Monday, November 12, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Real English Mobile Update
This post is no longer relevant. The classic Real English sit
https://www.real-english.com/
has been compatible with mobile devices for years.
I have not finished the new Mobile site yet, but there are already 15 complete lessons up, with quizzes (about 80 hours of work for real beginners). You are more than welcome to use it now, while it is still under construction.
I have added most of the videos (58 videos already up), and I will soon go back to add the quizzes with the short individual-interview clips, which allows the learner to do quizzes based on very short extracts from the main video of each lesson.
Making these short clips for the quizzes is the longest part of the job, but it makes the learning experience much more effective, and especially more user-friendly.
"Old" quizzes already exist for lessons 1 to 12, including the 4 lessons in unit 8, giving us a total of 15 complete interactive mobile lessons as of October 22, 2012. I update progress on a weekly basis at the traditional Real English® site at http://www.real-english.com/mobile-info.asp
The URL of the new mobile site is http://bit.ly/real-english-mobile
Hope you like it. And it's definitely going to get better in the very near future.
PS: I bought my first iPhone yesterday October 21! Up until yesterday, I was testing the new site using Mobile Device Emulators like this one, on my computer, with Safari. They are good for essential testing, and their most important advatage is that they allow one to test not only the different iPhones, but also Android phones such as the Galaxy, as well as tablets, and certain Blackberry phones as well.
However, using a real iPhone has opened my eyes. I see now that I must redo the quizzes in a different format (change of widths, especially, according to the nature of each quiz). Everthing else looks great! The videos are very crisp and clean, even better than the videos I see on the traditional Real English® website!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Two New Kids on the Block - A New Type of Spontaneous Street Interview for ESL Students
Did you know that the slang word "sick" means cool? Neither did I until I discovered a brand new site and YouTube channel called "Slargon". I couldn't believe it. An old guy like me had to check out the Urban Dictionary to confirm it. The new "sick" is now being used as a near-antonym of the traditonal "sick". This young lady goes on to say that if something is "sick", it's something you really like.
The site has been and is being created by the Corbo Brothers, Stephen and Jimmy. They both have MA degrees and work in the New York City Department of Education as Speech Language Pathologists We're obviously not talking about the usual cowboys we often find in the world of ESL who throw up new sites on a wing and a prayer.
On the other hand, they learned how to make video and a site just like I did, without any training, learning by doing.
"Growing up in New York", Jimmy writes "we have been exposed to many different dialects of English and we are fascinated by the different ways in which people can use language. That is what prompted us to dedicate our video language library to slang, idioms and other peculiar language".
Their videos are all spontaneous steet interviews, just like Real English. No boring actors. You meet a lot of people filmed in different parts of New York City who agree to make a "language donation" as they call it.
The videos are very short - some less than 12 seconds. The longest clip I've found so far is 30 seconds. We're talking sound bites here, and it's really a hoot!
In some of the clips, we find classic idioms such as "the cat's pajamas", but in other cases we find cool everyday expressions which are widely used by native speakers but never, or almost never taught in the ESL/EFL classroom. One thing I learned that is very important when building a coherent language library based on the spontaneous speech of street interviews, is how to approach prospective interviewees, or "donators". I am lucky to have a friendly, attractive French wife who does this job. She puts people at ease and makes them want to give us an interview.
This is what Jimmy says about their approach: "Stephen tends to be the bolder brother but we do switch off approaching people to ask for language donations. We usually approach them with a short pitch about our project. "Hey, how are you? We are from slargon.com, and we're creating a video language library of slang, idioms and other peculiar language. We are looking for language donations... Do you have a word or phrase that you would like to contribute?"
They obviously make a good team. Jimmy told me "Slargon is something that has really grown from my brother Stephen's ambition to merge technology and language services... Once we decided that we would do the project together we hit the ground running. Stephen went to work building a website for Slargon and I went to work learning about Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects for the purpose of editing".He goes on to say "This is a mouthfull, so sometimes we spend an additional 15 minutes explaining our project, and sometimes people jump right in with a word or phrase, and other times we are completely blown off. All in all our general success rate is 50-70%".
I can't help comparing this figure to Real English. After our first filming campaigns in the US and the UK in the mid-90s, we got about the same success rate. The problem comes later when we have to decide who is "good enough" to include in our library. That was my problem 3 months ago when we filmed in my new favorite spot in South Beach, Miami. I thought everybody was great while filming, but in the end, we only used about 20% of our footage.
You will also find donators who speak English as a Second Language. You see a French girl below who explains the slang version of "J'adore" (i.e., without an object) which is not exactly the same as the literal meaning. Several foreign languages have already been included in Slargon's library.
And finally, Slargon's Web 2.0 clincher: "Generally speaking we have gotten a great response on the street, people seem to love the idea. Filming is a great part of the job but we are hoping that eventually users will make their own online contributions by uploading their videos to Slargon".
A word of caution in regard to young children learners. You will find some vulgar clips here too. In fact they have divided their clips into 27 categories so far, and that includes the "gross" and "lustful" categories.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Star Speller
Hi Teachers! My friend, Ryan Detwiler, has just published a new iPhone/iPod App for children learning English. It's his 1st app:
Star Speller -- Reading and Spelling games for beginning English students. Great pronunciation practice too. Have a look!
He's a great developer. Here are the main features:
- Teacher developed content
- Reading Power and Spelling Power games
- 30 levels of game play (10 words per level)
- Track player's high scores
- Adjustable game speed ("Challenge Speed")
- Option to delete all current scores
- Option to turn audio instructions on or off
- Professionally recorded American English
- Flash Cards activity (read and swipe)
- Simple, easy-to-navigate interface design
Congratulations Ryan!
- Teacher developed content
- Reading Power and Spelling Power games
- 30 levels of game play (10 words per level)
- Track player's high scores
- Adjustable game speed ("Challenge Speed")
- Option to delete all current scores
- Option to turn audio instructions on or off
- Professionally recorded American English
- Flash Cards activity (read and swipe)
- Simple, easy-to-navigate interface design
Congratulations Ryan!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
It really warms my heart when I receive messages like this one.
Alex Rosas wrote the following message to me this morning. The simple fact that she is so obviously aware of what I try to do to facilitate learning English, is what makes her words so special to me. I'm not very good about explaining what I try to do, nor promoting my learning site, so I'm really glad when someone "gets it".
She wrote:
She wrote:
"I just watched the zodiac signs video, the
one where you ask "What are (scorpios) like?" and I think it is awesome
because I can ask my students to watch it, listen and write all the adjectives
they hear, and then use those adjectives in other activities! Believe
me, your videos are a great help and a very important way to practice for non
native students/speakers!
Your videos not only help students to learn grammar,comprehend a real
conversation and improve pronunciation but also realize the importance of interaction, how
people interact in the different situations you present in your videos. I do
believe you do a great job with your videos. I like that you take the time to
edit with and without CC (closed captions) on separate videos because in that way you understand
everything you did not understand in the video without CC. Thanks a lot Real English!!!!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Simple Instructions for Using the Real English Lessons in 34 Languages
Reminder: these basic native-language translations of the instructions will help real beginners get started! Updates will appear at the top of this section of this blog. We now have 34 languages. If your native language (mother tongue) is not here, please contribute your translation of this text in English:
How to Use Real English®
1 - Go here http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp and choose a lesson.
1 - Go here http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp and choose a lesson.
2 - Watch the video at the top, without subtitles.
3 - Click on "Exercise 1". Follow the instructions. Do all the exercises.
4 - Now watch the video with subtitles.
5 - Problem, Question or Comment? Contact us on our Facebook page or write mike@real-english.com<== To the top of this blog post
<== Back to the Lessons
Lora sent me the Serbian translation on New Year's Eve, 2012-2013
Kako da koristite Real English®
1 - Idite na http://www.real-english.com/ new-lessons.asp i izaberite lekciju.
2 - Pogledajte video na vrhu, bez titla.
3 - Kliknite na "Exercise 1". Pratite uputstva.Uradite sva vežbanja.
4 - Sada odgledajte video sa titlom.
Ilse Bielen from Belgium has provided us with the Dutch translation:
Is jouw taal hier? Nee? Wil je dit dan vertalen voor je taalgenoten die ook Engels willen leren:
1.Ga naar http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp en kies een les.
2.Bekijk de video bovenaan, zonder onderschriften.
3.Klik op "Exercise 1". Volg de instructies. Maak alle oefeningen.
4.Bekijk de video nu mét onderschriften.
5.Problemen? Stel je vraag op deze pagina of op de Real English Facebook Page.
5 - Problem, Question or Comment? Contact us on our Facebook page or write mike@real-english.com<== To the top of this blog post
<== Back to the Lessons
Lora sent me the Serbian translation on New Year's Eve, 2012-2013
Kako da koristite Real English®
1 - Idite na http://www.real-english.com/
2 - Pogledajte video na vrhu, bez titla.
3 - Kliknite na "Exercise 1". Pratite uputstva.Uradite sva vežbanja.
4 - Sada odgledajte video sa titlom.
Ilse Bielen from Belgium has provided us with the Dutch translation:
Is jouw taal hier? Nee? Wil je dit dan vertalen voor je taalgenoten die ook Engels willen leren:
1.Ga naar http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp en kies een les.
2.Bekijk de video bovenaan, zonder onderschriften.
3.Klik op "Exercise 1". Volg de instructies. Maak alle oefeningen.
4.Bekijk de video nu mét onderschriften.
5.Problemen? Stel je vraag op deze pagina of op de Real English Facebook Page.
Slovenian by Anja
Kako se uporablja Real English®
1 - Pojdite na http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp in izberite lekcijo.
2 - Oglejte si zgornji video, brez podnapisov.
3 - Kliknite "Exercise 1". Sledite navodilom in naredite vse vaje.
4 - Sedaj si oglejte video s podnapisi.
<== Back to the Lessons
Slovak by Sona
Ako používať skutočnú angličtinu...
1 - Choď na http://www.real-
english.com/
2 - Pozri si video hore, bez titulkov.
3 - Klikni na cvičenie 1- "Exercise 1". Riaď sa podľa inštrukcií. Sprav si všetky videá.
4 - Teraz si pozri video s titulkami.
Romanian by Gabriela
Cum sa folositi Real English
1. Intrati aici: http://www.real- english.com/
2. Vizionati videoclipul din susul paginii fara subtitrare.
3. Dati Click pe Exercitiul 1. Urmati instructiunile. Efectuati toate exercitiile.
4. Acum vizionati din nou videoclipul cu subtitrare.
<== Back to the Lessons
<== To the top of this blog
Latvian by inara
Kā lietot Real English®
1 - Aizej uz adresi http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp un izvēlies mācību stundu.
2 - Noskaties pirmo video versiju bez subtitriem.
3 - Uzklikšķini "Exercise 1" (pirmais uzdevums). Izpildi visus uzdevumus pēc instrukcijām.
4 - Visbeidzot, noskaties otro video ar subtitriem.
Note from Inara:
"... My Latvian isn't perfect, it can be understood but I'm sure someone can improve the sentence construction and make some words more precise..."
French by Mike Marzio
Comment utiliser Real English®
1 - Rendez-vous ici: http://www.real-english.com/new-
lessons.asp
Choisir une leçon.
2 - Regarder la vidéo en haut de la page, sans sous-titres.
3 - Cliquer sur "Exercise 1". Suivez les Instructions. Completer tous les
exercises.
4 - Regarder la vidéo avec sous-titres.
5 - Si vous avez une question, posez-la: mike@real-english.com or our FaceBook page
<== Back to the Lessons
<== Back to the Lessons
Finnish
Kuinka käytät Real English® sivustoa
1 - Mene sivulle http://www.real-
english.com/
2 - Katso ylimpänä oleva video, jossa ei ole tekstitystä.
3 - Napsauta "Exercise 1". Seuraa ohjeita. Tee kaikki harjoitukset.
4 - Katso sitten video, jossa on tekstitys.
<== To the top of this blog
Malaysian by The English Lounge
1 - Taipkan http://www.real-
english.com/
2 - Tengok video dari mula tanpa senikata.
3 - Klik "Exercise 1". Ikut arahan yang diberi dan buat ke semua aktiviti.
4 - Sekarang. Tengkok video dengan senikata.
<== Back to the Lessons
Vietnamese by Vũ Đức Tiệp
Hướng dẫn học Real English®
1 - Bạn truy cập vào trang http://www.real- english.com/
2 - Xem đoạn phim ở đầu trang, và không có phụ đề.
3 - Nhấn chuột vào "Exercise 1". Và làm theo hướng dẫn. Nhớ là làm hết các bài tập nhé.
4 - Bây giờ bạn hãy xem đoạn phim cùng với phụ đề.
<== To the top of this blog
Danish by Anne Fox and her daughter
Hvordan anvender man Real English®
1.Tag hertil http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp og vælge en lektion
2.Se den øverste video uden undertekst
3.Klik på ” Exercise 1”. Følg vejledning. Lav alle opgaverne.
4.Se nu den anden video med undertekst.
<== Back to the Lessons
- وارد آدرس (http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp) شوید و یک درس انتخاب کنید.
- ویدیوی بالای صفحه رابدون زیر نویس ببینید .
- روی تمرین شماره ی 1 کلیک کنید. از دستورالعملها پیروی کرده و تمام تمارین را حل
نمایید. - حالا فیلم را با زیر نویس آن دوباره
ببینید.
Arabic by Monaهذه كيفية استخدام موقع
(Real English®) ( الأنجليزية الحقيقية )
2- شاهد الفيديو الموجود فى الأعلى بدون نصا حواريا مكتوبا على شاشة
العرض3- اضغط على رقم التمرين اعلى الفيديو "تمرين1"
واتبع التعليمات .قم بمتابعة التمرين كاملا.4 - الآن شاهد الفيديو متضمنا ظهور نصا مكتوبا به الحوار
على شاشة العرض .
これが「Real English」の使い方です。
1(ww.xxx)をクリックしてレッスンを選んでください。
2トップにあるビデオを字幕なしでみてください。
3 Exercise 1をクリックして指示に従ってすべてのexerciseをしてく
4次に字幕付きでビデオを見てください。
<== Back to the Lessons
Bulgarian by George Alex
Как да ползваш Real English®
1 - Иди тук http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp и избери
урок.
2 - Гледай видеото в горната част на екрана, без субтитри.
3 - Кликни на "Exercise 1". Следвай инструкциите. Направи всички упражнения.
4 - Сега гледай видеото със субтитри.
Ukrainian by misha
Misha
Як користуватися Real English®
1. Зайдіть сюди http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp і
виберіть урок
2. Перегляньте відео сверху без субтитрів
3. Клацніть на "Exercise 1". Слідуйте за інструкціями. Виконайте усі вправи
4. Тепер прогляньте відео з субтитрами
<== Back Home
<== To the top of this blog Russian also by
misha Misha
Как использовать Real English®
2 - Посмотрите видео сверху без субтитров.
3 - Нажмите " Exercise 1". Следуйте за инструкциями. Сделайте все упражнения.
4 – Теперь посмотрите видео с субтитрами.
<== To the top of this blog
Hindi by Namrata Arora
Real English® कैसे प्रयोग करें
1- यहाँ जाकर http://www.real-english.com/
lessons.asp एक पाठ चुनना
2- ऊपर की ओर, उपनाम बिना वीडियो देखो
3- "Exercise 1" पर जाएं। निर्देशन का पालन करें। सारा अभ्यास करें
4- अब उपनाम के साथ वीडियो देखो
Argentinian by Pablo E. Pittaluga
Cómo usar Real English®
1 - Entrá aquí http://www.real-
english.com/
2 - Mirá el video de arriba, sin subtítulos.
3 - Hacé click en 'Exercise 1'. Seguí las instrucciones. Completá todos los ejercicios.
4 - Ahora mirá el video sin subtítulos.
Why is there a separate entry for Argentinian, in addition to Spanish? Pablo
explained:
"Argentine Spanish is a variant of the Spanish
language unique for its features about intonation, person conjugation and word construction, and is internationally known
as Rioplatense Spanish; it is spoken across the whole of the Southern Cone (namely Argentina, parts of Chile, Paraguay and
Uruguay, together around 60 million people), and at different degrees intermingled with the forms of Peninsular
Spanish."
"People entering the site from any of those countries are likely to click on the Argentine link more than on the Spanish
one; the language is fresh, informal, and used when addressing anyone with confidence."
And this also made a lot of sense to me because I live in a part of France where the "Laungue d'Oc" (Provençale) is still
spoken: "The Rioplatense Spanish is somewhat the case of Quebec French, Cape Dutch (Afrikaans), Gaelic languages in
Britain, or Langue d'Oc in France."
<== Back Home
<== To the top of this blog Mongolian by Nyambayar Turbat
1. Манай http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp веб хуудас
руу орж хичээлээ сонгоорой.
2. Эхлээд хадмал орчуулагагүй видео хичээлээ үзээрэй.
3. "Дасгал 1" дээр дарж зааврын дагуу ажиллана уу.
4. Одоо хадмал орчуулгатай видео хичээлээ үзнэ үү.... See More
5. Хэрвээ танд ямар нэгэн асуулт байвал манай Facebook болон Real English блог вэб хуудсанд үлдээгээрэй.
<== Back Home
Turkish by Kürşat Durmaz
1. Buraya gir: http://www.real-english.com/new-lessons.asp ve bir
ders seç.
2. Üstteki videoyu izle, alt yazısız.
3. "Alıştırma 1'i " tıkla ve açıklamaları takip et. Tüm alıştırmaları yap.
4. Şimdi videoyu alt yazısıyla birlikte izle.
5. Eğer bir sorun varsa lütfen sor! ( Burada Facebook'da yada The Real English Blog'da)
Polish by Małgorzata Majewska
1. Wejdź tu
2. Obejrzyj wideo od góry bez napisów.
3. Kliknij na "Ćwiczenie 1". Postępuj zgodnie z instrukcjami. Wykonaj wszystkie ćwiczenia.
4. A teraz obejrzyj wideo z napisami.
German by Ingrid Braband
Wie Sie "Real English" benutzen können:
1. Gehen Sie zu http://www.real- english.com/
2. Schauen Sie sich das Video oben auf der Seite an, ohne Untertitel.
3. Machen Sie die "Exercise 1" (Übung 1). Folgen Sie den Anweisungen. Machen Sie alle Übungen.
4. Schauen Sie sich jetzt das Video mit Untertiteln an.
Students of German can perhaps benefit by comparing these 2 versions.
German by Marian Heddeseimer
So benutzt man "Real English".
1 - Gehe zur Website: http://www.real-
english.com/
2 - Schaue dir das Video am Seitenanfang ohne Untertitel an.
3 - Klicke auf "Excersise 1" und folge den Anweisungen. Führe alle angegebenen Übungen durch.
4 - Nun, schaue dir das Video mit Untertiteln an.
<== To the top of this blog
Czech by Luboš Milařík
Jak používat Real English®
1 – Pojď sem http://www.real-
2 – Sleduj video nahoře bez titulků.
3 – Klikni na „Cvičení 1“. Řiď se instrukcemi. Udělej všechna cvičení.
4 – Nyní sleduj video s titulky.
Traditional Chinese by Benna Lin:
如何使用 真正的英文
第一:到這個網站http://www.real-
lessons.asp 並點選任一門課。
第二:先看最上面沒有字幕的影片。
第三:點選練習一(在最上面的Exercise 1),照著指示完成全部的練習題。
第四:做完之後,現在請再看有字幕的影片。
Simplified Chinese by Benna Lin:
如何使用 真正的英文
第一:到这个网站http://www.real-
第二:先看最上面没有字幕的影片。
第三:点选练习一(在最上面的Exercise 1),照着指示完成全部的练习题。
第四:做完之后,现在请再看有字幕的影片。
Hungarian by Robert
Musits
Musits
1 - Nyisd meg a http://www.real-
english.com/
2 - Nézd meg a felső, feliratok nélküli videót!
3 – Kattints az 1. feladatra (Exercise 1)! Kövesd az utasításokat! Old meg az összes
feladatot!
feladatot!
4 – Nézd meg a videót feliratozva!
<== Back Home
Calalan by Joan Rubíes
2- Mira el video de la part superior, sense subtítols.
3- Clica a "Exercise 1".Segueix les instruccions. Fes tots els exercicis.
4- Ara mira el video amb subtítols.
Italian by Paola Rosetti
"Come usare Real English"
2 - Guarda il video in cima alla pagina, senza sottotitoli.
3 - Clicca su " Esercizio 1". Segui le indicazioni. Fai tutti gli esercizi.
4 - Ora guarda il video con i sottotitoli.
5 - Se hai qualche domanda, chie...di qui su Facebook o sul blog di real English.
<== To the top of this blog
<== To the top of this blog
Many thanks to these volunteers who posted their translations of the instructions on our Facebook site.
Portuguese by Tiago
Catelam
Catelam
1 - Acesse http://www.real-
english.co m/new-lessons.asp e escolha uma das aulas disponíveis.
english.co
2 - Assista primeiro a versão sem legendas do vídeo.
3 - Clique em "Exercise 1". Siga as instruções. Faça todos os exercícios.
4 - Agora assista a versão legendada do vídeo.
3 - Clique em "Exercise 1". Siga as instruções. Faça todos os exercícios.
4 - Agora assista a versão legendada do vídeo.
1. Entra a http://www.real-
english.co m/new-lessons.asp y escoge una lección.
english.co
2. Mira el video de la parte superior, sin subtítulos.
3. Haz click en "Exercise 1". Sigue las instrucciones. Haz todos los ejercicios.
4. Ahora mira el video con subtítulos"
5. Si tienes alguna pregunta, puedes recurrir a Google Friend Connect, al blog de Real English o a Facebook"
<== Back to the Lessons
<== Back to the Lessons
1 - Πηγαίνετε εδώ http://www.real-
english.co m/new-lessons.asp
και επιλέξετε ένα μάθημα.
2 - Παρακολουθήστε το μάθημα στο πάνω μέρος της σελίδας, χωρίς υπότιτλους.
3 - Κάντε κλικ στην εντολή "Exercise 1". Ακολουθήστε τις οδηγίες. Κάνετε όλες τις ασκήσεις.
4 - Τώρα, παρακολουθήστε το βίντεο με υπότιτλους.
english.co
και επιλέξετε ένα μάθημα.
2 - Παρακολουθήστε το μάθημα στο πάνω μέρος της σελίδας, χωρίς υπότιτλους.
3 - Κάντε κλικ στην εντολή "Exercise 1". Ακολουθήστε τις οδηγίες. Κάνετε όλες τις ασκήσεις.
4 - Τώρα, παρακολουθήστε το βίντεο με υπότιτλους.
<== Back Home
Please contribute your translation of the English version into your native language:
How to Use Real English®
1 - Go here http://www.real- english.com/new-lessons.asp Choose a lesson.
1 - Go here http://www.real- english.com/new-lessons.asp Choose a lesson.
2 - Watch the video at the top, without subtitles.
3 - Click on "Exercise 1". Follow the instructions. Do all the
exercises.
4 - Now watch the video with subtitles.
Post your translation here, as a comment, or post on The Real English Facebook Page.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
What's this blog for?
I don't use my blog very often. I used to use it for Real English® activities almost every day. Facebook has replaced this blog for this essential function.
Today I will use it for a personal post: http://wapo.st/yVDWT9
When there are so many blogs already posting exactly what I think myself, I would only reproduce, albeit in my own words, what others have already expressed more elegantly than I would.The Republican Party used to be relatively reasonable. Even Reagan made sense in a relative way, and you had to give him a little bit of respect, however reluctantly, and espite the fact that the country started going way south beginning with this actor.
But nowadays, it's sheer insanity. The GOP is a horrible joke. Its past is so much better than its present. Just read Gore Vidal's classic "Lincoln" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_%28novel%29 or http://www.amazon.com/Gore-Vidals-Lincoln-Sam-Waterston/dp/B00028G75C to get an idea of what this party used to represent.
He's a million miles away from today's GOP. And they haven't got a clue.
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