Monday, December 21, 2009

10 Free Language Learning Communities


Joining a language learning community is a great way to learn or improve your Spanish. Online communities often provide free lessons, videos, audio materials, and a chance to practice with native speakers. Here are 10 free language learning communities to explore in your free time.

Livemocha - Livemocha, the world's largest language learning community, provides more than 160 hours of free Spanish lessons in addition to courses in 30 other languages. Site members can practice with the lessons and receive helpful tips from native speakers along the way.

Busuu - Bussu is a worldwide language learning community that is free for anyone to join. The site offers an integrated video chat option as well as hundreds of image and sound-based learning units.

iTalki - iTalki combines social networking and language learning to create a global education community. Members can communicate, share files, post content, and learn from each other online.

Tomisimo - Tomisimo is a Spanish language learning community with an English to Spanish dictionary and a Spanish verb conjugator. The site also provides a forum where learners can connect with other people who are studying Spanish.

Palabea - Palabea is a large language learning community for people who want to talk to native speakers in an online exchange. The site also provides free audio and visual learning tools and a language school database.

LingQ - LingQ is a language learning site that provides an unlimited number of free language lessons and a community where language learners can chat and make new friends online.

Lang-8 - Lang-8 is a free international language exchange community for people who want to learn in a social environment. Visitors can help others learn a language, have writing corrected by native speakers, and track learning progress.

VoxSwap - VoxSwap is a social network for language learners. Users can learn a new language, teach someone else a new language, and make friends with people all over the world.

Lingorilla - Lingorilla is an award-winning global video community for people who want to learn a new language and make new friends around the world. Site members can watch free videos, join or start a language group, and quiz themselves online.

Mixxer - This free language learning community makes it easy to find free language learning partners online and communicate with them via Skype.

Guest post from education writer Karen Schweitzer. Karen is the About.com Guide to Business School. She also writes about online school for OnlineSchool.net.
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Sunday, December 6, 2009

Spanish activities for children ages 6-9

A few days ago, @mundaysa, an associate professor of Spanish who I follow on Twitter, passed along this wonderful resource - ¡Aprendo Jugando! Actividades de Español para niños y niñas de 6 a 9 años.

It’s a downloadable PDF file (110 pages) from the Departamento Confederal de Migraciones de UGT y de la Secretaría de Políticas Sociales de FETE-UGT. The text and activities are written by Fina García Naranjo and Concha Moreno García.

Each activity lists objectives, procedures, exercises with some of the support materials (worksheets, labels, etc.). Topics include the alphabet, numbers, food, family members, and much more. Here’s a screenshot of the table of contents.

indice

Where to go:
¡Aprendo Jugando! Actividades de Español para niños y niñas de 6 a 9 años
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