Hot Topics in English Language Learning

Today, instead of answering questions, I'd like to ask one:

If you could go online (using a computer or mobile device) and download mini-programs/applications (apps) that just focused on one specific topic, what would it be? E.g.: maybe you want help learning English articles, learning TOEFL vocabulary, or improving your pronunciation of the sounds "L" and "R".

What are the first topics you would search for, and why?

I hope this will be the start of a very interesting discussion!

Yappr

I just found out about a fascinating website that helps people learn English through movies and videos, etc. It's all "authentic" video footage from entertainment to news to advertisements, with good audio and transcription. The variety of options available is impressive to say the least. Click the title of this post to link to the website, or click here: http://en.yappr.com/welcome/Welcome.action

This kind of web source is great for people who want a more freestyle approach to learning. There is no curriculum, no set plan, no vocabulary list or grammar lesson. You pick something that interests you, watch and listen to the video, and basically do anything you want with it from there! You choose the vocabulary to learn, structures to look up, sounds to practice, etc. For those who want to learn what they want, when they want it, this can be a very motivating approach.

Yappr is specifically for people who want to learn English as a second or foreign language, but there are other resources out there that provide similar opportunities for people learning other languages too. More on those later. Stay tuned!