Learn a language online

Freie Lerninhalte (Open Education Conten usw.) rocken - und sind weiter im Kommen. Hier eine Liste von freien Sprachlern-Tools. Aus MSN: “There are thousands of online sources out there, here’s a few to get started:

* BBC Languages is a great resource to start with for learning French, German, Spanish and Italian. Other languages and activities are included as well, including essential phrases for travellers.

* Open Culture Free Foreign Language Lessons has a collection of podcasts and resources for a variety of languages.

* Your Dictionary.com has a list of grammar and language courses for over 100 languages, as well as supporting links to online dictionaries, radio and TV.

* Word2Word offers a comprehensive directory of free online language courses listed by language.

* World Nomads Travellers Language Guides contain basic phrases and can be downloaded to an audio device for travel.

Practice, practice, practice

Mastering any new skill or subject requires practice and review to ensure retention. Set aside some time each day to review new concepts and vocabulary, to practice reading and writing, and to listen to the language being spoken. Many resources offer daily activities or exercises for practice:

* Before You Know It has interactive flashcards that include pictures, audio and text. The “lite” version of the software is free to download and covers 64 languages.

* The Internet Polygot features online games and activities for people with some basic knowledge of a language. It’s a great resource for people learning more than one language at once or whose first language is not English.

* iTunes offers a variety of free podcasts for learning new languages. Look under “Education” in the “Podcasts” section of the store. Many feeds have short daily or weekly episodes.

* Dictionary.com has a multilingual dictionary, word-of-the-day and games and puzzles features …”

Was ist Dir beim Twittern am wichtigsten?

Enterprise 2.0 (conference plus)

Enterprise 2.0 - The State of the Meme - lautet einer der Konferenz-Videomitschnitte von Andrew McAfee, John Seely Brown ist auch dabei - und die Slides auf der Community-Seite sind ebenfalls hochkarätig … eine ergiebige Seite!

Helge Thomas: Hört auf zu verkaufen!

Als ich mich ein paar Posts zuvor gefragt habe, wer wohl als erster (aus dem Kreis meiner Bekannten) die neuen youtube-Features verwendet … and the winner is: Helge Thomas, MitInitiator der 20 Prozent und ein ganz schneller, congratz!

Five Themes for the Web 2.0 Learner

Ein lesenswerter Beitrag aus Mission To Learn: “In my previous posting I mentioned that Mission to Learn turned one on May 15. As chance would have it, I spoke on a Web 2.0 panel that morning at the annual meeting of Medbiquitous, the organization that was the subject of my very first posting here on Mission to Learn. My topic for the panel was “The Personal Knowledge Management Challenge: A New Learning Literacy for Web 2.0.”

As is usually the case, I had to submit an abstract many months before actually appearing to speak, and in the interim, my thinking about the topic evolved considerably. Preparation essentially became an exercise in retracing my own experiences of learning in a Web 2.0 world over the past year and trying to extract key themes. As usual, I looked to many who are wiser than I for guidance. Here is what I have arrived at so far: … und ab hier lesen Sie bitte selbst weiter >>

Technorati Tags: Lernen, Lernen 2.0, Web 2.0, mission to learn

The 5 Essential Don’ts of Video Podcasting

Do´s and dont´s - wir scheinen diese Art von Listen zu mögen, also: “Forget the dos. We’ve been seeing so many poor corporate video podcasts lately that it’s time to put away the do list and bust out the don’ts. Here are the five major mistakes of business video podcasters …

Video Podcasting Don’ts:

1. Don’t Try to Be a One-Hit Wonder

   Podcasting isn’t the place to be the next viral video sensation. Don’t expect to put one episode of a podcast together and gain a massive audience, says Barnes. Podcasting is about building up an audience over time. Plan to create a multi-episode series over three to six months, Barnes says. That will give viewers time to fall in love with your content and your brand.

2. Don’t Forget to Budget for Video

   Creating a video podcast is much more expensive than creating an audio podcast, Barnes says, and businesses need to be prepared for that. Understand what the undertaking is before you start and create a realistic budget that includes actors, a script writer, lighting, and a professional videographer. The amateur look doesn’t work well with corporate video podcasting.

3. Don’t Record a Two-Person Chat

   While this is the most common format for business video podcasts, it’s incredibly boring. If you can’t make something that’s “infotaining,” says Barnes, then don’t create a video podcast.

4. Don’t Choose the Wrong Topic or Style

   Technology like the iPhone might be a hot topic, but don’t podcast about it if that’s not your business’s core area. While you might get viewers attracted by the subject’s buzz, you’ll burn out in the long run. Also, choose a podcasting style that’s right for your target viewer. Barnes says that many companies want to imitate the look of Rocketboom in their video podcasts, since it’s highly successful, but that style won’t appeal to every audience.

5. Don’t Let the “Resident Nerd” Create the Podcast

   Many companies look to their IT departments and choose the “resident nerd,” an employee with a strong interest in online technology, to spearhead the video podcast. But, Barnes warns, while that person might understand everything about technology, he or she might not understand how to communicate your brand. Consider hiring an expert to help shape your efforts.

To read more from Leesa Barnes, visit her Web site.Technorati Tags: Video, Webvideo, Video Podcasts,

WE present: David Weinberger

Das WE Magazine
“wurde vor wenigen Wochen von Ulrike Reinhard zusammen mit Steffen Büffel und Bea Gschwend gegründet. Das WE-Magzine versucht die vielfältigen Aspekte des “kollektiven Wir-Gefühls” in der global vernetzten digitalen Welt greifbar zu machen. Die drei Gründer verbindet unter anderem die
Leidenschaft, sich mit künftigen Arbeits- und Lernformen zu beschäftigen. Als Cross Media Plattform, soll WE den vielfältigen neuen, sich ständig verändernden Ausdrucksformen des digitalen “WE” Aufmerksamkeit verschaffen.”

Kaum auf Sendung, punktet das Trio bereits mit einem Livestream und Chat, zu dem sie am 15. Juni von 17 bis 18 Uhr den prominenten Internet-Vordenker David Weinberger gewinnen konnten. Mitchatter: Nordlicht Sören Stamer von coremedia, für dessen Herausgeberband “Enterprise 2.0 - die Kunst des Loslassens” David Weinberger einen klasse Artikel über die Kosten der Kontrolle beigesteuert hat.

Deutschlandradio: Film ist nicht alles

Letzte Woche sprachen Lutz Berger und Ulrike Reinhard auf einem Treffen der Dokumentarfilmer, pardon: Dokumentaristen, über “Videodistribution und neue Geschäftsmodelle”. Aus dem Artikel von Achim Killer, der für den Deutschlandfunk unsere beiden Referenten interviewte:

“Sind sie jetzt gefangen im Netz oder bietet ihnen dieses Netz, das World Wide Web, im Gegenteil völlig
neue Möglichkeiten - das fragten sich diese Woche Dokumentarfilmer auf dem Kongress Dokville 2008 in Ludwigsburg. Es ging um den Dokumentarfilm 2.0 und die Neuausrichtung der Zunft der Filmemacher …”

New Reporter Channels Encourages Citizen Journalism

Es liegt auch daran, daß ich am 5. 06 zusammen mit Ulrike Reinhard in Ludwigsburg auf der Dokville 2008, dem Branchentreff der Dokumentarfilmer, einen Vortrag über “Videodistribution und neue Geschäftsmodelle” gehalten habe (siehe den spontan danach entstandenen Blog). Jedenfalls liegt ein Auge zur Zeit auf Citizen Journalism und entsprechende Videos im Web. Dazu passend den folgenden Artikel aus Mashable, Social Networking News:

“For a long time YouTube has managed to feel the love from a wide variety of people. From musicians to political theorists and comedians, the site has grown to be a large meeting place for voices around the globe.

More and more, YouTubers have been using the site as a means for reporting events, debating about current issues that affect society, and sharing perspectives on different sides of stories that we may not hear from just watching cable television or reading a newspaper. Finally, the YouTube YouTube staff has taken notice of these citizen journalists and announced today on the YouTube blog that they have added a new channel type specifically for Reporters.” Already there are a few channel options, such s Director, Comedian, Guru, or, simply, YouTuber.

I think this is small step for YouTube but a giant step for citizen journalism. Perhaps vloggers will join the writers of the blogosphere in our effort to be a part of breaking news events? What do you think?”

Hotspot: Youtube mit klickbaren Annotations

Here comes the sun: Youtube Videos mit Sprechblasen, verlinkbaren Hotspots usw. versehen - hammerhart und ab sofort als Betaversion online! Wer ist erster? Och erinner mich noch gut an einen Streaming Media Kongress um die Jahrtausendwende in Berlin, als ein paar Franzosen diese Technik für DM immens anboten … was in der Praxis leider an Browser-Inkompatibilitäten und mangelnder Bandbreite scheiterte, mich aber schon damals zum träumen brachte. Unbedingt ansehen: