Digital (E) Tools
Here are a few useful language learning tools that you might not know about.
Text Summarizer Simplify difficult English text. Cut and paste. % /key word output options
Opensubtitles.org Find and download English movie and TV subtitles (captions) for any video
Want Text to AI Voice, free & easy? MS Clipchamp or in MS Edge browser, use Read Aloud. Other options include MiniMax Audio or NoteGPT.
Want to Assess Your Own Academic Writing?
There are several sites with tools that are better than AI for doing this. Using them and a writing sample/essay, you can initially assess your writing and then apply these tools later to see how it has improved over time and in which ways.
VocabularyProfiler - shows you % and what vocabular from the GSL, AWL, etc. are in your essay
Analyzemywriting.com - analyzes mechanics of your writing: readability, word/sentence length, lexical density
Download and complete a worksheet that explains how to use the above sites and their tools fully, and also gives you practice with prompts and using AI for assessing your writing
Opensubtitles.org Find and download English movie and TV subtitles (captions) for any video
Want Text to AI Voice, free & easy? MS Clipchamp or in MS Edge browser, use Read Aloud. Other options include MiniMax Audio or NoteGPT.
Want to Assess Your Own Academic Writing?
There are several sites with tools that are better than AI for doing this. Using them and a writing sample/essay, you can initially assess your writing and then apply these tools later to see how it has improved over time and in which ways.
VocabularyProfiler - shows you % and what vocabular from the GSL, AWL, etc. are in your essay
Analyzemywriting.com - analyzes mechanics of your writing: readability, word/sentence length, lexical density
Download and complete a worksheet that explains how to use the above sites and their tools fully, and also gives you practice with prompts and using AI for assessing your writing
| analyze_my_writing_wsheet__don_h.docx |
Do You have these on your devices? (A Basic Tool Kit Checklist)
A Good Offline Dictionary? Not all dics are the same... make sure you get one with words you need. For most SE Asian languages, I recommend Innovative-Software. Bappi (Indonesian), and Paiboon (Thai) are also great.
Google Translate? If you haven't, check out the camera feature to translate foreign signs and text
a Flashcard App? Great for vocab learning. My favs with spaced repetition are Memrise and Anki.
Quizlet has been around forever & has a lot of decks available. Read my Master's thesis on this topic.
a Grammar Checker? Grammarly and ProWritingAid are the two best.
VLC Player? 'Old school' but still the best for language learning. Increase volume above 100%, slow playback for dialogue, use equalizer to boost spoken voice, add subtitle track (captions). And, iplay almost any file type created
ScreenPal? A Free easy-to-use screen capture and recorder with no watermark.
A Good Offline Dictionary? Not all dics are the same... make sure you get one with words you need. For most SE Asian languages, I recommend Innovative-Software. Bappi (Indonesian), and Paiboon (Thai) are also great.
Google Translate? If you haven't, check out the camera feature to translate foreign signs and text
a Flashcard App? Great for vocab learning. My favs with spaced repetition are Memrise and Anki.
Quizlet has been around forever & has a lot of decks available. Read my Master's thesis on this topic.
a Grammar Checker? Grammarly and ProWritingAid are the two best.
VLC Player? 'Old school' but still the best for language learning. Increase volume above 100%, slow playback for dialogue, use equalizer to boost spoken voice, add subtitle track (captions). And, iplay almost any file type created
ScreenPal? A Free easy-to-use screen capture and recorder with no watermark.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is the latest, greatest tool for learning English. But, only if it is used wisely. Here are some exercises and prompt suggestions to help you use it as effectively as possible:
AI is the latest, greatest tool for learning English. But, only if it is used wisely. Here are some exercises and prompt suggestions to help you use it as effectively as possible:
