Summary

From beginner to advanced levels, EnglishClass101.com is an excellent, all-around online environment for learning ESL. The Pod101 platform, method and technology provide the necessary tools to get you immersed in the English language and achieve the goals you desire and/or require.

Since EnglishClass101.com is web-based, you can access your personal ESL Learning Center from anywhere, and it's really easy to download the podcasts and put them on your mp3 player (iPod, Zune, etc) or mobile phone to take them with you for practice and learning on the go.

One of the most important things when learning a language is good content - and EnglishClass101.com has this, and a steady flow of it. This constant flow of fresh content regards cultural aspects of ESL you will want to know, interesting tidbits about navigating in English-speaking societies (whether on vacation or living abroad), practical information about getting by and much more.

Your ESL Learning Center brings together audio podcast lessons, lesson notes and checklists, transcripts, PDFs, video lessons, vocabulary training with flashcards and quizzes plus a English dictionary, grammar bank, a verb reference and plenty more.

And if you enjoy asking questions and learning from and helping other learners, a forum is available for all users.

It's simple to try it for free and upgrade if it works for you.

From Website

At EnglishClass101.com, our goal is to make learning the English language easy and fun, while also incorporating culture and current issues into our lessons. We believe that the more you speak, the quicker you learn, so we have designed our program to get you speaking right away. Situational English is heavily stressed, and our team role plays various situations to demonstrate the proper form of English to use when speaking with friends, customers, executives, and so-on. Knowing the proper form to use separates good speakers from great speakers.

EnglishClass101.com was developed with the hope of showing the world how fun and easy learning English can be. Here at EnglishClass101.com, we truly believe that learning can be fun, while at the same time convenient. We know how busy you are and that each day brings unexpected surprises. That is exactly why we bring the lessons to you and let you decide when they start.

Our innovative, fun, and easy to use language learning system is designed to get you speaking and interacting from the very first lesson. Learn English at your own convenience and pace with short, effective, fun daily lessons and a comprehensive, state-of-the-art Learning Center that provides you with the tools to take your English to the next level! Our interactive learning system consists of free daily audio podcast lessons, accompanying PDF materials, a Premium Learning Center, and a vibrant user community.

Our Method

EnglishClass101.com offers a unique learning experience that cannot be found in conventional classrooms. In addition to offering lessons that can be completed on your own time, we approve all of the content we release through a government certified English teacher. Here are just a few of the revolutionary advantages of our method:

Exposure to native speakers and many different kinds of voices and speaking styles…

EnglishClass101.com aims to have you speaking English after just one lesson! Our lessons focus on pronunciation and listening comprehension, so that you can start practicing what you learn from our professional teachers. Inside the PDF you will find the necessary tools for reading comprehension, and thorough explanations of phrases and key grammar points, in addition to segments on cultural insight. To address speaking practice, we have state-of-the-art software to allow you to record your own voice so you can compare your pronunciation to our teachers and continue to refine your speaking skills.

When all the aspects of EnglishClass101.com are put together, this program provides students of English with ultimate self-study learning course. In addition, we often provide conversations between three people to more closely simulate real-life situations.

Fresh, up-to-date content...

Many English teachers who live overseas have been out of the country for a long period of time and can be “out of the loop” on current words, culture, etc. This is another major gap that we fill. Lessons are carefully crafted to include current events, words, celebrities, and so-on. This is very dynamic content.

Borderless education on-demand...

We also fill a definite demand in remote locations. Our lessons provide you with a mobile classroom, as we bring you English on Demand. English lessons wherever you may be.

EnglishClass101.com offers our listeners a unique learning experience that delivers cutting-edge, dynamic content to be accessed at your convenience. With the inclusion of our lesson notes and Learning Center, we offer a full solution that provides the material, guidance, exercises, and testing to really make the knowledge your own. And it doesn’t even stop there - our vibrant and extremely helpful community provide each other not only quick answers to questions, but also give each other a sense of encouragement and motivation that is often lacking.

We focus on English, and English only...

Just English! All we do is English. EnglishClass101.com is not a generic package language learning course, such as some of the other big name language learning programs out there. Many other programs “scale” their solutions across several languages, simply recycling the same material over and over - the same pictures, the same conversations, just in a different language. But each language is unique, and at EnglishClass101.com we pride ourselves on developing a system that’s only about the English language and English culture!

One stop studying...

Have you ever found yourself lost on the information highway? Sometimes it’s like trying to drink from a fire hose! Hundreds of bookmarks, all with varying levels of quality and credibility. You finally find a great site, but it only updates once a year! EnglishClass101.com offers users one stop studying. The learning center has been carefully designed to provide you with the resources you will need to take your English to the next level.

Visit EnglishClass101.com.

Summary

This (lengthy) article brings together a pile of Free Software (GNU GPL'd as Public Domain), freeware and shareware for language learning and reference for Mac OS X.

Software descriptions are taken from Apple Downloads. We will be adding more GPL applications soon.

Summary

Verbix is "an independent non-profit organization that aims to promote and protect linguistic diversity." The tools on their site "contain verb conjugations for hundreds of languages, ranging from national and international languages to regional and even extinct languages."

There are four main things to bring your attention to in this article:

1) WebVerbix, a great free online verb conjugator for over eighty languages.

2) WikiVerb, a wiki site dedicated to languages, verbs, and verb conjugation.

3) FreeVerbix, a freeware version of the Verbix Windows software which bumps the number of available languages to above one hundred.

4) The Verbix website, where all three of the above and more (including the $40 paid version of Verbix 2008 for Windows) are available. Your purchase will support the non-profit group and expand the Verbix non-profit organization and web presence.

Also of import is the list of supported languages for the above-mentioned free and commercial products and online services.

The free Verbix stuff (WebVerbix, FreeVerbix and WikiVerb) provides plenty to work with for language learners and educators alike. The free online version works great for conjugating an enormous amount of verbs instantly.

From Website

UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Verbix is an independent non-profit organization that aims to promote and protect linguistic diversity [UNESCO Observatory: Multilingualism]. This site contains verb conjugations for hundreds of languages, ranging from national and international languages to regional and even extinct languages.

FreeVerbix 7.3 is a universal Verb Conjugator that shows verb inflections in 100+ languages. It is based on Verbix language extension technology, so after installation of Verbix you can easily install any language extension to add more languages in Verbix.

WebVerbix is a free on-line verb conjugator. It contains a subset of Verbix for Windows features.

WikiVerb is a site dedicated to languages, verbs, and verb conjugation. It's not going to be a copy of information available in WikiPedia, but it will focus in verb conjugation. It won't replace www.verbix.com either, but it includes information and languages that are not available there.

Visit Verbix.com

Download Language Freeware

UPDATE: Byki now available for 74 languages! See list below.

Byki is freeware for learning [74] languages, including many less-taught languages for which learning materials are hard to find, such as Georgian, Mongolian and Icelandic. This is a gold mine for folks interested in learning the basics of over [seventy] languages - with no budget!

Along with the freeware, learners have free access to the Byki user community where other users share vocabulary lists for all the languages, instantly providing you with loads of new, free content.

They also offer a commercial upgrade for $49 USD, reasonable, and you get lots of extras with the upgrade.

The free version has been used both by folks at Free Language and friends of those folks. Beginners especially seem to get a lot out of this software.

Have a look!

Current Languages Available

Afrikaans, Albanian, Altai, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bashkir, Belorussian, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Buriat, Chechen, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dari, Dutch, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Macedonian, Malay, Mirandese, Mongolian, Norwegian, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (European), Romanian, Russian, Scottish, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog (Filipino), Tajiki, Thai, Turkish, Turkmen, Tuvan, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese and Zulu.

The folks at Byki are working hard to make more languages available in the near future.

Update from Byki!

As of September 5th, 2008, we’ve launched a whole new version of Byki (the artist formerly known as Before You Know It) with several new languages, and a beautiful new site. Be sure to check out the new ListCentral, with profile avatars). The new Byki has lots of great new stuff including new learning games and the new Byki blog.

Visit www.Byki.com

Summary

Avatar Languages offers a unique English language-learning experience in Second Life. Second Life is a virtual world with plenty of people from all over the world wandering around in digital forms, known as avatars. Avatar Languages has a language school for English learners right there in Second Life. You can log on and go there to learn!

This is a unique language-learning model, made possible only very recently thanks to our speedy technology. The possibilities are broad, as you can teleport to anywhere you want! Sushi in Tokyo with an English teacher? No problem. A tour of London with an English tutor? No worries!

Avatar Languages brings these and other possiblities to users of Second Life, combined with private tutors and an innovative language learning environment. You can chat via Skype, collaborate with Google Docs, learn with online whiteboards and more - all as part of their method.

Currently English is the only language offered. Spanish, Aymara and Quechua will be taught soon as well, and it could very well grow from there. Check them out for a free intro lesson to see if it will work for you.

From Avatar Languages

Learn English in Second Life

Let your Avatar take you to new worlds and advance your English. Learn English speaking with real teachers in a virtual school. An innovative new language school in Second Life - virtually the best English school in the world.

Professionalism

Qualified Teachers: we are all qualified, experienced, native English speakers. Meet the teachers...

Cutting Edge Methods: we will get you talking and using your English in real situations.

Free Trial Lesson

We offer a 15 minute lesson, absolutely free with no commitment. The free trial lesson includes access to our virtual campus in Second Life.

During the lesson we will assess your level of English and help you to determine your learning goals.

How it Works

You can be learning English with us within minutes - you probably already have everything you need!

* Internet
* Microphone & Speakers
* Computer
* Second Life Avatar (basic account)
* Skype, MSN or Yahoo

Virtual Fun

Meet other students in our student cafe and practice your English. You will get to know other students both in Second Life and real life.

Allow yourself to escape into a world where your imagination can go wild. You will learn by playing and having fun.

See how exciting it will be...

Visit Avatar Languages

From Second Life

Second Life® is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe.

From the moment you enter the World you'll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. Once you've explored a bit, perhaps you'll find a perfect parcel of land to build your house or business.

You'll also be surrounded by the Creations of your fellow Residents. Because Residents retain intellectual property rights in their digital creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other Residents.

The Marketplace currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the inworld unit of trade, the Linden™ dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several thriving online Linden dollar exchanges.

Welcome to the Second Life world. We look forward to seeing you inworld.

Visit Second Life