Goodmorning my dear peers!
This week we're supposed to find three podcasts in English on different topics. This may help us to improve our English since we can listen to English conversations done with a different language register. These are the podcasts I chose:
#Podcast.net which I also added to my bloglines feeds in order to be always updated. Podcasts are divided in 18 sections which are subdivid. in other ones. Have a look at its 'Cookies & Recipes' section. There you can watch programs - and eventually download them- dealling with anglo-saxon food habits. However you should download QuickTime on your computer before opening these files.
#podOmatic. Just enter the website and click on podcasts tab; you'll see 16 categories in which podcasts on the website are divided. Unfortunately it has a little problem: you cannot read the complete name of the podcasts neither if you go on them with your cursor. Moreover its feeds concern only forum posts, while podcast updates have no feeds.
The last I found is: #Open culture which I really like especially for the audiobooks you can find on it. Some of the mp3 format audiobooks you can find are: Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility; Caroll's Alice in Wonderland. To listen to some audiobooks you should download iTunes7.5.
I chose podcasts which were not only supposed for ESL learners but for people from anglo-saxon countries because I think that - to really improve our ESL skills - we have to become confident with native speakers' fluency. However in podOmatic there are some pages focusing on ESL topics such as Splendid speaking.
I spent hours to complete this e-ctivity since I didn't know what a podcast was, how to manage it or the programs needed to listen to it. Now I can say that podcasts are worth to be considered in ELS learning becasue you can listen to foreign native speakers (English as well as Romanian, Spanish or whatever language you are learning.) Some say that the fact you need devices such mp3 and iPods to listen to podcasts is a dud but I think that we have to face reality: we all live in tech-era and we have to get familiar with tech! Moreover such devices are not expansive: have a look at this page!
Photo above by Earl - What I Saw 2.0
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5 comments:
Hi Zara,
Thank your for your suggestions. I logged on Podcast.net and I had a glimpse of the website. I think it's really good expecially because the podcasts are divided into categories. I listened to a post talking about brain exercises that belongs to the section "Society and Culture". I think that this website is not addressed to ESL students only but also to native speaker because the speed of the speech is quite high. This is a really important thing because I noticed that podcasts addressed to ESL students are read in slow and clear English. But this sometimes they don't reflect the real flow of speaking in English.
See you on Wednesday!
Elena
Hi Zara!
Like Elena I just had a look to the Websites you suggested and I particularly appreciated the last one, that is OpenCulture.com. I explored the various categories and I really liked the section dedicated to the audiobooks: there are a lot of different authors and you can choose between fiction, non fiction and poetry. As I don't have so much time to read books in English (I just started reading "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan but I guess I will never finish it!)I think this is a great solution!
See you in the lab on Wednesday!
Giada
Hi Zara,
I apreciated Podcast.net a lot, because the podcasts are divided in section and you are free to choose with simplicity which topic and discussion you want to hear. Even if the speakers speak quickly, as they are not addressed to ESL students, they are very useful to learn to speak fluently as a native speaker! (Sorry for the words'game: speaker, speak!!)
See you soon!
Letizia
Hi Zara!
I must say that you chose very original website podcasts, so well done!
As regards the first website you chose, I went to the section Learning and Education and listened to a podcast about dinner party lessons and it was very funny listening and watching to the boy speaking! The only negative aspect is that perhaps he talks too fast..however, as you pointed out in your blog it is the way real English people usually speak so we have to get used to such podcasts! :-)
I found the second one you chose very funny as it contains a lot of witty songs!
Like Giada, I really appreciated Openculture: there you can find a wide variety of mp3 files concerning literary works of the most famous writers, such as Poe, Kafka and so on..it's definitely original! ;-)
Bye!
Silvia
Hi Sara, I'm so sorry... I saw your msg today, but anyway... I can add you to our post right now!! I also would like to thank you for my stuff!!
See you next week,
elenas
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