Teaching Listening

Strategies for Developing Listening Skills

Language learning depends on listening. Listening provides the aural input that serves as

the basis for language acquisition and enables learners to interact in spoken communication.

Effective language instructors show students how they can adjust their listening behavior to deal with a variety of situations, types of input, and listening purposes. They help students develop a set of listening strategies and match appropriate strategies to each listening situation.

Listening Strategies

Listening strategies are techniques or activities that contribute directly to the comprehension and recall of listening input. Listening strategies can be classified by how the listener processes the input.

When is a board not a board?

Classes differ in terms of location, status and amount of technological equipment, and in the age, level and number of students, but they all have one thing in common: a board. Teachers are always using the board, but there may be much greater potential to exploit this resource than many people think. One way of finding new possibilities is by using metaphors. This article considers a number of metaphors for the board, and suggests that creative thinking may help teachers find the full potential of this ubiquitous ‘empty space’ resource.

English Accents

Read and listen to the information about these 11 English accents from around the world.

Sincronizar marcadores en Google Chrome

Una manera sencilla de controlar los marcadores y mucho más

Hace ya un tiempo que Google Chrome viene ofreciendo la posibilidad de sincronizar los marcadores a través de una cuenta de Google. Ahora con su última actualización amplia esta sincronización a muchos más aspectos del navegador, como extensiones, preferencias y temas.

Sincronizar chrome a una cuenta de Google está pensado para aquellos que disponen de más de un ordenador y quieren tener en todos la misma configuración, de manera que: si en uno añaden una página a favoritos, se instala una nueva extensión, se cambia el tema o la página de inicio...automáticamente aparezca en todos.

Ejemplo práctico:

En casa tienes un ordenador de sobremesa y un portátil. Navegas en ambos con Google Chrome. Si sincronizas los marcadores a tu cuenta de Google ambos ordenadores, dentro del navegador Google Chrome, dispondrán de los mismos marcadores. Pero no solo eso, sino que si añades un marcador nuevo en uno de los ordenadores, Google guarda esa información en tu cuenta y automáticamente se añadirá dicho marcador nuevo en todos los ordenadores sincronizados a esa cuenta. Lo mismo ocurre al borrar el marcador.
Esta función de Google Chrome es muy interesante para las aulas del proyecto Escuela 2.0. ya que nos permitirá (disponiendo de una cuenta de Google para la clase) proponer enlaces y controlar los marcadores de todos los equipos del alumnado de manera directa y sin la necesidad de entrar a una dirección web para acceder a los mismos.

Además nos permite no partir de cero en una instalación nueva de chrome, incorporando las preferencias, extensiones, temas...

Seven Ways of Looking at Grammar by Scott Thornbury

Abrir un documento de Word 2007 en una versión anterior de Word

Para abrir archivos .docx o .docm de Microsoft Office Word 2007 con Microsoft Office Word 2003, Word 2002 o Word 2000, es necesario instalar el Paquete de compatibilidad de Microsoft Office para formatos de archivo de 2007 Office Word, Excel y PowerPoint y las actualizaciones de Office que sean necesarias. Mediante el Paquete de compatibilidad para 2007 Office system, podrá abrir documentos, editar algunos elementos y guardar los documentos de Office Word 2007 en versiones anteriores de Word.

Con el Paquete de compatibilidad, puede usar algunas versiones anteriores de Word para abrir documentos de Office Word 2007 guardados en los formatos .docx y .docm. No podrá abrir archivos de plantilla de Office Word 2007 guardados en los formatos .dotx o .dotm. 

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Convertir a PDF

PDF significa Portable Document Format y fue desarrollado por Adobe para facilitar el intercambio de documentos. doPDF es un creador gratis de PDF que hace lo que dice su nombre: crea archivos PDF. Una vez instalado podrás convertir cualquier archivo que se pueda imprimir en un archivo PDF. doPDF^7.2 se instala como una impresora virtual, de modo que luego de instalado aparecerá en tu lista de Impresoras y faxes y también en tu lista de Todos los programas. Al usar doPDF tienes dos opciones para crear PDF: 

Imprimir a  PDF usando la impresora virtual doPDF . Se usa exactamente igual que una impresora convencional, sólo que el resultado será un archivo en formato PDF en lugar de un papel impreso

Imprimir un PDF usando la impresora virtual PDF, doPDF

doPDF^7.2 se instala como una impresora PDF virtual, de modo que luego de la instalación aparecerá en la lista de impresoras y faxes. Para convertir a PDF sólo dirige tu documento a la impresora PDF (doPDF), tu conversor PDF GRATIS. Abre un documento (con Microsoft Word, WordPad, Notepad o cualquier software), elige Imprimir y selecciona doPDF. Te consultará dónde grabar el archivo PDF y cuando finalice, el archivo PDF será automáticamente abierto en tu visualizador PDF. Las imágenes siguientes muestran cómo crear un archivo PDF desde Microsoft Word (word a PDF):

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Meet your meat

Structuralism and Saussure

Enhance the Learning Process with the Power of Music

Research has found that the ideal state for learning is when the brain is in a relaxed, but aware state.

So when we say relaxed, we do not mean asleep. We mean relaxed, focussed and aware.

At this point the brainwaves run at about 8 to 12 cycles per seconds or hertz.

This is called the alpha state.

This compares with the 'normal' state of 13-25 hertz which is called the beta state. The beta state is that of most of our waking moments as we go about our daily lives.

At the other end of the spectrum we find, just below the alpha level, the theta state which is even slower than alpha, and an even deeper sense of relaxation.

It is however more difficult to achieve, and really requires one to have the ability to meditate deeply. It is a highly creative state.

Slower still is the state of sleep which is the delta state.

So, How can the Alpha State be achieved?

Read On!!
It can be achieved in a number of ways and most of us achieve it at some during most days. A typical time may be just before one goes to sleep, or as one wakes.

At this time the mind is clear, receptive to information, and rapidly makes 'connections', realisations and joins up thoughts.One naturally enters the alpha state as one falls asleep, and when one slowly and naturally wakes up.

The blast of the alarm clock will shatter through theta-delta-alpha and to beta.

How does one harness this 'alpha state' on waking?

* As you awaken, just lie there and consciously direct your thoughts to the learning material you are covering, or the topics that you need to address.

This is particularly easy when you have no pressure to get out of bed, say on a weekend.

* Use a non-alarm type alarm clock. Use one of those that just wakes you up gently, for example like with quiet music that very slowly builds up.

Researchers have also found that certain music types ease the brainwaves into the relaxed 'alpha state' that is ideal for enhancing the learning process.

If you listen to music that contains rhythms at a frequency of 10 Hz,it will generate more brain waves at a frequency of 10 Hz, and enter a state of mental relaxation .


One form of this music is the largo movements of certain Baroque composers. The largo movements are around 40 to 60 beats per minute.

If you are a skeptic, why not try classical music while studying?

Suggested songs:

1. Aira, de la suite No.3
2. Adagio
3. Danza de los espíritus bienaventurados, de Orfeo y Eurídice
4. Largo de Xerxes
5. Canon en Re
6. andante, del concierto No.21 para piano
7. Adagio sostenuto
8. El cisne, del Carnaval de los animales
9. Muerte de Ase, de Peer Gynt
10. Meditación de Tahis
11. Intermezzo, de Cavalleria rusticana
12. Claro de luna
13. Fantasía sobre Greensleeves
14. Gnossienne No.1
15. Adagietto, de la sinfonía No.5

You can listen to the previous tracklist with just one click on the video below.


Bibliography

* " Música para el entrenamiento de las ondas cerebrales." Piano Red: sitio sobre pianos. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2010. http://www.pianored.com/musica/2007/10/28/ondas-cerebrales.
* "Alpha brainwaves are the optimum for Superlearning. 10 things you must know.." Language learning 200 words a day Spanish,French,German, Welsh-easy-effective.. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2010.http://www.200words-a-day.com/alpha.html.

Type IPA phonetic symbols online!!

This page allows you to easily type phonetic transcriptions of English words in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). You can edit your text in the box and then copy it to your e-mail application, word processor, etc.

If you can't see phonetic symbols on this page, you must install a Unicode font with IPA symbols.

Warning: The full set of characters is available only in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher for Windows.

READ ON!!


The editor allows you to type pronunciations of English words as they appear in English dictionaries.

• After you copy text from the above box and paste it into your word processor or e-mail message, make sure you choose a Unicode font with IPA symbols in your word processor or e-mail application. Otherwise, phonetic symbols will not display correctly.
• A few rarely used symbols, such as the "flap t" symbol (the letter t with a small "v" underneath) or the syllabic l and n (l or n with a small vertical line underneath) are missing because they are not rendered correctly by presently available browsers.
• The goal of the editor is to provide a way to enter IPA-based phonemic transcriptions, therefore more arcane symbols used in "narrow" transcriptions are not included.
• The underline can be used as an alternative to the apostrophe (') to mark the stressed syllable.
• Ctrl+Z is used to type ʒ. To Undo, right-click in the text box and choose "Undo".
• For help with transcribing, refer to Antimoon's table with IPA phonetic symbols, example words, and recordings (make sure you read the footnotes).
• In addition to the symbols shown in the table, the editor provides two extra symbols:
  • The ɪ (italicized ɪ) can be used to indicate that either ɪ or ə can be pronounced, as in possible.
  • The ʊ (italicized ʊ) can be used to indicate that either ʊ or ə can be pronounced, as in education.

  You can also italicize any part of the text by clicking the appropriate button.

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Fast and Easy Bibliography Maker!

Welcome to BibMe! The fully automatic bibliography maker that auto-fills. It's the easiest way to build a works cited page. And it's free.

	Search for a book, article, website, or film, or enter the information yourself.
	Add it to your bibliography.
	Download your bibliography in either the MLA, APA, Chicago, or Turabian formats and include it in your paper. It's that easy!

Let them know about this site and help make the world a happier place... or at least a better formatted one.

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ESL Error Correction Techniques

This is a video about Error correction techniques that a teacher uses in his ESL/EFL (English as a Second Language / English as a Foreign Language) classroom. Enjoy it!

Online practice tests help prepare for exams

	Dear Teacher, There's a new website where your students can prepare for their exam using interactive practice tests: www.oxfordenglishtesting.com

READ ON!!



Online practice gives students:

»	The ability to save answers and continue later.
»	Instant access to: marking & feedback online dictionary look-up exam tips … and more
»	A chance to build their confidence for the real exam.
»	Practice for the PET, FCE, CAE and IELTS exams. TOEIC, TOEFL and KET coming later in the year.

See the website in action

	Go to www.oxfordenglishtesting.com
	Or view the online brochure and teacher demo for more information for teachers.

Oxford University Press

P.S. Students who prepare with Oxford get automatic access to test(s) via the MultiROM in the Workbook Resource Packs for FCE Result, CAE Result, PET Masterclass and FCE Masterclass, and the Student's Book for IELTS Masterclass.