Multimedia Resources for Language Lovers and Learners

In ESL and other language classes, using the same old book-and-CD exercises can get boring. However, online technology enables us to use a variety of formats: Multimedia sources can motivate learning, promote creativity, appeal to students with different learning styles, and if used as a group project, can help develop a sense of community. Here are a few great multimedia resources:

Beginner and Intermediate: Multimedia English at http://www.multimedia-english.com/ provides free videos with subtitles on a variety of topics (including lesson, holidays and stories), audios (phonetics lessons and sing-a-longs), and games like “Phrazzle Me”. This is a game similar to Scrabble, but requires players to form sentences rather than words. You can find a video demonstration of it at http://www.multimedia-english.com/videos/esl/phrazzle-me-an-esl-game-2413

Intermediate and Advanced: A great resource is “Telling Stories Using Drama and Multimedia” at http://www.prel.org/eslstrategies/multimedia.html . It provides strategies for multimedia projects created on a computer to “bring together graphics, video, audio and text, providing students with a variety of ways to express themselves creatively” (PREL, 2005). The site also shows students how to create digital books, PowerPoint presentations, public service announcements, and more. The plans can be leveled up from K-12 to adult learners.

Advanced: My next 3 recommendations are dangerously fun multimedia resources. Caution: They are only for top-level language or linguistics students, or teachers.

(1) ISMS (Institution of Silly and Meaningless Sayings) hosts Language Fun includes clichés, puns, alternative definitions, a mission statement generator, a “bullshine” generator, a “ridiculist” of tips for writers, and dubious (actual) headlines (a great way for students to learn precision in word choice and syntax). This is a British site, so it would also be a good way for students of American ESL to learn some of the differences in colloquialisms in the two cultures. Check it out at
http://www.isms.org.uk/language_fun.htm

(2) A cornucopia of fun for language lovers is Metaverse at http://www.zompist.com .Metaverse (aka “Zompist” ) has had a lot of coverage in the press. This site includes bilingual comics, flashcards, lists of borrowed words from various languages, how to count in 5000 languages, culture tests, funny articles, the Language Construction Kit and more. It offers over a dozen constructed languages (“conlangs”) that have been used in sci-fi and fantasy books and movies.

(3) For advanced language learners who are science majors, we give you: The Journal of Irreproducible Results at http://www.jir.com/. This science humor magazine includes articles, videos, charts, graphs and links to other interesting media. Language learners as well as scientists will enjoy this whimsical site.

For All Levels: Lastly, here is a resource website with 50 games for all types of adult learners, not just language students: parents, those in advanced education, multiple players, and seniors: How To E-D-U: 50 online educational games that are more fun than you'd think. Retrieved from http://howtoedu.org/2010/50-free-online-educational-games-that-are-more-fun-than-youd-think/

All in all, providing multimedia resources goes far in piquing and keeping learners’ interests, while broadening their educational experience.



Reference
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) (2005). Multimedia Strategies: Telling Stories Using Drama and Multimedia. Retrieved from http://www.prel.org/eslstrategies/multimedia.html