I found a site for improving listening skills in my L2, Spanish:
http://lomastv.com/
This website features video clips of different facets of culture through the Spanish-speaking world, from music, to food, to traveling, etc. The videos are on average not over five minutes in length. The videos are categorized by levels of the learner- beginning, intermediate, or advanced. They are also categorized by accent- so you might listen to a native speaker from Columbia, Panama, Mexico, Spain, etc. I like that this site gives exposure to different Spanish accents.
The videos can be slowed down by the learner- they can be watched at the natural speed the native speaker uses when speaking, or can be slowed down to meet the pace of the learner. The learner can speed up or slow down the video as needed while the video is playing.
Subtitles are provided in both Spanish and English, and both can be hidden by the learner- a nice scaffolding feature. Additionally, both L1 to L2 and L2 to L1 dictionaries are provided, so that learners can look up a vocab word while they are listening.
Finally, students can access a game after watching a video, to check listening comprehension.
These features lend to an interactive website that meets the varying needs of listeners, in a relevant and "playfull" manner. I am bookmarking this site for my own personal use.
I also looked at the following website for ESL learners:
http://www.podcastsinenglish.com/index.shtml
This is a British website, so it might not be ideal in an American ESL setting, but on the otherhand, could expose students to different English accents. Similar to the above website, this website categorizes podcasts and videos by learner levels- beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Also, videos with sound versus listening only provides different levels of difficulty for different learners. The podcasts are relevant in that they describe the musings or adventures of the bloggers as they travel and go about daily life. Their shorter length keep disinterest and frustration levels low. Vocabulary lists and worksheets are available to assist with listening comprehension, although this site does require registration in order to view and listen to most things.
I have to say that I really enjoyed the first website, lomastv.com. I watched the video of Juanes and Nelly Furtado singing Fotografia and thought it was great. Not only did it have the words in Spanish and English, but you are able to click on any word for a dictionary definition. I tried this this a couple of times. The only problem I had was getting back to the choices, but I suppose if I spent a few minutes more I would figure it out. Also, at the end of the video it has the option to "play a game". Basically it repeats the songs, but you have to fill in the blank, you 0 points of wrong, 5 if partially correct and 10 if correct. I thought this was great, one word I got wrong but I couldn't hear it really well so I typed in the wrong word. Another word I had write except that I forgot the accent mark. This was such a great, fun way to review and practice Spanish, that I've bookmarked it for myself!
ReplyDeleteFor the ESL website, I really liked that the podcast had supplemental materials. Also, having differing topics makes it easier to let students choose what they may or may not want to listen to. Learner choice is always a plus.
ReplyDeleteJessina: I'm glad you appreciated this site as well. One of the things I like most about it is the variety of topics in the videos, and another thing is the authenticity of the videos. I think that in order to get back to the main menu of choices, you have to completely close out of the specific video you are watching.
ReplyDeleteChristine: I agree- a variety of topics appeals to a variety of students, and keeps interest levels up. Supplemental materials are a great way for learners to self-evaluate.
Regarding the podcastsinenglish.com site, I agree with you that it is good to give students at least some exposure to different accents. I liked that each podcast began with a short introduction to the contents of the podcast and that the podcasts were not excessive in length.
ReplyDeleteSabah,
ReplyDeleteAfter a little hesitancy at first, it does seem beneficial to expose students to different accents. I'm thinking about it in terms of my Spanish-speaking ability- I would like to be able to understand and communicate with Spanish-speakers with varying accents. Exposre to these accents/dialects would definitely help reach that goal!