Maria Fernandez

Electronic Books Unveiled



Posted: Monday, October 25, 2010

by Maria Fernandez
Spanish Bookworld

Electronic books , also known as ebooks, are publications which can be read on a number of devices such as computer desktops, laptops and ebook readers. The last five years have seen the launch of many thousands of electronic books with a wide variety of formats. They range from plain publications, with hardly any features, to beautifully developed interactive multimedia ebooks with sound, images, notepads, feedback and hyperlinked menus.

The simplest ebooks are merely an electronic version of a printed work. They're convenient and light, but a far cry from the awesome interactive multimedia ebooks I describe in this article. Here we're going to see what those interactive ebooks provide, particularly to foreign language learners.

Electronic books have transformed the way we learn foreign languages. Ebooks allow you learn faster and more effortlessly than ever before. They've also reduced the cost. What, then, are the features that make them such a big innovation? Here they are:

1. Multimedia electronic books include audio or video files. They make the language come alive. They are an invaluable tool for learning verbs, vocabulary, numbers, and for improving your pronunciation. Throughout an ebook you can listen to the recordings by simply clicking a button. They also include all the transcripts and translations, so you don't need any additional learning material.

2. Good quality language learning ebooks also have exercises and drills to help you improve your speaking and listening skills. They take a lot of the effort out of learning vocabulary and grammar, in particular the verbs.

3. Interactive ebooks give you instant feedback. The answers to the drills and exercises can be revealed with just one click. They also allow you to save your scores, so you can monitor your progress.

4. Interactive ebooks have a navigation similar to that of a good website. They allow you to move quickly from one chapter to another, from drill to drill and from lesson to lesson. They also provide links to external resources such as contacting the author, free products, articles, etc.

5. Good electronic books allow you to type in your notes and save them for future reference.

In short, interactive multimedia ebooks save you time, effort and money by being a self-contained learning tool. They take away the need for a dictionary, pad, additional books or recorded material.

With multimedia interactive ebooks you can quickly develop your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. They teach you from the most general grammar topics to the most difficult pronunciation rules.
Maria Fernandez is a highly experienced native Spanish teacher, and the author of several Spanish courses. She is a keen learner of foreign languages and is familiar with the difficulties faced by language students. She runs her tutor-supported online course at Spanish Bookworld and hosts the popular and ongoing series 'Spanish Podcasts for Beginners'. Maria is also the author of many Spanish language learning articles. You can get her free lessons, podcasts, apps, quizzes and ebooks at www.spanish-bookworld.com

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Jennifer Stewart
 1 year 185 days ago.
151 fans.
I have never even seen an electronic book; I have a kind of resistance to them, as I love real books, but I can see how they'd be perfect for learning languages.
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