Destinos: an engaging novella that teaches Spanish

When I first started learning Spanish, my Spanish instructor ended the class by showing us a video series called Destinos:  An Introduction to Spanish.  It is an intriguing story that is in 52 episodes.   Each episode integrates Spanish vocabulary and skills based on the story.  I found myself getting up in the morning before work just to watch the next episode.  The mystery and discoveries along the way motivated me to learn as the storyline crosses 3 countries and many families.  If interested, check out the first of 52 episodes online at http://learner.org/series/destinos/watch/ep1/

Notes in Spanish is a great podcast to help improve Spanish.  It is hosted by Ben and Maria, a married couple living in Spain.  Ben is from England and Maria is from Spain, and they discuss current events.  They also have a series of worksheets for purchase, but just listening to the free podcast while taking a walk is a nice way to boost your listening skills

Duolingo is a nice learning website that keeps track of your fluency percentage while you learn.  Some people disagree with how fluency is measured, but having a number and seeing progress over days and weeks is very helpful.  Other motivational structures are built into the system.  It is probably most useful for someone who has taken some Spanish or is currently taking a Spanish class.

Learning Spanish can be a daunting endeavor for adult learners.   It takes a lot of perseverance and dedication.  With that said, there are many tools out there to help make the experience both enjoyable and achievable.  This blog will look at several different electronic resources for adult learners of Spanish.