Listening to English at home: podcasts

Hello again,

As promised, here I post some information about podcasts.

In case you have never heard of podcasts, it's a digital media which consists of an episodic series of files (audio or video) to which you can subscribe. This means that every time there is a new podcast, they will tell you. Normally they last between 2 and 10 minutes, although there are some which are longer.

The best way to find podcasts is using the programme iTunes (You can download it here). Once you install it in your computer, open it and on the left side you'll find something similar to this:

Click on iTunes store, and then select the option "podcast". You'll find a screen similar to this:

There you have a very complete list of podcasts you can choose from. You can also search according to category, if you want video or audio podcast, you can look for a specific one, etc. When you find a podcast you like, click on it and then on "subscribe/subscribirse". Everytime there is a new one, it will automatically download to your iTunes.

To listen to your podcasts, simply click on Library --> Podcasts (left column). You can also copy the podcasts to your iPod, MP3 player, a CD, etc.

Some podcasts I recommend to you:

• Ask about Britain
• 6 Minute English
• British Council - Learning English
• English Grammar HELP
• Speaking English podcast
• Any other specialised one you like: Discovery Channel, BBC news, BBC radio, TV documentaries, science reports, history, etc.

I'll try to show this in class on Tuesday. It's not difficult at all, and it's incredibly, incredibly helpful. Besides, you can learn English while listening to something of your interest. 

Ana.