Evaluating Information Sources

Nowadays, it is so much easier and faster to find any kind of information since we no longer need to look for it in books, but instead we can find it on the web. Moreover, Internet is a good source of fresh information as it gets updated constantly.

However, there is always a negative side, as well. In fact, the main disadvantage of the Internet is that anyone can make a website, therefore, you can come across lots of grammar and spelling mistakes, for example. Next, it is also difficult to find a relevant piece of information as you easily get lost in all the amount of material that is on the net. So, for this reason when we are using the web as a source we have to take into consideration a few things:

• What type of domain does it come from? (i.e. .uk, .edu, .org, etc.)
  

• Who is the author?
  

• Does the publisher or publication have a reputation for reliability?

• Is contact information for the author or group available on the site?

• When was the page last updated?

However, until now I usually looked only at the domain, the layout and language. With this activity I realized that there are many other important data, which can help you judge the credibility of the information provided.

My Impressions of YouTube

My first impression of YouTube was good because those videos that Sarah recommended us to watch were really interesting and particular. So, I explored a little bit this tool in order to see what other kinds of videos can be seen on this site. I noticed that here you can opt for videos of different categories (i.e. music, news, etc.), which makes it easier to find what you are looking for. What is especially useful about YouTube is that you can choose, for example, which news to watch. Whereas, when you watch TV you can't decide what to watch but what others impose you to. So, on YouTube you are free to check out the news you are interested in not having to listen to the entire news on TV.

Another advantage of YouTube is that it can be helpful for learning English as a second language, especially for improving your listening comprehension. In fact, On TeacherTube I discovered some useful videos concerning English vocabulary and listening practice, too.

The only disadvantage of this tool is that there are also lots of videos that are shocking and can have a negative influence on us, especially on children. This is because everyone is free to add on this site any kind of video he likes. That is why, some are really immoral and without sense.

Exploring Podcasts

This weekend I've been exploring the podcasts which can be of great help for ESL students. I must admit that I had never heard of the podcasts before, so I found this new experience very interesting and useful. I was really surprised when I saw how many web pages are dedicated just to ESL podcasts. In fact, it seems that nowadays you can find all sorts of listening, writing and reading activities on the Internet that you almost don't need to go abroad to improve your English.

However, in my opinion one of the major benefits of using ESL podcasts, is that you can develop your English listening and reading skills using MP3 audio files and audio scripts. This means that you can practice your English anytime and anywhere you want. I think this is really awesome.

I recommend the following web sites:

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_all.php

http://www.betteratenglish.com/

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-listening-downloads-articles.htm

I find the last web site especially good since it provides a wide range of articles, stories and poems, as well as listening comprehension activities. The second one presents lots of podcasts concerning mainly grammar practices, and the first one offers many ESL podcasts of everyday life topics.

Social bookmarking

Hello!

I must say that in this course I am discovering lots of new sites and programmes that can be found on the internet. Because I've only recently started to create my blog, I am still trying to understand how things work here. So, I am a little frustrated because I have to recuperate lots of work.

However, I've found my first experience of social bookmarking very interesting and useful. First thing that I find great about social bookmarking is the fact that it enables you to look for sites of your interest in a faster way. It gives you also the opportunity to find very helpful websites just by exploring other persons bookmarks. I find this kind of information sharing very practical and convenient. In fact, when I was 'investigating' other peers bookmarks I came upon some very curious ones.