Featured: 8-6-2013 Breaking News English

Breaking News English provides free, ready-to-print ESL/EFL lesson plans for teaching current events.

Breaking News English presents simple news, in seven levels from elementary to advanced, that is easier for English learners to understand.

Breaking News English delivers a new lesson every two days. All lessons are based on stories currently in the news. Lessons have up to 26 pages of printable activities and handouts available as downloadable PDFs. There are 30 or more online quizzes for each lesson.

 

 See a Breaking News English video tutorial example from Shelly Terrell

Listening files in mp3 format in British and North American English can be downloaded or subscribed to via a podcast. Breaking News English includes graded listenings with each lesson.

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COD - 6/7/2012 - More Language Resources [Languages]

Just in time for summer travel, EDge21's Catch of the Day this week featured a number of online resources to support foreign language learning, wrapping up with these three websites that each offer substantial compilations of language learning resources.

Word2Word provides links to free online language courses in the hope of all people developing a better understanding of others through the use of language. They have attempted to place as many online courses at your disposal as possible. The courses vary widely in quality and the quantity of material presented. 

 

Learn a Language is an extensive, free website providing resources to learn languages including hundreds of free language-learning lessons, games, and activities. You can learn over 1,400 words for free. There are interactive audio/visual flashcards to help you learn. You can also learn important phrases like greetings, survival expressions, and slang words in the language of your choice.

 

The Open Culture collection features lessons in 40 languages, including Spanish, French, English, Mandarin, Italian, Russian and more. Most are available as downloadable audio lessons for your computer, iPod, or other audio player.

Go to previous EDge21 posts about language learning sites

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Catch of The Day - A Moment of Science - 10/12/2011

A Moment of Science is a daily audio podcast, public radio program, and video series telling the scientific story behind some of life's most curious mysteries.

Thousands of questions about the world you live in are answered in the two-minute radio programs from A Moment of Science. They are for anyone even a little bit interested in how the world around you works – even those who don't know much about science.

A Moment of Science removes some of the mystery from science without diminishing the wonder. "A Moment of Science makes you think 'Wow, that’s neat!' and go tell somebody else about it." There are thousands of topics covered, and by sending in questions, listeners can add to this already vast repository of information.

Listen to an A Moment of Sciencepodcast

A Moment of Science is produced at Indiana University, Bloomington, in cooperation with IU’s scientific community.

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Catch of the Day - Drop.io Voice - 19 Jan 10

Today's catch is drop.io Voice, a voice recording tool

Drop.io Voice lets students and teachers create simple online podcasts directly from any phone.

First, you will need to create a drop at the drop.io home page.

Each drop has a phone number and custom extension (just like each has an email address). Dial the number, wait for the prompt, enter the extension and start talking. Whatever you say, drop.io Voice will convert to an MP3 and put on your drop in a matter of just a short time. Then it can be listened to on the drop, or sent out via email, RSS, MMS, or basically anything else you want.

Click here to listen to a short recording I made using drop.io Voice.

Try it yourself. Call 646-495-9241 x 45069 and record a message.

The amount of talk time is limited by the size of the drop. The size of a free drop is 100 Mb which is about 400 minutes of talk. You can determine security levels when you create the drop.

Drop.io Voice numbers are in the 646 (NYC) area code, so depending on your phone plan, calling drop.io Voice may cost money. If that's an issue, you can call using Skype, Google Voice or a similar service.

Using drop.io Voice, a drop can be the world’s simplest podcast system, a private class audio-blog, a way to record a speech or lecture for future review, use, sharing, and more.

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• Use Google Voice As a Blogging Aid (blogherald.com)

Online Text-to-Speech Solutions

In an educational setting, there can be a number of reasons to convert written words into spoken words. Naturally, the most obvious use would be to assist and support visually impaired students. Readers who struggle can be helped by reading along along with an audio version of the content.

Students can be provided MP3 files of class notes, study guides, review materials, or any other textual material which they can then listen to on their iPods or other MP3 players.

Text-to-Speech technology is improving constantly. The old monotone, mechanical speech patterns have been replaced by spoken content that sometimes sounds nearly natural.

I've provided links to a number of online text-to-speech services. Some are quite good, ReadTheWords and YAKiToMe! are my first choices. Some are free, some charge a fee, and others have both limited free and paid plans which offer more. Most will allow you to embed a player into your own blog, wiki, or web page or direct link to their site.

Visit each and find the one which best suits your needs.




Zamzar


BlindSpeak

HearWho.com

iSpeech

PediaPhon

ReadTheWords.com

SpokenText

YAKiToMe!

Here's an example of this post read by Tom from ReadTheWords ...

Here's an example of this post read by Audrey from YAKiToMe!...
Text-to-Speech Solutions

Opposing Pennsylvania House Bill 363

Image via Wikipedia

House Bill No. 363 of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania was referred to the Committee on Education, 11 February 2009.

This bill prohibits the possession by students of telephone paging devices, commonly referred to as beepers, cellular telephones and portable electronic devices that record or play audio or video material on school grounds, at school sponsored activities and on buses or other vehicles provided by the school district.

I strongly OPPOSE the passage of this bill. It is at odds with 21st century educational theory and conflicts with the goals of the Commonwealth's Classrooms for the Future initiative. I see this bill as a backward step in the quest to make Pennsylvania students nationally and globally competitive.

If you agree with me, please sign the online petition which is directed to the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

ReadTheWords.com

ReadTheWords.com provides a free service that will read any submitted text out loud. Choose from fourteen different readers in three languages. Listen to the reading online or download for iPod or other mp3 player. Post your reading into your web site or blog.
Try it here ...