Monday, March 25, 2013

Exercise Videos in Spanish

Challenge your mind and your body by exercising using Spanish language workout routines.

Recently I was browsing one of my favorite YouTube channels, OnceTV México, when I saw a show called Energía. This caught my eye because I work out at least five times a week and am always looking for new routines.

When I googled the show, I discovered that not only do they have regular exercise shows (cardio & strength), but also yoga, pilates, and a couple of other types as well. 

Del sitio

Energía invita a las mujeres a conservar su salud física y mental mediante distintas técnicas para realizar en casa sin necesidad de aparatos o equipo especial. Se busca con ello un equilibrio en la relación con el cuerpo y el bienestar al reforzar aspectos espirituales, de fuerza muscular y cuidado cardiaco. 

Have fun working out your Spanish language skills and your body!


Links

By the way, I discovered the videos by browsing the channel's upload feed

Friday, March 22, 2013

First NASA Google+ Hangout in Spanish

Space and Spanish go together like... well, I'm not sure, but in any case, you'll get the chance to participate in NASA's first Google+ Hangout in Spanish hosted by NASA en Español.

From the Google+ Hangout event page:

Durante este evento, la científica terrestre Erika Podest y la investigadora principal e ingeniera de sistemas Michela Muñoz Fernández, ambas del Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) de la NASA en Pasadena, California, compartirán sus historias. Ellas responderán a preguntas de los participantes sobre el camino que tomaron para llegar a la NASA, lo que hacen, por qué es importante y cómo formar parte del programa espacial.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, March 28 from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM EDT. To participate, visit the event page at Google+ or watch it on the NASA YouTube Channel.

For more information about Podest and Fernández, visit the Women@NASA y Science4Girls.


Sunday, March 17, 2013

Free Customizable Picture Book Apps

A quick post about a set of apps that is free... for now at least. They are the "I Like" Picture Books apps from Grasshopper Apps.

They're in English, but and this is a big BUT, you can customize the photos, text and the sound recordings. I downloaded the "I Like Colors" book and yes, I was able to customize it using my own voice and text turning it into a Spanish picture book. (I haven't tried changing the photos yet, because I wanted to get the word out as quickly as possible about this app!)


From the site:

All “I Like” Picture Books contain engaging stories written by Miranda Paul and stunning crisp photographs. Words are highlighted as they are being read to optimize the learning curve. Literally everything is customizable; add your own voice, your own photos and even your own story line!

There are other free ones as well such as I Like Numbers, I Like Grandpa, I Like School, I Like Planes and several more. 

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Spanish Classes at Verbling.com

Well, that was a lot of fun! I just finished a conversation class in Spanish on Verbling. I learned that the classes were being offered just a couple of days ago via Learn Spanish with Paulino.

Currently it appears that there are several Spanish teachers offering classes from beginner to advance. You chat using Google Hangout, but keep in mind you have to connect via a link within the Verbling website.

You can join the classes for free or become a premium member which guarantees you a seat in advance which may come in handy.

EDITED 5/12/2013
Now it appears you have to buy tickets to join a class. Please visit Verbling for more information.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Coursera Classes in Spanish

If you really want a language challenge, Coursera.org is now offering select classes in Spanish. 

So far, there are two universities participating: La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Tecnológico de Monterrey

Classes include Matemáticas y movimiento, Innovación educativa con recursos abiertos, Ser más creativos and more. (To view the classes, click on the university links above.)

The following video is from Dra. María Soledad Ramírez Montoya, one of the instructors of Innovación educativa con recursos abiertos.




Also from Tecnológico de Monterrey, a 6-week Latin American Culture class will be available in June. From the About the Course section:
This course will develop students’ abilities to understand Latin American culture at both the national and regional levels. Students will analyze the social, economic, political, and cultural development of the region by applying modern critical thinking to the understood history of the individual Latin American countries. At the same time, students will study the contributions of different cultural and ethnic groups that exist within these countries, in order to understand fully the social complexity of what we call “Latin America”. Lastly, students will evaluate the developmental needs of Latin American countries and propose possible solutions in which individuals can act as a force for change.
Unlike the others, it appears this class will be in English.

To learn more about Coursera.org, visit the About page. By the way, all Coursera classes are free.