A podcast is an audio file you can download and listen to even if you are offline on your MP3 portable music player! As far as I’m concerned I find podcasts amazing because thanks to this technology you can have contacts with the whole world. I mean, you can watch the news, listen to conferences or lectures, listen to programmes… Moreover, podcasting enables people to express their thoughts: everybody can make a podcast and put it online. Finally, I think that it could be a good technology for blind people. For example, I visited some websites where there was the oral version of many novels. What do you think? I think it’s just wonderful!
Of course, our purpose is to improve our English skills so I think that podcasting can help us for different reasons:
- there are educational sites which offer a wide range of exercises you can do (listening + comprehension activities)
- you can find original materials. I like measuring against “real English/ American” materials because I see if I can understand or not and where my weak points are (too fast? Vocabulary? Grammar structures?)
- you can improve your listening and speaking skills staying at home!
It has been quite difficult to choose the three websites and I browsed the net a lot. I didn’t imagine there were so many things! Here you are my selection:
http://www.eslpod.com/website/index.php
It’s an educational site. English second language speakers are the target audience.
It’s very well-organized. In the main page you will find the latest podcasts. Here you are an example:
Latest Podcasts
FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 16, 2007
ESL Podcast 321 – Buying a Jacket or Coat
Download Podcast
When it gets cold, you need to get a warm coat. Go shopping for one in English in this episode.
Tags: Shopping
As you can see you can listen to it online or download it and there’s the learning guide bottom.
In the learning guide you will find the transcriptions, some additional explanations and tips on improving your English.
http://edition.cnn.com/services/podcasting/
This site offers the possibility to listen to CNN podcasts and programmes. On the main page you can find a short introduction where all the podcasts available are introduced. This is not an educational site so everything you find here come from the CNN newsroom.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/directory/
The site offers a wide range of programmes you can download for free that might be useful for English learners. It’s very handy: all you have to do is to choose your favourite radio station.
There’s a special section which I recommend to you: Editor's podcast picks.
Here it’s just one of the podcasts you can choose:
Africa Today
Podcast
• BBC World Service
• Programme Highlights
• Typical Duration: 15 Mins.
• Latest Episode: Fri, 16 Nov 2007
• Available to all listeners
The latest African news and analysis from the BBC African news and Current Affairs...
Thanks to this schedule you can have all the information you need to choose the podcasts you prefer!
I’m looking forward to know what do you think of podcasts, and let me know what do you think of my choices.
Stefania
Of course, our purpose is to improve our English skills so I think that podcasting can help us for different reasons:
- there are educational sites which offer a wide range of exercises you can do (listening + comprehension activities)
- you can find original materials. I like measuring against “real English/ American” materials because I see if I can understand or not and where my weak points are (too fast? Vocabulary? Grammar structures?)
- you can improve your listening and speaking skills staying at home!
It has been quite difficult to choose the three websites and I browsed the net a lot. I didn’t imagine there were so many things! Here you are my selection:
http://www.eslpod.com/website/index.php
It’s an educational site. English second language speakers are the target audience.
It’s very well-organized. In the main page you will find the latest podcasts. Here you are an example:
Latest Podcasts
FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 16, 2007
ESL Podcast 321 – Buying a Jacket or Coat
Download Podcast
When it gets cold, you need to get a warm coat. Go shopping for one in English in this episode.
Tags: Shopping
As you can see you can listen to it online or download it and there’s the learning guide bottom.
In the learning guide you will find the transcriptions, some additional explanations and tips on improving your English.
http://edition.cnn.com/services/podcasting/
This site offers the possibility to listen to CNN podcasts and programmes. On the main page you can find a short introduction where all the podcasts available are introduced. This is not an educational site so everything you find here come from the CNN newsroom.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/directory/
The site offers a wide range of programmes you can download for free that might be useful for English learners. It’s very handy: all you have to do is to choose your favourite radio station.
There’s a special section which I recommend to you: Editor's podcast picks.
Here it’s just one of the podcasts you can choose:
Africa Today
Podcast
• BBC World Service
• Programme Highlights
• Typical Duration: 15 Mins.
• Latest Episode: Fri, 16 Nov 2007
• Available to all listeners
The latest African news and analysis from the BBC African news and Current Affairs...
Thanks to this schedule you can have all the information you need to choose the podcasts you prefer!
I’m looking forward to know what do you think of podcasts, and let me know what do you think of my choices.
Stefania
