Immersion

Today's homework included describing our immersion experience. Ismar says the greater the immersion, obviously the greater the results. He insists not to worry about output (speaking and writing) for the moment, but rather put more attention to input. It doesn't matter your level of concentration, less or more. I've also heard this referred to as Active versus Passive listening.

So here's what I have been doing:

• Before work I try to listen to the Language Transfer lessons, I'm an early bird, so that's prime time for me.
• On my commute I listen to the Latina Mix 99.3 in my car
• During my lunch break I try to finish off Language Transfer, or the Duolingo story

After that it varies

• Read aloud a story from the Global Digital Library
• Listen to a podcast while relaxing on the couch
• Play LyricsTraining or Lirica
• Play my Carlos Vives Pandora channel if I'm home alone
• Watch an episode of Extra on YouTube
• Skype call my language practice partner in Columbia, once or twice a week
  
• Make a blogpost and comment on my peer coaches blog and sometimes my other classmates blogs
• Attend various Duolingo events, some are grammar based, some are conversational
  

As I'm writing this and thinking about Ismar's other suggestions, I realize that I'm doing more output work than input. Ismar suggested:

• listening to a podcast while cooking, exercising, driving or going for a walk
• watch a video or listen to music while I eat

This is a shift for me. I've been trying to balance my limited time with speaking and more active listening and very little passive listening. So again, I'm going to trust the system, take the challenge and add more input.

And because I can't seem to post without including a little something, I end this with Carlos Vives. Ricky Martin is a bonus.