What is MediaLesson? (back)
MediaLesson is an online tool that helps students of foreign languages improve their listening comprehension skills. Students can watch a video, review an active transcript of what is being said, and where there are difficult vocabulary terms or grammar structures, the student can read explanations of those grammar points. Teachers can use our tools to build these lessons, manage their classes, assignments, and comprehension tests. Created educational content can be shared with others for free or sold.
Does MediaLesson cost money? (back)
It is free to have a MediaLesson account, view media content, and see the active transcript. Each video has one or more 'lessons' associated with it. Some lessons are free to view, others are for sale. Additionally, some videos and lessons have been organized into classes for users. Like individual lessons, some classes are free, others cost money.
How do I watch a video? (back)
After logging into MediaLesson, you can select one of the videos to watch and then click the "Play Media" button in the bottom right-hand corner.
What is a lesson? (back)
Each video has one or more 'lessons' attached to it. A lesson is an explanation of all of the difficult grammar, vocabulary, or other points that a teacher has chosen to explain for a video. Lessons are available below the video player in the the "Play" view. If you have not purchased a lesson for a particular video, you may have to select the "Lesson Marketplace" to purchase one. Once you have a lesson, select the color you would like the explanations to appear in and click the checkbox next to the lesson name to see the highlighted words and phrases. Click on any highlight to see the explanation of that grammar point. You can also see a list of all of the grammar points for a lesson by clicking on the "Grammar Points" tab below the video player.
How do classes work? (back)
One way for schools to use MediaLesson is to organize videos and lessons into a class that matches a class in their school. You can see the classes you have joined by clicking on the "My Classes and Homework" tab from the home menu. Once your classes are loaded you can click on the icon for any class to see the videos and lessons associated with that class (your homework). Click on the "Do Lesson" button next to any lesson to view that video and lesson.
How do I learn about words/phrases that are in a video but have no explanation? (back)
If there is a word or phrase that you do not understand and is not part of a lesson, you can highlight that phrase with your mouse, right-click (control-click for Mac) and select "Translate." The translation view will activate and provide a translation of that phrase powered by Google.
Can I save words and phrases to study later? (back)
Yes, and I hope that you do find many words, phrases, and explanations that you want to review later. When you are looking at an explanation or a translation you can click the "Save To Study list" button to save that term to your personal study list. From the "My Account" view you can create/delete study lists and organize the notes for your study lists.
How does MediaLesson test comprehension? (back)
Some lessons include comprehension tests to quiz you on your understanding of the video or the grammar/vocabulary in a lesson. If the lesson has a test, you can take the test by clicking on the "Lessons" tab under the video player, find the lesson, and click the "Test" button to the right of the lesson name.
Can I create my own class, lesson, or test? (back)
Yes, MediaLesson has great online tools to allow anyone to add videos, create their own classes, lessons, or tests. You can share the material you create with others for free or sell them to other language students. It is free to use our tools, but we keep 50% of the sales of each lesson or class.