This mini guide offers a selection of engaging material, that is easy to use and truly useful for improving listening comprehension and writing texts in english
Laura Linzitto, 42, is an English teacher at IIS Pacioli in Crema. She has always been passionate about innovation and new technologies used for education. Some time ago, she offered our readers her “essential mini guide for 2.0 learning” where, with simple wording and practical suggestions, she helps students and teachers take their first steps towards the digital world. Today, she is back with some new guidelines for studying English with technology.
How the idea came about
«There are many people who ask me: “what do you suggest for brushing up on my English, I don’t remember anything and I don’t have time to take a class!”. It is, in fact, difficult to find time to attend an English class when you work and have various other commitments but, fortunately, technology can help us». And so, she decided to collect all of her tips in a short and efficient guide that also proposes various useful sites and free apps for learning English.
The goal of the guide
Laura explains the motive behind the creation of her guide: «In Internet there are, in fact, many resources for studying English autonomously, and this mini guide offers a selection – made with my experience as a digital teacher – of engaging material, that is easy to use and truly useful for improving listening comprehension and writing texts, grammar knowledge and the lexicon of their applications.»
The advantages of using technology
According to Laura, technology allows us to study English while respecting each individual’s learning needs, personalized and autonomous. Just by using web sites and free apps that can all be used at any chosen level of competency. For example, one of the best ways to refine oral comprehension is by watching films in English along with subtitles so that pronunciation and the way a word is spelled can be seen and heard simultaneously.
7 useful sites for learning English online
Here is a list of some of the sites that Laura has chosen for her collection:
- crownacademy, a series of YouTube videos on various topics, both vocabulary and grammar
- realenglish, free interactive videos and lessons
- bbclearningenglish, the BBC site offers English lessons with videos, learning activities, texts for reading
- britishcouncillearnenglish, the British Council site for learning English with videos, listening activities, games and more divided by age group
- listenaminute useful site for listening exercises on various subjects
- englishlearner site offering grammar exercises divided into levels
- manythings as the name itself states, this is a site full of various types of resources, from grammar to listening to pronunciation, etc.
As well as websites, there are also free applications that can be downloaded and used to improve English. Here are a few:
- abaenglish for learning English through films
- busuu for practicing English with a native tongue community
- duolingo learning English through play
