Department Activities

• Poetry Corner
• Student Narrative

For those who are interested in the Spanish language, our computers are equipped for Spanish language word processing, including grammar and spell checking. If you would like to learn how to type Spanish accent marks and diacritics, check out our section on Multilingual Computing. In addition, the center is available for students who would like to use technology to practice and improve their Spanish. This may take the form of:

• Viewing authentic streaming television;
• Listening to streaming Spanish radio;
• Reading online newspapers from the Spanish speaking world;
• Practicing your grammar using an online tutorial page;
• Participating in Spanish speaking chat groups;
• Creating your own multimedia or Web-based Spanish project.

Links to these resources and activities are provided below. You may use the resource center for these programs or follow the links from your networked personal computer.

Note: For streaming television, radio or other media-rich Web sites, you must have a few plug-in applications installed on your computer. All of the computers in the Language Resource Center are already configured with these applications. If you would like to view any of these sites from your personal computer, you should download the free software by clicking on the links below. These programs will add the necessary functionality to your Web browser and allow you to view multimedia and streaming media on the Web. The most common plug-ins for streaming media are Real Player, QuickTime, and Windows Media Player. In addition to these, it is a good idea to download the Shockwave and Flash players. Many language tutorial sites use these plug-ins to display media content, such as animation, sound, and interactive exercises. When downloading the plug-ins, be sure to look for the free player, since many of these companies offer an enhanced version of the plug-in for a price.

Streaming television offers you the chance to view live or prerecorded video from Spanish speaking countries. These programs are authentic broadcasts designed for native speakers, but can be very useful for the language learner. If you would like tips on how to get the most out of streaming television from a language learning perspective, visit our page on Language Learning Technology. We offer tips on how best to approach and learn from such material.

Streaming radio will allow you to listen to live or prerecorded radio broadcasts from many Spanish speaking countries. These programs are authentic broadcasts designed for native speakers, but can be very useful for the language learner. If you would like tips on how to get the most out of streaming radio from a language learning perspective, visit our page on Language Learning Technology. We offer tips on how best to approach and learn from such programs.

Many newspapers and magazines have an online edition in which you can practice your reading skills and learn new vocabulary. If you would like tips on how to get the most out of reading authentic materials online, visit our page on Language Learning Technology.

ABC
http://www.abc.es/

El Correo
http://www.diario-elcorreo.es/vizcaya/edicion/portada.html

You can now find many language related Web sites, which offer tutorials, exercises, and practice for the learner. These are pages written specifically for those who are learning the language and can be an excellent opportunity to gain additional practice outside of the classroom.

Spanish Grammar Exercises - Barbara Nelson's site from Colby College
http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises

Chat groups are an excellent way to meet native speakers online. You can join a group and simply "listen" to the conversations, or you can try out your language skills by participating. If you would like tips on how to get the most out of chat groups from a language learning perspective, visit our page on Language Learning Technology. We offer tips on how best to approach and learn from this technology.

ICQ International - Lists of groups and users organized by language and country.
http://www.icq.com/languages

Multimedia Production in the Language Resource Center

We are also set up for limited multimedia production. We have the capability and equipment to digitize video, record audio, and edit digital movies with iMovie for the Macintosh. You can burn these to a CD-ROM or record these in a VHS format. You can also create an interactive Web site using software available in the center.

If you are interested in creating a multimedia or Web project for one of your language classes, talk to your instructor and the language center manager about possibilities.