I Have to Start ... So do You!

One, two, three...

hulloo...welcome to my new program: I Have to Start...

well not quite new program actually... It's just, I feel like kinda need to practice my English far more seriously.

So I decided to post more English posts than before...let see ... most of my English posts were related to Sports either Basketball or Football, I only have one in English, my own writing I mean. Others were just translations, or translation drafts.

I need to learn how to write an academic essay, or writing, with academic English. Since I couldn't afford to join any courses due funding issues, so self-learning is the only option. The good news is, in the era of internet, we don't have to literally do self-learning. There are probably some sites where I can learn academic English writing for Free... Lets go and ask Uncle Google...I'll come with the sites addresses for those of you who might need them too.

This one is my favorite one, BBC Learning English:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

Actually I already know this one for long time ago, and had used some of the features several times. I also always recommend the site to almost all of my students either in BTA 8 or in any other institutions.

If you don't have much time to learn English,since time is luxurious for young executives, just use the Word in the News Program since it has shorter text to read and listen compared to what they offer in General and Business English Program.

Here are some tips that might enhance your English proficiency by using the program.
Open the program, and read the news out loud, do not be ashamed to read it loudly even if you don't know how to pronounce the words correctly. After reading the text, use the audio, and listen to the news announcer while skimming the text until the very end of the line. Now you know how to pronounce some of those words that you mispronounced at your first reading.

Then you go along with the third reading, this time do it together with the audio. You can do this one several times, until you feel that you can have a grip with the text and the pronunciations well.

Now, you might want to practice your writing, so you can have a dictation with the program, they allowed you to pause the audio. There so, take your pencil, and have a sheet of a used paper with unused side, and start the audio. Write every word that you hear, and stop the audio when you lost the speed. Do it until the end of the audio. Then check your writing with the text.

If you do this for a month in a daily basis, I believe you can start to write them by your self. Grab a newspaper or two, and see what is interesting to write, then start writing short news in English.

Give yourself a try, for the sake best of yourself! ;)
  

This one, is the real deal: 
http://academicearth.org/
It does not give you any English program that you might technically use to enhance your English, or at least give you some definitions of academic words that you never hear before. But it gives you the real academic lecturing, yes in English, with professors of all various themes. You can download taped lectures, or listen to them online. It gives you the atmosphere of real college lecturing, and academic English.

This site is most suited for those of you who would like to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate degree abroad.

The lecturing may took minutes even hours, but hey, do yourself a favor, for the sake of your best! ;)

Owhhhhhhh I'll shout this very looooudddddddd for all National Geographic Lovers this one is a MUST site
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/

You can listen to a lot of NG programs online, well they seem don't give you any direct download, but they give you the url and embed one, I am less internet-technology literate to know how to download the programs, you might give me some hints. But if you have vast internet access, hell yeaa, this program is heaven!

Have a seat, enjoy the program, and gain lots of knowledge about the amazing earth.

I don't need to push on this, you don't need one! For the sake of your best! ;)