iPhone Users: <em>New York Times</em> Will Teach You English

Don't know the difference between "Pardonnez moi" and "Pardon me?" Well, there's an app for that (il y a une app pour cela), courtesy The New York Times. On Monday, the Times launched "Learning English With The New York Times," software for iPhones and iPod Touches that teaches Americanese with the help of Times articles and audio pronunciation aides, among other things. It even assigns an "Article Reading Task," which in the age of Twitter might even prove difficult even for fluent English speakers. "The New York Times newspaper has always been an integral part of helping individuals learn English," said Felice Nudelman, executive director of education for The New York Times Company, in a statement. The mobile app is part of the broader New York Times Knowledge Network, which since 2007 has tried to convert the Times' content into instructional aides by designing Times-themed classroom activities and asking questions about current events on its Web site. Oh, by the way, the app costs $5.99 for 12 lesson plans. Move over, Zoni, there's a new game in town. Press release after the jump. NEW YORK, Mar 08, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The New York Times Knowledge Network launched today "Learning English With The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/learningenglish)," a new application for the iPhone and iPod Touch designed for intermediate to advanced English learners to improve reading and listening skills, and to learn new vocabulary. "The New York Times newspaper has always been an integral part of helping individuals learn English," said Felice Nudelman, executive director, education, The New York Times Company. "The iPhone app is an ideal educational tool for English learners and an innovative way to reach this new audience." The application is available for a one-time cost of $5.99 and comes with 12 lesson plans based on famous or historical articles from The New York Times. Each lesson plan includes: * Vocabulary Flashcards; * Article Reading Task; * Audio for Articles and Key Words (for pronunciation development); * Comprehension Task; * Three Vocabulary Review Tasks; and * A World Bank Dictionary (with translation in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Spanish). The New York Times Knowledge Network English learning application is available through the Apple App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learning-english-new-york-times/id337339643?mt=8) and will run on iPhone and iPod Touch models with operating system version 2.0. For more information about the new application, please visit http://www.nytimes.com/learningenglish. The New York Times Knowledge Network was launched in 2007 to deliver lifelong learning programs on timely subjects, pairing a rich array of Times articles, archives, graphics and multimedia content - and the participation of Times reporters, columnists and editors - with faculty course material at participating colleges and universities. These online programs are a significant expansion of a program that has provided copies of the paper, accompanied by curriculum guides, to faculty at colleges and universities for several years, bringing the resources of The Times into classrooms as part of the learning experience. With this Knowledge Network, Times resources are readily available to students online, whether they are enrolled in an on-campus course or continuing their education through a distance learning program.

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iPhone Users: New York Times Will Teach You English

Mike Taylor

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