100 Excellent Language Lessons on You Tube

Posted by Site Administrator in Features, Learning Tools Jun 8th, 2009

By Caitlin Smith

Learning a new language from a book is certainly helpful, but it’s even better when you can hear pronunciation and see interaction between those speaking the language. Luckily, there are plenty of people who have videos on You Tube offering excellent language lessons that are totally free for you to watch. Save your money for your travels instead of on language schools and check out this sampling of the many videos teaching Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Thai, and American Sign Language.

Spanish

Whether you are just visiting or studying abroad you can get a good start on the basics of Spanish with these videos, some of which are specialized by country.

1. Spanish Lesson 1 Introductions. Learn how to say hello no matter what time of day it is, ask someone’s name, and more in this video.
2. How to Speak Spanish : Common Spanish Phrases for Events. These helpful phrases will be handy if you are attending an event in Spain.
3. Spanish For Beginners. This video teaches important basic phrases, numbers 1-10, and days of the week for those learning to speak Spanish.
4. SPANISH LESSONS: EL VERBO ESTAR – THE VERB TO BE. Learn how to use this important verb, including forms specific to certain countries.
5. Spanish Lesson 5 The Alphabet. Asking how to spell someone’s name and the Spanish pronunciation of the alphabet are the focus of this video.
6. Learn Spanish Lesson video. Using the direct method, this video teaches Spanish in Spanish and focuses on several modes of transportation.
7. 01 Spanish Lesson – La ropa. This video teaches vocabulary of the different types of clothing.
8. 02 Spanish Lesson – Reflexive Verbs (part 1). Learn what a reflexive verb is and how to use them correctly in Spanish.
9. Learn Spanish with Joaquin Chacon, the video lessons …. From Spain, this teacher provides basic Spanish questions and answers that are translated in subtitles below.
10. 01037 Spanish Lesson – La Familia. Learn vocabulary for family members in this video.
11. Spanish classes – Clases de español 3. Explore what’s in a typical house by learning these vocabulary words.

French

Learn pronunciation, basic phrases, and even how to say "I love you" with these videos.

12. Basic French Lesson 1: Learn basic French. Start with some basic French such as learning pronouns and some beginning verbs in this video.
13. French lessons on numbers. Not only can you learn the French words for 1-30, you also get two different camera angles showing the proper shape of the mouth while saying the numbers.
14. Common French Phrases : Useful French Words & Phrases. Learn basic phrases such as "Please," "That’s right," and "You’re welcome."
15. Common French Phrases : French Phrases for Getting to Know Someone. The phrases in this lessons include questions and answers useful when getting to know someone.
16. Common French Phrases : Common French Phrases for Restaurants. From asking for a recommendation to making a reservation to ordering food, learn what to say here.
17. ParisByPod French lessons – pronunciation exercise n°5. Listening and pronunciation are the focus here where you see photos and hear French as you attempt to identify two target words.
18. Months in french pronunciation. Learn the months of the year and how to pronounce them in this video.
19. BY REQUEST: French: the language of love (1). Perhaps recognized as one of the most romantic languages, learn the French to tell someone you love them.
20. French Lesson Video: French Lesson 6. Learn how to ask questions with some basic sample questions here.
21. French lesson: Using the superlative in French. Take your descriptions to the next level by learning how to use superlatives for adjectives and adverbs.
22. Learn French for free with Coffee Break French – episode 5. This video teaches how to say the words describing family and a few other words, too.

German

From straightforward language lessons to fun on-the-street interviews, these videos will help students of German.

23. German Lessons Unit 1. Learn German by listening to real people on the street responding to the same question from this popular and entertaining series.
24. German pronunciation 1-R. This video offers pronunciation demonstrations of how the letter "r" is used in various places of specific words.
25. Learn German – Lesson 1. Get a basic German lesson including identifying in which city you are located and personal pronouns.
26. Learn German – Lesson 2. Continue the previous lesson with this one that puts your newly-learned words into action.
27. Learn German – Lesson 3. This video will teach you about plural definite articles and plural nouns.
28. Learn German numbers, "How much?" + "I’ll take it!". Listen to this song to learn numbers and how to ask how much something costs.
29. Learn How to Speak German. Get some basic vocabulary with this video, including "Thank you" and "Good."
30. German Verbs haben & sein. Learn about these two "foundation" verbs to help provide a good basis for your German language skills.
31. Traveling Germany: Basic German Phrases & Tips for Travelers : Dining & Ordering in a Restaurant: German Phrases for Travelers. This video will help you know how to order food and beverages as well as other necessary phrases for use in a German restaurant.
32. German language: greetings. Find out the different ways to introduce yourself and greet others in both formal and informal methods.
33. Traveling Germany: Basic German Phrases & Tips for Travelers : German Phrases for Traveling By Train. Explore Germany by train with the helpful language and cultural lessons in this video.

Italian

These videos are from both native and non-native speakers and offer a great beginning to speaking and understanding Italian.

34. Italian Lessons: Lesson 1. This video offers Italian basics from non-native speakers who provide plenty of energy with their helpful lesson.
35. learn Italian – learn numbers in Italian & how to tell time. From the LearningLikeCrazy series, this video teaches numbers and telling time.
36. Learn Italian – Time expressions in Italian. Take the previous lesson further with more time expressions in Italian.
37. Learn Italian – Learn The Days Of The Week. Get pronunciation and written versions of the days of the week here.
38. italian lesson 1. This video offers basic words and phrases such as "Yes," "Thank you," and "Excuse me."
39. Basic Italian Conversation. Learn to introduce yourself and how to exchange greetings with this video.
40. My Daily Phrase Italian – Lesson 73. With this lesson, find out how to order wine and beer at an Italian bar.
41. Learn Italian – Vocabulary: Colors. Learn how to say the basic colors in Italian here.
42. The Travel Linguist – Italian 101. Get ten basic words and phrases to start you off with your Italian lessons.
43. ITALIAN LESSON – GRAMMAR – part 1 [Definite Articles]. Learn about the six definite articles in Italian from this video.
44. italian lessons 4. Visit the airport and learn how to get around with these airport phrases.

Russian

From learning the alphabet to counting to greetings, these videos offer a glimpse into the Russian language.

45. Russian Language Lesson :01 Formal Greetings. Learn formal greetings in Russian for situations with people you don’t know.
46. Russian Language Lesson :02 Informal Greetings. Continue your greetings lesson with this video which teaches you how to greet those you know well.
47. Russian Alphabet – Russian Language Lesson :03. Discover the history of the Russian alphabet as well as how to read and pronounce each letter.
48. Learn Russian: Useful Phrases. Get a quick look at a few useful phrases for beginners with this video.
49. Beginners Russian, the best tips and Learn another language. This video helps you learn more about proper usage of formal and informal while also teaching some usage and vocabulary for basic Russian.
50. The Best of Russian – Easy Tour. Learn how to say phrases such as "No, thank you," "Pardon me," and "Do You Speak English?" with this video.
51. Learn how to count in Russian. This video will teach you how to count from 1 to 20 in Russian as well as how to read the numbers.
52. Russian survival words. From "Hello" to "Where is the bathroom?" are taught on this video.
53. Tips for Learning Russian. This Russian tutor offers several tips on making learning Russian a bit easier and understanding how to approach grammar and pronunciation.
54. RL102 – 1 Basic Russian grammar lesson 1. Start learning the basics of Russian grammar with this video.
55. animals in russian. Learn the Russian words for many common animals here.

Japanese

Get a start of the three writing systems used in Japan, learn vocabulary, and find out how to use greetings with these videos.

56. Japanese Lesson 1. This video offers a good introduction to understanding how Japanese grammar works.
57. Japanese Lesson 2. Continuing from the previous lesson, this lesson explains how to ask questions.
58. Japanese Lesson – Hiragana 1. Learn to read the Japanese writing system, hiragana with this lesson that starts with the vowel sounds and also offers some vocabulary.
59. Japanese Lesson – Hiragana 2. Move to the next hiragana lesson with ka, ki, ku, ke, ko and related vocabulary.
60. Japanese Lessons – Katakana 1. Katakana is the Japanese language system that includes all foreign words. Get started learning katakana with this video.
61. Japanese Lessons – Katakana 2. Keep going with basic katakana lessons here.
62. Japanese Kanji Lessons. Get some practice listening to Japanese as well as learning about the kanji for "car" as well as other related kanji. They also present the words in hiragana.
63. Speak Japanese Fast – Parts of the Face. Listen to the parts of the face spoken by a native Japanese speaker and see the words written in hiragana also.
64. Japanese lesson – The weather. The Japanese like to discuss the weather, so brush up on these Japanese weather phrases that are spoken, written in kanji and hiragana, and in romanji.
65. Japanese lesson – Fruit Names. This lesson provides names of fruit spoken in Japanese accompanied by the hiragana and English written names.
66. Japanese Lesson – Adjectives. Learn some basic Japanese adjectives in this lesson.
67. Basic Japanese Greetings. Listen to these common Japanese greetings that also include when you should use each.

Mandarin Chinese

These videos provide some basic lessons including greetings, family members, how to navigate a hotel front desk, and more.

68. Learn Mandarin Chinese Lesson 1 – Introduce yourself. This first lesson in Mandarin provides the basic greetings and how to introduce yourself.
69. Learn Mandarin Chinese Lesson 2 – Greetings. From "Good morning" to "See you tomorrow," learn some simple greetings in this video.
70. Learn Mandarin Chinese Lesson 4 – Courtesy. Learn how to say polite words such as "I’m sorry" and "Excuse me" in Mandarin.
71. Chinese Lesson #1. This video offers some basic Chinese words and how to write these words.
72. Learn Chinese Mandarin Lesson 8 – In the restaurant. Knowing what to say at a restaurant is important in China. Learn how to order, how to ask for what you need, and more.
73. Learn Chinese Mandarin Lesson 11 – Family Members. Learn how to say and read the Chinese words for family members here.
74. The Travel Linguist – Mandarin 101. This video provides you with ten important words in Chinese including "Hello," "Goodbye," and "Do you speak English?"
75. China-8.com Chinese Lesson – Hotels: At the Front Desk. Focusing on the interchange at a hotel front desk, this lesson will familiarize you with what you can expect to hear and say.
76. Chinese Lesson 2: Time. Learn how to talk about time in Chinese with this lesson.
77. Chinese Lesson 4 – Day of the Week (Monday- Sunday). This video provides the pronunciation of the days of the week. The Chinese characters are written in the "more info" section to the right of the video.
78. Chinese Lesson 5 – Seasons. Learn how to say the four seasons in this video.

Thai

Get started with the complex Thai alphabet and pronunciation as well as learn some basics such as ordering at a restaurant and helpful travel phrases.

79. Learn Thai Language Lesson: Introduction to Thai. Learn about how to be polite and how to use basic phrases in this video.
80. Thai Language Lessons: Thai Vowels, Part 1. With so many vowels in the Thai language, this is an important introduction to learning them all.
81. Thai Language Lessons: Thai Vowels, Part 2. Utilizing what was learned in Part 1, this video looks the vowels in use with Thai words.
82. Thai Language Lessons: Tone Rules Explained. This video explains tone rules as they are associated with written Thai and is the precursor video to understanding the next one.
83. Thai Language Lessons: Understanding Haw Heep. Learn how this consonant is related to Sanskrit, why it is needed, and how it modifies tone.
84. Thai Language: Some basic Thai words/phrases. With handy phrases as "Hello," "Thank you," and "Excuse me," this video will come in handy for learning the basics.
85. Let’s learn Thai with James. From Klik Magazine, James shares some basic Thai phrases.
86. The Travel Linguist – Thai 101. These ten words provide an introduction to Thai and are handy for travelers.
87. Thai Alphabet. Listen and watch as each symbol of the Thai alphabet is spoken and shown together in this video.
88. Learn-Thai-Podcast.com: Thai Food. Learn how to say common phrases about eating in Thai.
89. "Restaurant Phrases" Learn Thai with Langhub.com. The phrases here will help you know how to order in a restaurant.

American Sign Language

Video is a great way to learn about ASL, and these videos will help you with the alphabet, to learn ASL etiquette, vocabulary, and much more.

90. ASL Sign Language Alphabet. This video shows you how to sign the alphabet in American Sign Language.
91. Sign Language Basics: Sign Language: Numbers 1-20. Learn to sign the first twenty numbers with this video.
92. Sign Language Basics: Sign Language: Etiquette. In this video, find out how to get a deaf person’s attention, why you should make eye contact, and the importance of facial expressions.
93. Sign Language Basics: Sign Language: Names. Assigning sign names are the topic of this video.
94. American Sign Language Emotion Words: American Sign Language: Friendly & Unfriendly. These emotion words explore "friendly" and variations of this word.
95. American Sign Language Emotion Words: American Sign Language: Indifferent & Tired. Focusing on negative emotion words, you can learn such words as "indifferent," "tired," and "weak."
96. American Sign Language Food Words: American Sign Language: Colors. Learn how to sign colors so that you can define foods with this video.
97. American Sign Language Food Words: American Sign Language: Grocery Shopping. Another video in the food series, this one helps you learn grocery store signs.
98. American Sign Language Food Words: American Sign Language: Food Types. From American to Chinese to French, learn how to sign different types of foods.
99. American Sign Language Food Words: American Sign Language: Restaurants. Now that you can communicate what type of food you want, learn how to order in a restaurant with these signs.
100. American Sign Language Home Words: American Sign Language: Street, Avenue & Address. Learn how to sign different types of living spaces as well as how to give your address.

 

25 Shocking Facts About American High Schools

Posted by Site Administrator in Features Jun 7th, 2009

By Caitlin Smith

Parents of teens understand being kept in the dark as their teens begin to strive for more independence from their parents. While this may be a natural part of growing up, it doesn’t mean that parents should be in the dark about their children’s schools. It may surprise you to learn about the educational statistics, condition of the school buildings, teacher salaries, and even the safety of teens at Americans high schools.

Education

From funding issues to under-educating students to innovative ways to reach at-risk students, the following facts all revolve around high school education.

1. Underfunded. Many high schools are seriously underfunded, resulting in less opportunities for students to succeed, particularly in low-income or urban schools. In Chicago, more money is spent housing adult prisoners ($21,000 annually) than educating students ($10,000 annually).
2. Many students are lacking history and literature knowledge. A study done by Common Core indicates that a shocking number of students do not know many basic facts from literature and history–even recent history. Sometimes as many as 50% of students from the study didn’t know facts such as that the first World War was between 1900 and 1950, who Adolph Hitler was, or could identify Oedipus.
3. Dropout rate. While dropout rates have fallen considerably since the 1970’s, there are still high numbers of students dropping out of high school. The high school dropout rate for black and Hispanic males is the highest, with rates at 11% for blacks and 23% for Hispanics compared to only 6% for whites. Males are much more likely to drop out than females.
4. Building condition. 44% of schools said that the condition of their physical buildings interfered with learning in some capacity. Most commonly to blame for the interference is air conditioning. Principals reported more interference among portable buildings where such elements as lighting, air quality, noise control, and size of the rooms caused concerns.
5. Distance learning. Most people hear the words "distance learning" and think about college. Surprisingly, more and more high schools are incorporating distance learning into their programs to help alleviate overcrowding, adjust to special scheduling needs of students, and provide AP classes. Results from a 2008 study show that over 9,000 schools had already started using distance learning as a tool for their students.
6. Teacher salaries. The average teacher salary is $47,602 a year with new teachers averaging $31,753 a year. Some teachers earn as little as $28,590 a year. The federal poverty guideline for a single parent with two children is $18,310. New teachers and teachers in poorer districts are earning just over $10,000 above poverty level.
7. Teacher qualifications. While most high school teachers have majored in the field they teach and many are also certified in that field, it is surprising to learn that among math teachers, 24% of them did not major in math.
8. Number of charter high schools or alternative high schools. Charter and alternative high schools work to provide education in innovative ways to help prevent dropouts, better serve specific communities, offer parents and students a choice in the type of education they receive, and provide help to low-performing students. Many studies have shown the overwhelming effectiveness of these types of schools, yet they frequently receive less funding than other public schools and only make up about 23% of all public schools. Happily, though, charter schools are one of the fastest growing school reforms right now.
9. Vocational education. In the 1980s and 90s almost all high school graduates took some type of vocational or technical education classes. Today, vocational education is down. Not only are the number of students taking classes down, the students who take vocational classes, are actually taking fewer classes.
10. Off to college. Only 66% of high school graduates go to college immediately after graduation. Chances are higher that a graduate will go to college if a parent has a college degree.
11. Academic achievement over time. Looking at academic achievement between the early 1970s and the early 2000s, average reading scores for 17 year-olds is about the same, average math scores have improved slightly, and average science scores have declined.
12. Corporal punishment. Despite the fact that spanking is on a sharp decline with parents and it is often discouraged by medical professionals, many high schools still use corporal punishment as a form of discipline. 21 states allow corporal punishment. In those states, many schools do not even have to notify parents if they have used corporal punishment on their child.

Teen Safety

From date rape to firearms at school to bullying, read about these facts surrounding teen safety.

13. Dating violence. An alarming number of high school students involved in what they qualify as serious relationships are in violent or potentially violent situations. 30% of teens worry about their personal safety and 20% report they have been hit, slapped, or pushed by their partner. One in five reports that their partners threatened violence against themselves or their partners if there was a breakup.
14. Alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse, while not always taking place in the schools, is certainly tied to what does go on at school. One statistic indicates that 25% of 17 year-olds have engaged in binge drinking.
15. Suicide. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in America, ahead of murder, which is ranked 15th and is the 3nd leading cause of death in teens. Handguns are by far the leading method of suicide for both boys and girls at 55%.
16. Bullying. While bullying drops off in high school after peaking in middle school, it does still occur. Some statistics say that up to 75% of students have been victims of bullying. Those who have been bullied are at greater risk for depression and self-esteem problems while bullies are more likely to engage in criminal behavior.
17. Violence at school. While many of the violent school shootings that have made the news happen at rural schools, the fact is that more violence happens at urban schools than rural schools. 84% of this violence involved handguns.
18. Firearms at school. One of parents’ most frightening thoughts is an armed student at their child’s school. In the 2003-2004 school year, 1256 high school students were expelled for bringing firearms to school. Most of those students were caught with handguns.
19. Reducing gun violence. 91% of schools use some type of peer-to-peer or adult-to-peer program that includes such elements as mentoring, tutoring, or other specialize attention for reducing gun violence in school.
20. Metal Detectors. Many people have visions of high school students walking through metal detectors before entering into locked-down buildings. The fact is that only 2.6% of high schools actually have metal detectors on campus. And only 36.4 have locked or monitored gates around the campus.
21. Gangs. In schools where gangs are present, the rate of violence jumps from 2.7% to 7.5%. The idea that gangs are only found in urban schools is not true, with gangs also being found in suburban and rural schools as well.
22. Drugs. On Teen Drug Abuse, one statistic says over 60% of teens surveyed said that drugs were sold, used, or kept at their school. Another says that 20% of 8th graders have tried marijuana and 28% of teens know a friend or classmate who has tried ecstasy.
23. Sexual activity. Parents may be shocked to learn that 46% of teens in a study done by the CDC reported having sex at least one time. If parents rely on their teens to refrain from having sex and do not educate them on the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases or the risk of pregnancy, they may be facing something more serious than their teen’s dishonesty.
24. Date rape. According to one study, 38% of date rape victims are girls between the ages of 14 and 17. Also, 6 out of 10 rapes of young women happen in their own home or the home of a friend or relative. These statistics indicate that some of the relationships formed at high school have the potential for danger.
25. Smoking. Smoking among teens is more common than you may think. One study of high school students indicates that 28% smoke. Another estimate is that 4.5 million teens smoke.

 

25 Amazing Features of the Wolfram Alpha Knowledge Engine

Posted by Site Administrator in Learning Tools Jun 2nd, 2009

By Meredith Walker

The new Wolfram Alpha Knowledge Engine is the first web tool to compute knowledge based on your simple query. It is capable of answering systematic questions based on quantitative principles, like science, units and measures, and places and geography. Unlike a search engine, the Wolfram Alpha pulls from its own knowledge base and actually responds to questions, instead of spewing out reference material for further review. It’s revolutionizing the way we can use the Internet as an information resource, and our list of 25 of its most amazing features proves that.

Overview

Get a basic understanding of what makes the Wolfram Alpha so special.

1. It contains over 10 trillion pieces of data: As of its start date, the Wolfram Alpha Knowledge Engine contains over 10 trillion pieces of data that it sorts through to compute answers to your questions. It also features over 50,000 types of algorithms and models, and more than 5 million lines of code from Mathematica.
2. It’s not a search engine: The Wolfram Alpha team clarifies that its new tool is a "computational knowledge engine" that actually digs through its own knowledge base to compute solutions and responses, unlike a search engine.
3. It works with other search engines: According to the Wolfram Alpha FAQs page, you can use the tool with a regular search engine by adding the box to your regular desktop.
4. It’s always finding new stuff: The Wolfram Alpha is always in development, and is always adding new information to its database. If it couldn’t find an answer to your query the first time, keep checking back in the future.

What it Can Find

Discover how the Wolfram Alpha can work for you by playing around with these example queries.

5. Weather: Find weather forecasts, records, charts, and even local sun rise and set times.
6. Books: Compare books and get information about different books and college textbooks, including interpretations, author information, and more.
7. Maps and Projections: Look up maps according to all kinds of criteria, including life expectancy and more.
8. View your results in all types of formats: Depending on your search, you will find your results displayed in all sorts of formats that make the answer easier to process, including pie charts, bar representation, word definitions, percentages, fractions, and more.
9. Compute dates and times: Look up important information about specific dates in history; calculate time differences, generate calendars for past dates, and more.
10. Compare people: Compare basic facts about people, including their profession, degree, full names, and birth and death dates.
11. Discover genealogy lines: The Wolfram Alpha can compute family relationships and quickly tell you how you’re related to someone by generating a genealogic tree.
12. It can turn you into a stock whiz: Get all kinds of analytics and information on specific stocks. You can even use the engine to compare stocks, do mortgage computations, compute future values, and more.
13. It’s a cheat sheet for hash codes, CAPTCHA, web characters and more: The Wolfram Alpha computes all kinds of web and computer systems data and acts like a cheat sheet when you don’t feel like doing it yourself.
14. It can teach you about music: Use the engine to learn about musical note, chord and scale properties. You’ll find out standard frequency, music notation, keyboard locations, major scales for particular notes, and more.
15. It knows all about genetics: Look up specific genes to find their location, alternate names, sequence length, nearby genes, splicing structure and processes, displayed and explained in clear graphs and definitions.
16. Compute life expectancy: Find out how long you’re expected to live based on your sex, age and geographic location.
17. It’s a statistical genius: Well, sort of, The Wolfram Alpha doesn’t think for itself, but its knowledge base of statistics and probability is enviable.

Tools and Capability

These tools and features make the Wolfram Alpha even more user-friendly and convenient to use.

18. iGoogle Gadget: This download lets you add Wolfram Alpha to your iGoogle page, for convenient Q&A surfing.
19. It works on an iPhone: Wolfram Alpha is already equipped to work and display appropriately on an iPhone.
20. It’s customizable: This program involves Wolfram Alpha creating a database that pulls information from your data and integrated with its own knowledge base. Use the customized version to compare and cross-reference information.
21. Toolbars: You can also add Wolfram Alpha to your Internet Explorer, Firefox 2, or Firefox 3 toolbar.
22. You can add a Wolfram Alpha box to your own site: By choosing to add a box to your own site, you can let visitors search the knowledge base more easily.

How Wolfram Alpha Works

Learn more about how the Wolfram Alpha works and how it can be used below.

23. It’s free: The Wolfram Alpha is free to use for everyone.
24. You can always find primary sources: If you want to know how Wolfram Alpha found your answer, follow the Source Information button to find primary and other resources.
25. It’s considered its own primary source: Wolfram Alpha considers itself a primary source, worthy of being cited in