Mango is my favorite interactive resource and was very helpful because it repeats words and phrases many times and returns to previous lessons to be sure you haven't forgotten them. I also really enjoy the iPhone app, because I have already used it while I am waiting for classes to begin, etc. I also enjoy using Byki, however it was a little more confusing and awkward to use than Mango. For instance, each of the flashcards is in Hindi script, and unless I am able to read it quickly (which I am not at this point), I have to find the pronunciation key each time. Nevertheless, I think that Byki will be a great studying tool because its vocabulary lists are pretty congruent with my lesson plans so far. I have already begun using these two resources, as well as materials from my Hindi class in India, to learn greetings, introduction phrases, and survival language.
There are two resources, Teach Yourself and Talk Now!, in the Global Studio that may be of help to me while I am learning Hindi. However, both of them seem to mirror the activities and lessons on Byki and Mango, which I can access from anywhere. I think it will be worth while to use these two resources occasionally in the Global Studio as a way to test myself in a different way than I am used to with Byki and Mango. However, I don't think Talk Now! or Teach Yourself will be of use as my main source of vocabulary.
In fact, Talk Now! is a bit more interactive and feels like a game in the way that you earn points. This would provide an interesting way to use the material I have already learned through the other resources. It also has a component that can be downloaded onto an iPod or iPhone, which I would like to listen to on the go.
Teach Yourself is a listening exercise in Hindi conversation, and in listening to it this week, I think it will be a bit overwhelming for my first few weeks. However, I would like to use the CDs as practice in interpretive listening when I have a bit more experience with the language.
I also bookmarked two websites on Diigo that could be of use as cultural sources as well as language learning resources. As I wrote in an earlier post, I learned many words and phrases during my semester in India by memorizing song lyrics. For that reason, I bookmarked a site that allows you to listen to the most popular Bollywood songs and a site with a lot of modern Hindi poetry. I chose this one because the modern language is more likely to be close to what I am learning, rather than older poetry that may use more elevated language. As I mentioned in the Diigo bookmark, the website would be a great exercise in recognizing written characters and words more quickly, and identifying any words that I know.
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