The title of the website I evaluated is BBC Spanish and is found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/ . As evident from its name, this site is dedicated to the study of the Spanish (Castilian version) language, principally from a leisure perspective for those intending to travel to Spanish speaking countries. However, elements of the site do cater to those who already have studied the language and wish to either brush up or even learn new grammatical and conversational sequences. To this end, skill builders, tests, and assessments are offered. One example is a ‘Test Yourself’ section which provides a series of questions intended to judge the viewer’s language proficiency. Answering all 12 questions correctly indicates a proficient level, while missing one of the first few will rate you as a novice.
Most of the materials are presented in a very interactive way through the use of viewer-decided outcomes to cartoon scripts, video shorts, filmed learning scenarios, vocabulary building exercises, text-based articles for reading comprehension, and even a video series which literally makes the viewer the main actor/actress who proceeds through the challenges of a simulated drama. This series utilizes actual footage of scenes within Spain, from inside a taxi cab to touring an apartment. At various intervals, the series pauses to educate the learner about what they are seeing and how to interact in the situation using appropriate language.
Overall, most learning styles are addressed through the ample variety of resources within the site. Other features include clearly marked internal links that guide the viewer to weather forecasts of Spanish speaking cities around the world, useful phrases for traveling, downloadable audio bytes, viewing schedule for upcoming television specials, newsletter subscriptions, and a place to share your own stories and photos.
Due to the fact that the site is created and maintained by BBC (a British company), some of the external links are applicable only to residents of the United Kingdom. For example, if the viewer wants to find a local class, he can only enter an address within the UK, therefore rendering this tool ineffective for residents of other parts of the world. Providing links to physical resources outside of the UK could be one improvement to make this site more attractive to a worldwide audience. Otherwise, the site offers excellent navigability (easy-to-read home page with not too much information, easy-to-follow links, descriptive headers, etc.) and accessibility (it provides a link for individuals with learning or viewing disabilities).
I would easily recommend this site to Spanish language learners as well as to instructors to pull from any of the many resources provided. As an added bonus, not only is Spanish offered, but BBC has duplicate sites available in French, German, Italian, Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, and mini-sites for other languages. Overall, BBC Spanish is an excellent resource and tool for Computer Assisted Language Learning.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hi, Matt. I just checked out another of the BBC's language learning sites. They appear to have an effective, established "formula" for language learning resources.
I can't think of the equivalent here in the U.S. although PBS has a wonderful Web site called, "Do You Speak American?" It's not interactive, but was first broadcast as a public television documentary. There's now a DVD set and a book (I own both) as well as a Web site: http://www.pbs.org/speak/. I was fortunate to catch the show which featured journalist and writer Robert MacNeil traveling around the U.S. in a fascinating and revealing journey that looked at American English and its impact globally, historically, and culturally --- the good, bad, and the ugly! The Web site is a continuation of MacNeil's "discoveries" and is extremely useful for those studying linguistics and for teachers of ESL. History and culture buffs will find it a wealth of knowledge. There are some exercises available on the site but nothing as extensive as the sites we've evaluated. Anyway, if you have a chance, check it out! I highly recommend it.
Post a Comment