Listening course for advanced ESL/EFL students that uses authentic lectures from Stanford University professors to develop high-level listening and note-taking skills for academic or professional environments. Listening strategy notes give students detailed suggestions about how to approach various aspects of listening and note taking, both in general and in reference to specific exercises. Record-keeping is included.
Students explore and experience a story based on the original work of author Tomie dePaola. They can read the story, hear it read to them by the author, and explore the text and living illustrations. Integrated art activities let students create with the author. Also includes video clips as they explore Tomie dePaola's studio, hear him tell about his childhood experiences, and learn about his life as an author and illustrator. Requires CD-ROM drive. MECC titles are now sold by Learning Company.
An interactive, animated story about an elementary schooler (Arthur the Aardvark) surprising even himself with what he accomplishes. The program has excellent graphics, sound effects, dialogues, and lots of surprises to maintain student interest. Text can be heard in English and Spanish. Requires CD-ROM drive. Best used in K-6 and family literacy settings.
The CD-Rom contains 40 listening lessons, each based on an authentic two-minute news report on a topical subject from English-speaking radio. Each lesson begins with a warm-up language exercise and progresses naturally through global comprehension work to finish with a series of short automated dictations. The learner is exposed to a huge variety of different accents aswell as useful, up-to-date vocabulary to talk about world problems. An efficient and focused means to rapidly improve your communication skills. Topics include health and medicine, science and technology, business, and art and culture. This CD-ROM is licensed solely for private at-home use. Schools must purchase the Internet-delivered version of the program.
A multimedia package based on 12 EFL songs by Christopher Jones. The songs cover a wide range of vocabulary, grammar and functions. The package uses a wide variety of activity types created with the Authoring Suite. Demo available. Contact the publisher for pricing.
Designed for adults who need reading and writing skills; uses extensive audio. Eight units, sold separately. Each unit includes a management component. The units are Duc and Linh (lifeskills math and numeracy, inferences, map reading); New Challenges (signs, maps, compare products, make appointments, make inferences); Grace Under Pressure (career search, basic home repairs, interpret charts and graphs, auto purchasing and insurance); Amazing Grace (test-taking strategies, time management, price comparison, budgeting, writing ads and letters); Joe Moves Up (job attitudes, phone skills, using a catalog, customer service, cooking); KC Makes Choices (emergency first aid, durgs and alcohol, gangs, getting a job, dealing with learning disabilities, reading comprehension); Linda's New Start (job handbook, customer service, comparison shopping, using a timecard); and Day by Day (computing mileage, reading a map, comparison shopping, making a budget, time management, fact vs. opinion).
Students can click on any state to hear its name pronounced in a real, not Macintalk, voice!) and see the name on the screen. Once they are ready, they have a choice of three quizzes. One tests them on the names of the regions - which are not taught in this program! In another they hear and see the question 'Find [state name]' If they click on the correct state they can click on a pair of dice to move on to the next question. In the other quiz, they see the state and its capital together with the names of the neighboring states, and they are asked to click on the appropriate information. Shareware. Requirements: HyperCard or HyperCard Player. Headphones useful, to stop the teacher from going crazy ;-) (Addis) One version can be downloaded from http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/mac/amug/files/educ/culture-geography/better-u.s.-map-1.1.sit.hqx
Students visit a variety of working environments in the UK and the USA in these CD-ROM-based programs. Authentic, non-scripted video interviews are accompanied by transcripts, paraphrases, a glossary, and audio comments giving both linguistic and business information. Teachers have a wide range of printable worksheets requiring students to collaborate in researching particular aspects of the companies and presenting their findings. 5-user licenses available.
A two CD-ROM comprehensive course that introduces English for professional, social and travel situations. Business to Go! emphasizes speaking and listening skills and is divided into eight everyday situations: hotels, travel, appointments, directions, greetings, socializing, eating out and work. Each situation includes: listening exercises, target vocabulary, pronunciation activities, role-play exercises, and video clips.
A thematic science curriculum on the Cell for K-6 classrooms in English and Spanish. Requires a CD-ROM drive. Students play the computer-based game ÒWhatÕs alive?,Ó learn about magnification (The program comes with a microscope and pre-stained slides.), learn about cells from the scientists who first developed microscopes and discovered cells (Anton can Leeuwenhoek and Robert Hooke), and design ÒnewÓ cells based on what theyÕve learned in the lessons.
Children's Classics features a multilingual format, in two modes: one where students listen to native speakers; and one where students read the story and choose to record/replay their voices. Switch easily among English, French, German, and Spanish. Also features built-in glossary plus writing activities. Exciting games with each story, sequencing, concentration, and multiple choice. Stories include Jack and the Beanstalk, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan. CD-ROM.
This lesson is based on excerpts from one of the Presidential debates with B. Clinton, G. Bush and R. Perot. Its focus is on listening comprehension, though there are a fair amount of reading, writing and discussion elements to boot. It is designed to play on any Macintosh computer running system 6 or higher, with QuickTime (a freeware extension) installed and 4 Mb of free RAM. A 12 inch monitor set to display 256 colors would be nice, though not essential. This is a freeware lesson suitable for use in a language lab with a teacher (though it can be modified for self-access study). Worksheets are provided in Word and Teach Text format.
This lesson is based on a TV news report about an actual computer camp for kids in Santa Clara, California. (I have gotten permission from the Assistant News Director at the network to use the lesson in my own classes, at presentations, and to distribute it to other teachers as freeware, e.g., over the Internet). It includes a QuickTime control bar for the sound which is synchronized to a color slide-show of key images from the report and a scrolling text field in which the learners type their answers. Handouts are provided in Word and Teach Text format. They include comprehension questions, a cloze exercise, highlighted vocabulary, and a complete transcript -- together with b/w images taken from the report. The lesson will run on any Mac running system 6 or 7 with 4 Mb (or more) of free RAM and with QuickTime installed. A color monitor (14 inches or bigger) or a PowerBook display are also necessary.
Designed for native speakers, this includes video clips, text, and graphics about 'America's Race to Build the Atomic Bomb.' CD-ROM
Formerly known as Interactive Business English. Presented in a similar format to Dynamic English for ESL, this listening-based business English course on 6 CD-ROMs offers the listening, speaking, reading, and critical thinking skills for the workplace/international business situation. The topics are Company History, Job History, Manufacturing and Trade, Product Comparisons, Overseas Assignment, and Future Consequences. This content-based program begins with a Presentation during which the student answers periodic listening comprehension questions. These questions reinforce the vocabulary, language concepts, and structure, while giving the students repeated opportunities to respond. The feedback includes an automated 'shuffler level' which adjusts the level of difficulty of the questions according to the learner's response. The Question Practice gives the student practice in question formation. Quantitative English, Dictations, the Verb Grid, and Grammar Fill-In test the student's knowledge. The program includes voice recording capability for student practice. Mac and Windows. Individual CDs (one topic each) can be purchased separately. Pricing options include per-student-use cost. Contact the publisher for details.
Dramatized retellings of Round the World in 80 days, A Christmas Carol, Alice in Wonderland, and Robin Hood on interactive CD-ROM supported by dictations, fill-ins, character matrix, and on-line comprehension aids. For listening, reading, and vocabulary development. Voice recording. Pricing options include per-student-use cost. Contact the publisher for details.
This CD-ROM-based course focuses on the language of numbers and basic mathematics. Useful for students and people in business and technical fields who need to understand or make oral presentations in English, do business over the telephone, participate in question-and-answer sessions involving the exchange of numerical information, and improve listening comprehension. Each unit includes a brief oral presentation followed by practice activities that test listening comprehension. The material is suitable for TOEIC levels 450-750. Pricing options include per-student-use cost. Contact the publisher for details.
English Easy is a Canadian series of CDs designed to develop listening and reading skills from Basic to Advanced levels. The Conversation program consists of interactive dialogues about common situations and illustrate tone, pronunciation and grammatical structures. The conversations include colloquial phrases to familiarize students with spoken Canadian English. Interactive dialogues depicting common North American scenarios illustrate applications of pronunciations and grammar. Relevant vocabulary is introduced for each subject matter so that students can associate them readily. Skill-testing questions are designed to give students added practice in listening and reacting to normal speech. Good sound quality and graphics. (RJ)
English Easy series are designed specifically for students learning to speak Canadian English. Vowels and Consonants are sold separately for $50 each. Students can focus on the oral/aural aspect of the language, brush up on their grammar knowledge or hone their conversational skill and, at the same time, learn more about North American culture. The program emphasizes proper pronunciation of English vowels and consonants. Each new component is followed by listening and spelling exercises to reinforce understanding. Example words are explained using full-coloured graphics and animations to allow students to associate with them without resorting to their native language. Abstract words have additional multilingual explanations in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese to speed understanding. Requires a CD-ROM drive. (RJ)
An MBA student is making a visit to a local brewery in this Windows CD-ROM based program. He interviews the director, hears the company history, and goes on a tour of the brewery and hears about sales, marketing, policy, and the production process. The video and sound sequences are accompanied by various types of exercises, including gap-filling, reordering, and multiple choice. Since this has very long video segments, at least a 486 is recommended. 30MB hard drive space is also required.
Basic to intermediate-level comprehensive program for pre-teens and teens. It includes not only general English (listening, speaking, vocabulary, reading, grammar), but also the social language needed for school and school subjects such as math, geography, history, and science. A record and playback function is included. Record-keeping includes a "study score" function.
Expeditions is a CD-ROM based version of the Prentice Hall Regents series by the same name. It includes a variety of notional/functional lessons in 12 units integrating text, sound, and color graphics to let students practice listening comprehension, vocabulary development, and speaking. The recording option lets students compare their voices with the original and participate in conversations in the lessons. Online help is available from anywhere in the program. Requires System 7 or higher and 20MB of free space on the hard drive.
Financial English is a video-rich CD-ROM based on a consultation session with an experienced accountant explaining how to go about setting up a company and managing its finances. The content is authentic both in the sense that it is an expert answering questions without a script and because his answers are the same as he usually gives to his clients. The authentic language is scaffolded with language support, including a glossary of terms, listening to the summaries in clear standard English, and a range of exercises such as gap fill, ordering, jigsaw, and collocation activities. The descriptions of business procedures and the weighing up of alternatives form the basis of reporting tasks which encourage students to break out of the shell of passive learning. A review is online at http://www.lydbury.co.uk/besig/resources/cdroms/add-140599.htm.
This is a program to retrieve words containing specified letters, sounds, or belonging to specified grammar categories. Runs under Windows 95. Requires additional download from Oxford Text Archive. Free for download from http://www.stir.ac.uk/epd/celt/staff/higgins.htm.
Multimedia English course for true beginners ages 10-17. The focus is on listening, vocabulary, and grammar, with speech recording and playback available. Course material includes school vocabulary and situations, as well as work on letters and numbers. Lessons are sequenced and incorporate review. The management module lets teachers assign placement and track student progress. Pricing options include per-student-use cost. Contact the publisher for details.
Originally designed as a way of teaching the phonetic alphabet. The student hears a word pronounced, then has to click on the robot on the screen who has that word written on his chest. Set up as a series of minimal pairs. Really challenges the students to distinguish between the various sounds they are having difficulty with. There is a diagnostic exercise included that goes through a wide range of pairs and scores the results as excellent, neutral, or needing practice. Unfortunately, the program does not seem to update these results properly as the students practice each set of sounds. It is also not obvious how to get to the diagnostic test when the stack first opens. Some sounds are clearer than others--even the better Sound Manager voices can only approximate real speech. Shareware. Memory or space requirements: 450k disk space, 2MB RAM (or as much as 5 MB RAM if high quality Voices used.) Headphones help the students focus on the sounds much better (and stop the teacher from going nuts!) (SA) The program can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/pub/mirror/sumex-aim.stanford.edu/edu/fit-or-fat-12b-hc.hqx
These four CD-ROMs use QuickTime Video and speech recognition technologies to create an engaging learning environment. The course is designed for intermediate level students preparing to use English in a business context. The primary focus is on practical language functions common in the business world such as requesting, refusing, suggesting, confirming, etc. Vocabulary is developed in the context of meetings, phone calls, a business lunch, negotiations, and a disagreement. Provides about 80-100 hours of intensive self-study and practice. Networkable.
Audio CD-ROM program for learners of English as a Foreign Language. Practice in taking messages on the telephone. This uses British English.
14-disk set of listening comprehension exercises running under HyperCard. Provides extensive sentence-level practice in listening to the types of speech that students are expected to comprehend in an academic setting. Learners listen to a question recorded in high-quality, digitized native speech and choose an appropriate graphic as the answer or type in the correct response. Textual reinforcement is presented only after the student has responded. Suitable for classroom work or independent study. In a laboratory setting, headsets are recommended. Questions require thought as well as language skill to answer correctly, making them more interesting than the usual listening practice.
14-disk set of listening comprehension exercises with extensive sentence-level practice. Focuses on the type of language students are expected to comprehend in an academic setting. Learners listen to a question (digitized recording), then choose an appropriate graphic or type in the correct response. Students see the text only after they have answered the question. Headsets are recommended in a lab setting.
A multimedia CD-ROM designed to prepare post-secondary students for TOEFL, BEST, and other standardized language tests used in higher education and adult basic education. 40+ lesson program is divided into four sections.
Excellent software for making interactive storybooks. For ESL purposes, it is even better if projected onto a large screen for whole class oral language activities. Choose from a variety of scenes: school, home, playground, mall, etc. Place people and objects into this setting. These 'smart stickers' can be positioned inside, beside, behind, in front of, etc and change their size according to where they are placed on the screen. Narration can be added. CD-ROMs in the series: Castle; Neighborhoods; Rain Forest; Ocean; Pyramids; and Time Trip USA. For ESL, Neighborhoods and Oceans are probably most helpful. Sheltered English classes might be able to use others depending on subject.
See Language Solution, The: Interactive English. Sold by Wida as Interactive English.
Material is based on a news report that aired just two days after the huge earthquake in Japan of January, 1995. This lesson focuses on practicing advanced level listening skills, and in addition to reading and some writing components, it includes opportunities for pronunciation practice (if a microphone is available) and more. A small shareware fee ($10 US) is requested to encourage the development of additional lessons. Japan Quake is freeware.
This CD-ROM is a story about Little Critter's trip to the beach with his/her grandmother. It offers well-drawn, animated graphics with text and sound. The story is endearing to adults and children, but may seem too childish to teenagers. The learner can choose to listen to the story as it is displayed onscreen (with text highlighted as it is read) or to control the pace and click on different items within each screen to see what they do. The learner also has a choice of seeing and hearing the text in Spanish and Japanese (kanji). It may be helpful to low-level learners who speak those languages to go through the story once in their own language, then listen and read again in English. If students are interacting with the text in 'play' mode, they can be assigned tasks by a teacher to profit linguistically from the mostly graphical respones to their mouse clicks.
CD-ROM version of a text by the same name. Point and click operation, with no writing required. Uses graphics, animation, and voice recording and playback. Includes student tracking software. Approved by the California Instructional Technology Clearinghouse.
CD-ROM based programs that use sound, graphics, and text starring the comic book characters of Asterix the Gaul and his son. Students can monitor their progress with an animated quiz. Voice recording. Several different stories are available.
This two-level, four CD-ROM set accompanies a book and audio cassette. Materials are designed for beginning and intermediate ESL students, and could be used for remedial work for upper level students. Could be used from elementary through higher education. Ability to record student and play back model and student. Choice of British or American English accent. Each level can be purchased separately for $40, or both for $55.
Based on Robert O'Neill's books of the same name, geared to false beginners. Each of the 2 CD-ROMs presents 39 recorded dialogues and texts taken from the student book. Learners can choose to see translations of part of the dialogue in French, German, Italian, or Spanish. Learners can listen and record their part of a dialogue sentence by sentence or as a whole. Dialogues include survival skills such as giving personal information, times and numbers, introducing oneself, checking into a hotel, and interview questions and answers.
BBC English's mystery is presented on CD-ROM in MPEG full-motion video, supported by a variety of practice exercises. The focus is on listening comprehension for basic level students. Students may interrupt at any time to repeat a sentence, record their voices, hear a spoken translation, see written text, or consult a glossary. Provides 80-100 hours of home or classroom study. A textbook, student workbook, and teacher's guide are available. Networkable.
This offers historical footage from ABC News as well as still photos and text about the life of Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. Clips of young adults talking about the effect of the Movement on their lives today are also included. The program consists of a double-sided videodisc controlled by a HyperCard stack. There are extensive options for viewing, including with accompanying text, in Spanish or English, or in clips to copy to a videotape. Because the options are numerous, students will probably need an introduction to the program by a teacher. For best language learning results, the teacher should give students information gathering or information transfer tasks to perform. The strength of the program is in the large quantity of information provided in a hypertext format that allows movement among ideas.
Designed to encourage exploration and language development. Incorporates animation and digitized sound. Includes McGee, Katie's Farm, and McGee at the Fun Fair; each is purchased separately.
Practice with numbers in real-world contexts, including shopping, cooking, weighing packages, and sports. CD-ROM. Australian English.
Early Learning software on CD-ROM. Activities teach reading and math readiness, basic keyboarding. Has speech and is compatible with TouchWindow. This is not ESL stuff, but most of it can be easily demonstrated by the teacher, and kids catch on real quick.
Seven animated interactive language games, focusing on word identification through listening or reading. Can be purchased with QRead and QPictionary as a set for $100.
A family of multimedia CD-ROMs for ESL/EFL students studying at the intermediate to advanced levels. The Quick English Business and Quick English Junior titles are available for systems running WorldScript-Japanese or Japanese Windows 3.1/Japanese Win95. Teachers need to add tasks that encourage students to interact with each other, not just watch passively. Each title has 10 interactive lessons, 15 minutes of video and over 30 minutes of audio, hundreds of test questions, a listening comprehension section, and a Hangman game. QE General 1 is 'Social Skills, Planning & Scheduling'; QE General 2 is 'Traveling, Ordering & Shopping'; QE Business 1 is 'Public Speaking & Business Activities'; and QE Business 2 is 'Negotiations & Transactions.' Each CD-ROM package is $90, with a five-CD pack (single platform and title) for $245.00.
Comprehensive second language tutorial program with target language only. Each level sold separately. Students see a picture and hear the word/ phrase/sentence with the text optionally turned on or off. After displaying/playing a set of four prompts, the program drills comprehension by presenting the audio cue to which the student selects the appropriate picture. The program includes a listening dictation feature. Students can also record their own voices. Requires a CD-ROM drive. This program can be used as a stand alone tutorial for very low level students although they may need some help learning to use the computer interface initially. The program has been upgraded with speech recognition and ancillary material. A demo version is on TESOL/CELIA CD-ROM. A lab pack (5 copies) is $1475 with each additional for $195. Site license pricing is $3000 for a 20-station lab, one level; each additional station is $150, and a second level is $2000. A 30-station lab is $4500 for one level and a second level for $3000.
Students can see pictures, hear a sentence with digitized speech, repeat for playback, and reconstruct the sentence. Exercises and activities are based on survival English settings useful for middle school through adult learners. Sound Sentences I and Sound Sentences II are sold separately. CD-ROM. Can be purchased as part of ESL/Basic Literacy package with Core Reading and ESL Renegades.
This ESL program uses 8 well-known children's stories to teach English skills (narrated by British speakers). CD-ROM 1 has Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, Incy Wincy Spider, 3 Billy Goats Gruff and Humpty Dumpty. CD-ROM 2 has Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and Jill, Jack and the Beanstalk and Hickory Dickory Dock. A friendly dragon speaks 18 languages to guide the user in their native language. The user can even record their own story. The program tracks the progress of each user - earn enough points and print out your own certificate. Available in the US through World of Reading and other mail order vendors.
Listening and speaking practice in a business English context. Topics include Unit 1; WhoÕs calling, please?; Unit 2; Would you hold on, please?; Unit 3; IÕd like to know your prices; Unit 4; WeÕre ready to order now; Unit 5; IÕll have to change the booking; Unit 6; LetÕs fix another date; Unit 7; What seems to be the trouble?; Unit 8; IÕm sure we can sort it out. British English. CD-ROM.
Timelines, maps of England, video clips, other supporting information as well as a 9-minute animated synopsis of Macbeth. CD-ROM. Designed for native speakers.
Life of Robert Lewis Stevenson, analysis of the characters, stories of famous pirates, and other supporting material. Includes an animated synopsis of Treasure Island. CD-ROM. Designed for native speakers.
Colorful and interactive storybook. Students can hear the story read in both English and Spanish. Each page is filled with surprises to entertain and motivate new readers. Requires a CD-ROM drive. If this program is used on an IBM or compatible, it requires an MPC-compliant machine.
This is not ESL stuff, but most of it can be easily demonstrated by the teacher, and kids catch on real quick. Includes seven educational games. Students explore the on-screen hideaway, learning about music, animals, mathematics, sentence structure, money & place value. Requires CD-ROM drive.
This lesson is based on an excerpt of a Voice of America news broadcast. Its focus is on listening comprehension, though it includes reading, writing, vocabulary, and discussion elements as well. It is designed to play on any Macintosh computer running system 6 or higher, with QuickTime (a freeware extension) installed and 4 Mb of free RAM (though 2.5 Mb should be enough with this one). A 12 inch monitor set to display 256 colors would be nice (though not essential). This is a freeware lesson suitable for use in a language lab with a teacher (though it can be modified for self-access study). Worksheets are provided in Word and Teach Text format.
Learners listen to what the person is saying, then write down what they understand. Several modes are included: Dictionary mode- defines any word in the phrase; Spellcheck mode - corrects half-right words; Letter-by-letter mode - get a hint, one letter at a time; Grammar mode - grammar notes; Comments - sometimes cultural references, syntax or pronunciation explanations, or other comments. Each story is a separate VOICEbook, purchased and downloaded separately.
This multimedia CD-ROM is based on forty-eight authentic video interviews recorded on the streets of Cambridge in England. The program is built around task-based activities in which learners use language to achieve real outcomes like reporting people's opinions on widely-discussed issues. This is supplemented with a closer look at some of the particular features of authentic everyday language.
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