In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • Nūlū, a Web-Based Reading Resource
  • Deborah Gill
Nūlū, a Web-Based Reading Resource. http://www.nulu.com. Platform: Both PC (compatible browsers are Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and IE 9) and MAC (OSX and Safari). Nūlū. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.

Nūlū is a web-based resource that provides current news content that has been transformed into language learning material for supplemental use in the high school and college Spanish classroom.

In order to begin to use Nūlū in the classroom, the teacher must create an individual account (at http://www.nulu.com) and an email with instructions will follow to create a class section. Once teacher access has been requested and given, classes can be set up.

When logged into Nūlū, students and teachers can choose their personal settings by clicking the down arrow next to their name. To the left of the user’s name, there are the options “Stories” and “Review.” By clicking on “Stories” a list of themes are presented and, once a theme is chosen, story titles under that theme appear. Clicking on the story title brings the user to that story. In addition to reading the story, the student may also listen to it. While reading and following along with a mouse over, a translation of the story appears. If a word is unknown, the student can click on it to review at a later date. Finally, after a story is completed, multiple choice comprehension questions are available under the “Chat balloon.”

When the option “Review” is clicked, vocabulary flashcards appear (words for specific stories can be reviewed under the story itself using the index card that appears with that story). One can listen to the word used in a sentence, click on “show answer” for a translation and an example sentence to appear, then by clicking “very easy,” “easy,” “hard,” or “very hard,” the next flashcard appears.

On the right hand side of each article a discussion question is provided (in English and in Spanish). Anyone who has read the article may post a response and/or reply to other people in the language of choice.

Within the teacher dashboard (also located in the pull-down menu on the right-hand side) one can create as many classes as needed. Once “Create New Course” is selected, the teacher provides a course name and number and then types in the class list (student email address, first name, last name). Each student must have a valid email address to receive the welcome message and how to access the program instructions; all accounts cannot be sent to the same address (i.e., that of the instructor).

Once a class is set up, specific stories can be assigned or students can select their own stories to read. There are two types of stories: Nūlū stories and EFEstories. Nūlū stories originate from English-language sources, which are edited to create texts geared towards language learning. Professional translators then translate the revised versions. EFEis an authentic Spanish [End Page 595]newspaper from which original stories are taken and adapted for language learners. Nūlū and EFEstories are created at two levels of difficulty, easy or hard. An easy story is short (approximately a half page) and is written in simplified language. A hard story is longer (approximately a full page) and contains more complex language and structures. For each story, multiple choice questions are provided. An easy story contains three comprehension questions and a hard story includes five comprehension questions.

Within each class, assignments are recorded with the grades for each story and an overall grade provided. In addition, a record of all stories that a student has read and for which he or she completed the comprehension questions is listed under “Students’ History,” along with the date that the story was read and the results of the comprehension check. If a student reads both the easy and hard version of a story, both are listed within the history.

There are a few notes of caution. First, Nūlū was free-of-charge through the 2012 academic school year, but currently, there is a premium...

pdf

Share