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Build your English vocabulary while reading the news.  

HistoryPin is a free Web 2.0 tool that allows users to "pin" photos, audio, or video to a particular world map location, much like the Google Earth program. The main idea is that, with enough participation, users will be able to get a sense of the history a location - both the visual and narrative aspects of it - as photos or videos from various time periods are pinned to that location. I can envision my students using it in partnership with another class of L1 students to share the concept of how people and places can change. For instance, both groups might focus on how a major city in their own country has changed, in order to demonstrate that to the other class via HistoryPin. Students would collect and upload photos or videos that show how the respective cities grew, how building or even fashion styles changed. They would use the HistoryPin audio option to describe the changes, my L2 students in Spanish, the L1 students in English. Once the L2 learners had "pinned" their photos on the map, L1 students could review and e-mail corrections so that L2 students could return to HistoryPin and edit their contribution. My students would do the same in return in English for the L1 students (assuming they are learning English, possibly). In this way, through collaboration, all students can gain a new perspective on how people and places look and change in another culture, while honing "technical" language skills.

This is a great resource for EFL teachers.  The site has the recent news articles delivered in three different levels based on learner ability. The site can be used for additional practice for EFL students or as homework.

This project is listed on the ePals website and is my choice for the Global Networks activity. The languages listed in the project description are French and English, however, I think this kind of project could work in just about any language setting.

A teacher shows the video he embedded on this site to his students so they can begin to understand the process

A free Windows text-to-speech plugin for Microsoft Word It will speak the text of the document and will highlight it as it goes. It contains a talking dictionary and a text-to-mp3 converter. WordTalk: A CALL Scotland website.  Can be used with languages other than English

My Food Plate graphics, lesson plans, etc. from USDA in Spanish and English. Good for lessons on food, health and nutrition.

Today's Front Pages is a dynamic feature of the Newseum website, providing pdf versions and links to prominent newspapers around the US and around the world. To access today's news in another country and in another language, view the collection via the "Map"view which allows you to choose the region of the world you want to explore. As an activity for world language students, have them research a current event that appears on the front pages of several international papers, in English and in the target language. Use this activity to not only learn about current news and culture, but to explore how a singular event is reported differently by different newspapers.

LanguageGuide.org is an online language learning resource available in numerous languages ranging from English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, to Korean. This illustrated vocabulary guide contains sound-integrated exercises at three levels -- beginner, intermediate, and advanced, and allows for independent practice at the learner's own pace. These practice exercises are appropriate for elementary and middle school students and this resource would be well suited on a teacher webpage. Thematic topics vary by language but generally include numbers, parts of the body, clothing, food, animals, weather, home, and school. There is an option menu on each screen for listening, speaking, and reading practice, as well as a quiz for students to check their comprehension. Some languages also feature a Grammar and Readings section for more advanced learners.

This blog is for English Language Teachers, but the ideas can be used for any language - I could take the same idea he gives for Scrible and use it on another language site and have students respond to the readings.  

 a really good review of the French vs. English numbers, especially how to count at 70 and above.  A look at transcribing telephone numbers and the comma vs decimal point. 

German holidays

Lingro is an online dictionary tool that allows users to link any URL address or uploaded document and have all words be linked to the available dictionaries in 11 languages. Once the URL address or document is linked to the Lingro dictionaries every word becomes "clickable" and linked to the program's dictionary to view either a definition in English or a translation in the other languages. This site can be used by World Language teachers and students in a variety of ways to encourage reading comprehension in L2. For teachers use, Lingro can be used for created guided practice activities with L2 readings, such as in an online newspaper or uploaded document. The teacher guides students through the target vocabulary to be learned and promote the discussion of its context use and correct translation. For student use, vocabulary lists can be created with the click of a button which can later be reviewed as flashcards or word lists with examples of use in contextual sentences. This tool aids learners with a quick reference for the meaning of words without having to interrupt a lesson or reading exercise for lengthy amounts of time.

This site provdies activites for a pletohora of languages for beginning languages learners.

This site mirrors the English version, but all the content is in French. The quizzes after each cartoon video clip are very useful for extending vocabulary beyond the basics.

Audio-Lingua offers mp3 recordings in several languages, at several levels of study.  You can select by theme, length, voice (male/female)

Excellent native-speaker audio clips (from 15 - 120 seconds long) available in multiple languages and filtered by proficiency level.

A slew of resources to help learners of all ages learn how to read and report on charts and graphs.

Sample tasks with answers that focus on how to read and write about charts and graphs. Great resource for students in EDTC 615.