lunes, 23 de mayo de 2011

ESL POD

ESL POD is a free website for downloading podcasts that students, teachers and any people can use to develop and improve their abilities in the target language. The podcasts and study guides from the site promote English learning and teaching skills through listening, reading and vocabulary activities. For having access to ESL POD, users need to subscribe and then they receive podcasts all days in their own users account.

This website, sponsored by The Center of Education Development at the University of Southern California, is kept by Dr. Jeff, professor of applied linguistic, the principal host of the podcast in association with Dr. Lucy, the scripts author; both have more than thirty years of experience in English teaching. 

As this material belongs to the Center of Education Development users agree on downloading material with certain conditions for their use.  Teachers can employ these audio recordings in their classroom with pedagogical purposes, so that learners can profit from these materials in their learning process. If institutions want to have this material as part of their language laboratories they should get a license.   

How to use   ESL POD

If you want to listen to a podcast you can download the audio file in MP3, WAV or MP4 format from the web. There is usually a link with the audio file and text so you can download it with the option;  “Save in   your PC”.

All you need to access ESLPOD is to go to eslpod.com and select podcast in the home page download option of  “Learning Guide”, which is a PDF file, to your hard drive. It is important that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the Learning guide.

Advantages and benefits for students of the School of Languages

ESL POD is created with the objective of giving users a more effective focus on their English learning process. People listen to easy conversations and discussions that they can understand. Then this tool is appropriate   because it offers audio material at a slower speed, therefore the user will understand the use of phrases, expressions, and the meaning of words, thanks to the simple and efficient form that provides this tool.

What are the guides?

The guides are files in PDF format that include the entire transcription of all the podcast helping users to understand better some words they may have missed when listening to the podcast. There is also a Glossary with definitions of some words used. It also provides comprehension questions and answers, only if the users want to be sure about their learning. 

Teaching tools

Once users download the ESL Pod the tools can be used in communicative and interactive form. The teachers for example can create their own activities printing the learning guides and using it like a base for their classes. This methodology of study is adaptable to any context depending on the time and necessities of the person, the teacher may have interactive conversations, discussions or debates of the topics with the persons who know about the software. ESL POD gives you the opportunity to improve your knowledge about English, through using material like reading guides or audio files; this software contains new topics every day. 

Learning tools

ESL Podcast gives the learners the possibility of improving in their English, through pronunciation and listening comprehension by the use of audio files that can be downloaded in their pc and send it to a mp3 player, cellphone or IPod. This vocabulary provides the users with the advantage to practice the guides and the lesson at any place they go and at moment of the day. The guides give users the complete reading to follow the course of the audio, definitions of words that users do not know and they need for increasing their vocabulary, sample sentences in different tenses for promoting grammar, comprehension questions for developing any conversation. Additionally, there are explanations to clarify unfamiliar topics and cultural notes for knowing quotidian life of the target culture.

Another function of this software is the opportunity users have to create study groups since their own homes via chat with their classmates or beginners in the language; also, they can share vocabulary with other people or just studying the guides together. The experience using ESL Podcast can be comfortable for learners of all ages since this program gives the users the opportunity to learn while they do their daily routines.

http://www.eslpod.com/website/index_new.html

Written by
Cristal Buriticá

Cristian Urán

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