Listening texts in the teaching of German language

Blended learning in the field of foreign languages brings an extra offer. It incorporates also original texts and their simple actualization in the learning process, it uses audio and video records done by native speakers. We draw the listening texts and video records from German language web sites. In this way we get the students the forms of native speakers' speech and we replace the communication with native speakers by these texts. We often use the listening texts in on-line courses in students' home preparation. They have possibility ( and sometimes duty) to acquaint with the texts in advance, later we use the texts in contact exercises. For the first lesson we usually choose a text dealing with the importance of German language and how it is spread in the world. The source of our materials is the broadcast station Deutsche Welle. We use the texts read by native speakers or by the announcers of this station. We do not modify the texts of broadcasts and we do not alter the speeds of them. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.