Revised evaluation of 7 online listening websites

1. http://www.elllo.org/

ELLLO stands for English Language Listening Lab Online. It is a collection of over 1,000 listening activities that students can view free via the internet. Most listening activities come with a downloadable MP3 audio file, transcript and interactive quiz.

ELLLO offers a variety of listening activities that each targets a specific listening skill, need or interest. By clicking on English by Region language learners are able to choose English from different regions like Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, etc. By clicking different names of the country, a listener opens a window to experience its culture while listening. The listening activities include interviews (natural conversations with various speakers of English that offer multiple listening options), newscasts (help students learn academic English and develop test taking skills for standardized listening tests such as TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS), songs (with lyrics), presentations (Talking Points), listening games (designed for beginning students and for students who want to listen for fun and enjoyment), etc.

ELLLO is the creation of Todd Beuckens, an English teacher currently working in Japan. He started ELLLO so his students could listen to more authentic listening activities. ELLLO began in the summer of 2003 and has been going strong ever since.

ELLLO’s updates occur weekly on each Monday. On average there are at least five new listening activities each week. Activities are numbered for easy reference.

Although there are some advertisements on the top and right-side of the page on this website, it is still worth recommending to students since it offers rich listening materials which not only helpful for students to practice listening abilities and to learn about the target language culture.

The site is well-designed and easy to navigate.

2.http://esl.about.com/od/englishlistening/English_Listening_Skills_and_ActivitiesEffective_Listening_Practice.htm

About. com was founded in 1996 by Scott Kurnit and a dedicated group of entrepreneurs. In 2005, About. Inc. was acquired by The New York Times Company.

This is one of the best online listening websites that offers various rich resources that ESL and EFL learners and teachers need in order to practice and teach listening skills. Its great variety enables language teachers and learners to choose materials according to their special needs. Listening activities in this site vary from beginner’s level to intermediate and to advanced levels. This site also offers Listening Lesson Plans for language teachers, with different difficulty levels and wide topics to choose from. Online Listening Quizzes are esp. good for language learners because they can get feedback immediately after they finish listening practice by giving their response through choosing and clicking the answers. It makes listening a private and individual activity and thus learners won’t worry about losing face or feeling embarrassed in front of others because of their incorrect choice. All the listening materials in this site are authentic and accessible freely online. Besides, both teachers and students can find a lot of other English resources in this site, such as Grammar, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Speaking, Writing skills, Reading skills, and even TOFEL and EILTS, etc. It offers links to other online listening resources as well.

The biggest shortcoming of the site is it includes some advertisements which have nothing to do with language learning. Therefore, teachers need to warn students of its negative aspects. Despite this shortcoming, esl.about.com is still recommendable since it offers English listening skills practice for ESL and EFL learners and teachers, plus comprehension quizzes for listening skill improvement for beginner, intermediate and advanced ESL EFL English levels.

The site is not well-designed. Its Ads seems more distractive than its main content due to the design and color, which makes navigation a little difficult. About. com is updated frequently.

3. http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Listening/

The site was created by The Internet TESL Journal in 1995 and Updated over the years. It is a sub-page of The Internet TESL Journal's TESL/TEFL/TESOL/ESL/EFL/ESOL Links.

The site is specially designed for teachers and students of English as a Second language. One of the advantages of this site is it has separate links for students and teachers, which save both teachers and students time and trouble in finding the suitable materials they want to seek. In addition, it has Downloadable MP3 Files, which is esp. good for students so that they can download and listen to the materials whenever they want to. This also makes it easier for language teachers to use them in their classrooms.Also, this site is good for those who are interested in Literature. In this website, listeners can listen to a good many classic stories like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. To add, learners can watch and listen to Classic Movies as well as TV Comedies and many other types of scripts like speeches, etc.Furthermore, there are some materials specially designed for language learners. Take Ellie Speaks Out for example. It makes learners learn English and laugh at the same time. On top of that, the whole text is provided, which enables language learners of different levels a lot of choices to choose from.

This site is updated daily. Its website design is simple but easy to follow and navigate.

4. http://www.esl-lab.com/

This ESL language Web site is one of the most popular online language listening labs. It aims to help ESL/EFL students improve their listening comprehension skills through practice with self-grading. It is created and hosted by Randall Davis, who has worked at several colleges and universities in the United States. Randall Davis’ interest and specialty in CALL, video technology and language teaching, teacher training, and learner autonomy ensures esl-lab.com a good and dependable site for language learners.

This site is specially designed for ESL students to practice and test their listening capability. It is recommendable because it serves all levels of English language learners. In addition, it offers free audio and video quizzes. It provides various listening practice materials, such as General Listening Quizzes (Learn everyday conversation with adult and children's voices), Listening Quizzes for Academic Purposes (Prepare for TOEFL/TOEIC), Language Learning and Life Tips (Life-skills tips with audio), and Long Conversations with Videos (Watch, listen and learn with interviews and conversations), etc.

Despite the fact that it has links to some sales products Ads, it is still a fairly good online listening lab because of its rich content and originality. The site is well-designed and distinguished by its appropriate use of fonts and colors. Therefore, it is easy to read and navigate.

5.http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/index.shtml

This is one of the best and the most popular authoritative Websites English teachers can turn to for searching authentic materials for listening class. There is a great variety for teachers to choose whatever they and their students need and are interested in. This is one of the sites that can be recommended to students because it not only offers good authentic listening materials but also is specially designed for language learners so that they can improve and practice their English with activities that involve listening and watching. Meanwhile, it opens a window for language learners to learn about the target culture.Each section of the site has something to listen to, and some can be watched and listened to at the same time. There are lots of exercises designed to test listeners’ comprehension. In fact, teachers and English language learners can find almost everything they like in this website. For those who are interested in British English pronunciation and British culture and society, this is the best site to be visited. The site makes English language learning and listening practice more interesting and enjoyable.

There is no attention-distractive Ads at all on this website. Each section and page is rich in content.

The site is well designed and uses distinct fonts and colors, which makes it easy for readers to read and navigate.

The site is updated daily.

6. http://www.pbs.org

Started in1995, PBS stands for Public Broadcasting Service. it is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is a non–profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 354 public television stations. With more than 1,300 PBS television programs and specials, as well as original Web content and real-time learning adventures, the site offers authentic language listening materials with different categories that can satisfy both language teachers and learners of various interests. It has History section, Arts and Drama section, News and Views section, and Life & culture section, and so on. This site can be recommended to language learners of intermediate and advanced levels and those who are interested in exploring American culture.

Although there are some commercials on the site, which is the negative side of it, still the site's rich content and language originality far outweigh its shortcomings.

The site is well-designed and distinguished by its appropriate use of fonts and colors. Therefore, it is easy to read and navigate. In addition, it is updated daily.

7. http://www.npr.org

NPR stands for National Public Radio (USA). It is an internationally acclaimed producer and distributor of noncommercial news, talk, and entertainment programming. It is a privately supported, non-profit membership organization. With original online content and audio streaming, npr.org offers hourly newscasts, special features and ten years of archived audio and information. NPR produces and distributes more than 130 hours of original programming each week.

Covering all kinds of topics including News, Nation, World, Business, People & Places, Health & Science, Music, Arts & Culture, books, etc. this site is one of the most authentic and authoritative for language learners and teachers to practice listening. However, since it is not designed purposefully for language learners or non-natives, the site is only recommended to language teachers and learners of English who are with high-intermediate and advanced level of English.

There is little commercial on this site. The only drawback is listeners will have to pay in order to access the transcripts of the shows.

The site is well-designed and distinct in its using of appropriate fonts and colors. Therefore, it is easy for readers to read and navigate. Also, it is updated daily.

Revised 7 Listening Websites

1. http://www.elllo.org/
2. http://esl.about.com/od/englishlistening/English_Listening_Skills_and_ActivitiesEffective_Listening_Practice.htm
3. http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Listening/
4. http://www.esl-lab.com/
5. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/index.shtml
6. http://www.pbs.org
7. http://www.npr.org

Podcasts: Another Source for Listening Input

Introduction

The advent of podcasts on the internet has given the language teacher a goldmine of materials for teaching listening skills. This article covers the subject of podcasts on several levels. It will first deal with the question of what podcasts are and what their advantages are. Next, the article describes how podcasts can benefit students and how to determine which podcasts would be the most beneficial. It also discusses how to maximize learning from podcasts. Lastly, the content of ESL/EFL podcasts will be described so that the reader can take advantage of the new wealth of materials available for teaching.

What Is a Podcast?

A podcast is the name of a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program. Podcasts are published on the internet as MP3 files. Interested listeners are able to download these MP3 files onto their personal computer or personal MP3 player of any type The files can be listened to at the convenience of the listener. Learners can listen over and over to any material that is of interest to them. To be useful in a school setting a teacher would need internet access, a computer that can play audio files or an MP3 player.Podcasts can be as short as two to three minutes and as long as an hour. Teachers can subscribe to a podcast through an RSS subscription (Really Simple Syndication). The advantage of this practice is that as new episodes become available they are downloaded to the computer automatically. Also, they come at no cost to the subscriber. Because podcast content is free, teachers now have a way to build up a big listening library for their students on contemporary and relevant topics. Teachers can also encourage students to download podcasts on their own so that they have more listening input.

Advantages of Podcasts

In thinking about podcasts, teachers might ask themselves what the benefit would be for their students. Even at the beginning levels, learners can benefit from global listening even if they only listen from three to five minutes a day. Beginning students will be exposed to the new language “with its own distinctive sound system, intonation patterns, pause system and word order”. (Patterson, 2001, p.93) The intermediate learner has a need for authentic texts and to be exposed to a variety of voices. By the time learners reach the advanced stage, they must be able to learn from listening. Most students in a foreign country rely heavily on reading, writing and vocabulary to learn. It is critical for them to be able to recognize “organizational markers, cohesive devices and definitions in context.” (Patterson, 2001, p. 97)

How to Decide What Podcasts Are Beneficial

There are at least two concepts that teachers must focus on in choosing a podcast for the students to hear. The first has to do with relevance. In order for students to benefit from listening to a podcast the content must be relevant to the learner. When a topic is relevant, it holds the attention of the learner and thus increases motivation. (Morley, 2001) Other researchers have also commented on the need for authentic language and contexts. By providing these tools, students will see the relevance of the activity to their long-term communicative goals. (Brown, 2001) The desire for relevant content is personified through such courses as Business English. In this past year, podcasts for Business English have appeared on the internet. They deal with practical topics such as socializing, telephoning and meetings. Teachers who teach overseas now have the opportunity to access such materials and pass it on to their students. The second concept that a teacher must consider in choosing a podcast is that of transferability. Actually, relevance and transferability are often connected. If students feel that the content is relevant, there is a strong possibility that what is learned can be applied to other situations whether it is at school or out in the real world. “Best listening activities present in-class activities that mirror real life.” (Morley, 2001, p.77) For instance, students can listen to a news broadcast with topics that can later be used in a real life conversation.

Listening Techniques to Enhance Learning

Students will gain the most from podcasts if they employ strategic listening techniques to consolidate their learning. Mendelsohn (1994) offers seven techniques that will help the listeners focus on any listening activity.
Listen for one crucial detail.
Listen for all the details.
Listen for the gist
Listen for mood and atmosphere.
Listen for the main idea.
Listen to form hypotheses and make predictions.
Listen to make an inference.

Have an Outcome in Mind

As students listen to a podcast, there must be a purpose for this activity. In other words, what will the students do with the information they gained through listening? Will they take notes, summarize the gist of a story, fill out an outline or fill in a gap story? (Morley, 2001) One can quickly see that a listening activity can involve more than one skill. Writing can be utilized as well as speaking. Students can discuss what they heard on the podcast. For instance, students’ can compare their life experiences with those reported on a podcast.

What Type of Content Is Offered on ESL/EFL Podcasts?

Trying to find information on the internet can sometimes prove to be very frustrating. However, a quick search on an internet search engine will uncover a number of new ESL podcast sites that have been developed for different purposes. The following are just some of the topics that are covered.
Vocabulary
Grammar Topics
Idioms and Slang
Business English
World News and Current events
Limericks and Jokes
Songs
Poetry

Teachers can also take advantage of mainstream media institutions that offer free podcasts such as Voice of America and National Public Radio. Podcasts are not just for listening. Often there is a transcript provided along with worksheets. Some podcasts even provide cultural notes. A number of websites interact with the students and ask them to write in with questions or comments. Often the comments of students provide the material for new programs. One innovative uses of podcasts is to have a student listen to a podcast and read along with its transcript. Then the student will make a recording of the material on a cassette tape and turn it into the teacher along with a written journal. The teacher then listens to the student’s recording and gives appropriate feedback to the student. This type of activity helps the students to develop fluency in reading, to improve pronunciation, and to acquire new vocabulary words.

Conclusion

My interest in podcasts developed because of the desire to find new materials for teaching listening skills. In teaching listening, a teacher can fall into the bad habit of using the same listening materials over and over again. Podcasts can supply fresh ideas and motivation. With any new idea, a teacher must also examine the reasons for using it and the purposes it can serve. Students in an EFL setting need to be exposed to new voices and relevant content. Podcasts can meet this need. But, a teacher must also be committed to teaching good listening techniques such as listening for details. At the end of the day students must be able to do something with what they have heard. As students respond positively to listening tasks, they will be motivated to learn more. After all, the goal of every teacher should be to help students gain confidence in hearing and understanding what is spoken in their new language.

Related Links
iteslj.org/links/ESL/Listening/Podcasts