Category: Online Resources

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Master the AZERTY keyboard with French typing tests!

One of the first things I did while taking French 110 (now 111/112) was add a French keyboard to my laptop and phone. What I didn’t know as a beginning French student was that even the French keyboard layout is different!

Layout of a French AZERTY keyboard from the Mac keyboard settings.

This layout is called AZERTY, with all the additional French characters (ex. ç, é, and à) arranged on number and symbol keys. It also swaps the positions of Q/A, W/Z, and M, which actually helps you type in French faster, believe it or not! As you advance in French, improving your typing (“la dactylographie”) skills will make a difference in typing emails, essays, and texts. Here are two typing practice recommendations to boost your AZERTY typing skills!

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Petit Poulet, Henry Hühnchen, Pollito Tito… also known as Chicken Little

Petit Poulet, aka Chicken Little, looking at his computer. “Le ciel est en train de tomber!”

THE SKY IS FALLING, and you can read that in three other languages on TheFableCottage.com. I discovered this website with a friend as we attempted to read bedtime stories in each other’s languages. TheFableCottage is a multilingual library of bedtime stories written in French, German, Spanish, and also Italian! Each story has a few features that make it really helpful for beginning students: audio recordings, captioned video animations, illustrations, and English translations if you get stuck. All of their free short stories can be found on each language’s respective website: TheFrenchExperiment.com, TheGermanProject.com, and TheSpanishExperiment.com. (Stories can also be accessed on TheFableCottage, but not all of them are free.) This is a great resource for beginner-level students, as the grammar and vocabulary are written using everyday and simple language. These stories expand upon the beginner-level language you’ve learned so far using a story you’re likely already familiar with. Having an additional resource like this can supplement what you learn in class and in your textbook by creating a new context where you use your target language. For example, you may have introduced a photo of your family to your 100-level class, but you can practice that same family vocabulary in the context of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I found the short stories on TheFableCottage to be the perfect resource for anyone in their first year of a language class, and I recommend that you check it out!

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Practice your French and learn some science!

Sometimes the best way to practice a language is by just passively listening to it. This could be in a movie with subtitles, or just an interesting video on YouTube. I see it as letting your subconscious absorb the language through osmosis. Is that even a thing? Maybe there’s a science channel that talks about science-y stuff like that. Wait… there is!

C’est Pas Sorcier is a TV show available on YouTube that explains all kinds of science-related stuff in French. They’re meant for middle and high school students whose first language is French, so they do speak a little fast. I would recommend it for intermediate French speakers (A2 level). My personal favorite is “Comment fonctionne notre électroménager?”, it’s very interesting and the characters are really funny. This show is shown A LOT in French high schools, it’s very nostalgic and even though they’re still releasing new videos, they’ve kept their vintage essence. Go check it out!

Here’s the link to the channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Cestpassorcierofficiel

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Italki: Not offered at Reed? No worries!

If you’ve ever wanted to learn a language that isn’t offered at Reed, give Italki a try! Italki has tutors and teachers from all over the world, and languages from A-Z (literally). If you’re looking to start learning anything from Azerbaijani to Zulu, check out the site to discover what else they offer! Whether you’re just starting out or want to meet with a native speaker to improve your conversation fluency, you can find the tutor you need at the time you’re available.

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Easy Languages: Something for everyone!

Easy Languages is a YouTube channel, a resource, and most importantly a community for language speakers and learners all across the globe. From Swahili to Arabic to Russian to Esperanto and Greek and Spanish, Kazakh, Turkish and many more, the scale of resources available for language learners is immense! They describe themselves as so:

“We are a non-profit project aiming to help people learn languages through authentic street interviews. Our videos show local language and culture in natural, everyday situations – something you can’t find in regular media. Each episode has a specific topic and is produced in one of our many partner countries around the world – Mexico, France, Vietnam, Russia, Egypt, to name but a few. We add subtitles in both the local language and English so that regardless of your level, you will be able to hear, read and “see” the language in its local habitat.”

Easy Languages also cover regional and dialectical differences, and are updating their channels all the time with new languages, locations, and people! Below I have linked only the channels corresponding to languages taught at Reed, but you should check out their website whether the language you’re learning is offered at Reed or not: chances are they’ll have it!

So what do you think? Would you be interested in a Reed College version? Stay tuned…

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Beginner Arabic Youtube

Are you beginning to learn Arabic and in need of some fun and easy media to help boost your vocabulary? Look no further… !يالله

  1. All About Me

Tareq and Shireen are learning how to be kind and considerate friends! Tune in if you’re looking to fill your vocabulary with wholesome terms about friendship and sharing.

2. Arabic Fairytales

Arabic retellings of classic fairytales using simple language and helpful subtitles.

3. Totally Spies! Arabic

Subtitled episodes of Totally Spies! dubbed in Arabic! Ideal if you need something more sophisticated than fairytales.

4. Obayd Fox

Obayd Fox is a British Youtuber living in Saudi Arabia. As a fellow Arabic learner (albeit an advanced one), he tends to speak slightly more slowly than a native, and he usually uses الفصه 🙂

5. Learn Arabic with Khasu

Khasu is also an Arabic learner and a very talented teacher. His channel includes roleplays, skits, vocab lessons, and breakdowns of grammatical concepts.

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What is the future of AI in language learning?

The four images DALLE2 created in response to the prompt, “the future of AI in language learning”. AI image generation is known to struggle with word creation (as is obvious above).

The age of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about a new era of technological advancements to the world, and the impact of AI on language learning is no exception. AI is already being used in language learning applications and programs, and the future of AI in language learning looks even brighter. In this article, we will explore the current state of AI in language learning, the potential future of AI in language learning, and the potential benefits and challenges that AI can bring to this field.

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A Semester of HTML

A screencap from a recent coding session.

Have you ever wanted to learn code? There are an abundance of languages to learn: Python, Javascript, C++, the list goes on. Two years ago as a semester project, I tried to learn Python on my own. Unsurprisingly, I was unsuccessful. Learning a coding language requires a lot of discipline, time, and intense focus. In a class taught by a professor, these factors are mostly taken care of by assignments, class time, and deadlines. It’s hard to pressure yourself to put the time in to properly learn a language. 

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