Looks like language learners with internet connections who are nearly ready to sever ties with their universities are in luck this week! There are a plethora of language learning resources online. Here is a brief overview of the services I am currently aware of, with an emphasis on services providing syndicated, iPod formatted content.
- ChinesePod - Mandarin Chinese on Your Terms (Praxis Language)
- SpanishSense - Spanish Lessons also from the Praxis Team
- On Demand English - Business English updated Daily
- JapanesePod101 - Free Daily Podcasts
- ArabicPod - New Episodes about weekly
- LearnItalianPod
- Brazilian Portuguese Podcast
- FrenchPodClass
- MyDailyPhrase - German
I had an idea for a daily feature on my blog, where I sit down and explore the web with an emphasis on a particular language. I could fill a week worth of time easily just searching for audio and video content and content providers, and general information about podcasting and iPod-type devices, in a new language every day. It would certainly be helpful to language program coordinators to have an idea of what kind of valuable free content is available to the students of each language. To be specific, I'm trying to improve this page:
However, that's going to be a lot of work, and I'm not sure I fit into the budget, nor do I have access to the source code. In the mean time I'll just focus on ArabicPod. So far I like the Praxis suite and ChinesePod content the best, and in lieu of building some kind of direct partnership between Praxis and ArabicPod, I think the best thing that I can do with my skills is to start using ArabicPod, try to contribute something of value on the podcast forums, and to help add new features as opportunities present themselves.
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