affairs or issues. At first, you might have the idea of getting lost since there are so many podcasts, links and files under files under files, not exclusively related to ESL Podcasts (at least that was one of my first impressions).
Anyway, once you get more familiar, you will realise that all the podcasts are organised according to the kind of English used (AE or BE), level (Intermediate, Upper Intermediate and Advanced) and topic. Of course, they also include the conversation transcript and vocabulary notes. I really enjoyed listening at a conversation on “Junk Food”…Just try it!
That's all!
I hope to hear from you soon!
Love
Alessia
6 commenti:
Hi Alessia!
I have just listened to a couple of podcasts taken from the ESL website, which I found very well-structured and full of audio files about any topic. The only thing I found a little bit disappointing was that the conversations I listened to seemed to be quite slow to me… But maybe I just chose the easiest ones! Or maybe my English has improved SOOO MUCH lately that I can understand almost everything, no matter how fast it is… :-D (just kidding of course). Anyway, I think slow dialogues have their advantages; if people do not speak that quickly you can concentrate better on the pronunciation of the single words… And this is fundamental to improve your speaking skills.
You are perfectly right when you say English is full of idiomatic expressions whose meaning is basically impossible to understand if you have never heard these expressions before. I think the only way to enrich our vocabulary is reading a lot (well, also watching TV and movies might help in this sense) and then trying to use the words we have learnt whenever possible. Actually, we should do the same thing with Italian: as students of foreign languages, we are often worried about our knowledge of English, German or Spanish… But what about our mother tongue? Are we so sure we can speak and understand Italian perfectly? Sometimes when I read some essays or newspaper articles it happens that I cannot get their meaning very well, although they are written in my own language (let’s think for example about the texts Dr. Scott used to give us last year.. :-)…). When I look at my huge Italian dictionary, I think maybe I use just the half of the words it contains...
Ok, this was actually a big digression… ;-) I do not even remember how I ended up here :-) In any case, if you want to give me your opinion about it I will be happy to read it!
See you soon
Ps: I also chose BETTER AT ENGLISH :-)
Hi Alessia!
Well,as I said also to the other peers I didn't know what a podacst was until I came to class..I just saw this word on my Ipod but never worried to check it out..:-)
I listened to some podcasts from www.china.232.com, they are funny but at the same time useful because they regard typical situations that you can live too,so..why not listen to them?!They could also help you to solve some problems..good choice Alessia!
C u in class!
Chiara
Dear Eleonora,
you’re right: some audio files were a bit slow but I think that’s due to the fact that they’ve been especially designed for English students. As you wrote, a low speed rate has its advantages because it enables you to focus on the pronunciation of new words/expressions. Anyway, the drawbacks are self-evident: in the real world people talk faster and faster!
Bye Bye
Alessia
Hi Alessia!
It was very nice browsing through the choices you made. It is admirable how much there is to help us learn the English language. There really is no more excuse for us saying that there is not much opportunity to practise our language skills. We just need to be strong and make the best out of it.
All the podcasts you mentioned are definitely very useful and I’ll keep on checking them! I listened to an interesting article on the betterenglish about spelling and spell checks and it gave some nice advises. I recommend it!
Just a quick note on your blog: The choice of the light blue colour of writing on a white background is not maybe the best. I found it quite hard to read, due to the lack of contrast. Maybe it was because I did not wear my glasses while reading but I think it is better in general to use more contrast colours for reading online.
See you in class tomorrow! Nina
Dear Nina!
Thank you very much for your piece of advice! You're right: at first, I didn't realise that light blue on a white screen was so tiring. And maybe the font was too small.
Next time I'll choose a more suitable colour and font!
Thank you again Nina :-)
See you!
Ale
Hi Alessia,
First off, let me tell you I liked your approach to conversation-oriented podcast sites. I think real-life dialogue is by far the best way to get accustomed to a language.
The better-at-English site was my favourite, due to the tips it gave, and to the fact that it sounded more 'new' to me than the other two. I was about to pick the ESL page myself, but I dropped it in the end. It's a very well structured site though, I think that was a good choice too.
This thing about us all running around and choosing among the same numbered site is really bugging me... It's kind of a paradox: with the ent so wide we end up making the same choices! Ironic? Sad?
We all want the same things? There's not really so many good possible choices? The net is full of unnecessary crap and the good things are actually very limited? Mmhh...
Well, so long.
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