📙 Part 2: Describe an online video where you learned something new

You should say: when and where you watched it, what it was, why you watched it, and explain what you have learned from it.

This episode's vocabulary

Every now and then (idiom) - from time to time; occasionally.

Cutting-edge (adj.) - the newest and most advanced area of activity in an art, science, etc.

Vividly (adverb) - in a way that produces powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind.

Initialism (noun) - an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (e.g. BBC).

Session (noun) - a period devoted to a particular activity.

Reassurance (noun) - words of advice and comfort intended to make someone feel less worried.

To be on the right track (idiom) - doing something correctly or well.

Questions and Answers

R: I quite like the videos that Cambridge University Press and the associated assessment branch of the university put out every now and then. They have a whole series on different things related to how to teach and learn effectively and efficiently. And the best part is they're all available for free, as well as being informed by some pretty cutting-edge research. I watched the most recent one a few weeks ago, just from the comfort of my own living room, where I usually try to watch these things, since it's more comfortable there and there's no need for the more formal setting of my office. This particular video is about using AI in English classes and what the principles for best use might be. And I vividly remember they spoke about the importance of the purpose, what you're using the AI for, privacy, making sure that you respect student privacy in particular, and planet, which was just about keeping in mind the issues of sustainability and caring for the environment. And it's really helpful when you have initialisms like PPP to help you remember the points more easily. When it comes to why I decided to have a look at it. Generally, I always tried to keep up to date with the latest developments in teaching, and Cambridge is a pretty good source for this. Plus AI is all the rage right now, so it's important to learn about in any case, and the fact it's a video rather than a live session, makes it easier to use and offer my CPD as well, since I can speed it up and that lets me listen to it at a decent pace and save time. Aside from the initialism I mentioned earlier, I also got some ideas for things to try with students, as well as a bit of reassurance that I'm on the right track for just because some of the ideas that were suggested were things that I already did and do. If I hadn't watched it, I think my lessons would still be good, but now I have more options to choose from than I did before.

M: Hey, thank you, Rory, for your story!

Discussion

M: So dear listener, describe an online video. It could be a video on YouTube, on any other platform, educational, maybe something fun, maybe an advert. Like anything. A video with your friend, with a famous person. I don't know, anything. But you should choose something that you can talk about, so a video that you can describe easily. Okay? And it shouldn't be for too long. So if you watched the video for like two hours and you want to tell the examiner everything about it, don't, because you have only two minutes. It's like, when, like, oh, yeah, I'm gonna tell you about my favourite film, and then like, oh, you've just started, and that's it. Time's over. Thank you very much! So careful. Be brief. Rory is a teacher, and he enjoys learning things. So Rory told us about videos from Cambridge University Press. You know Cambridge and Oxford in England? So Cambridge makes nice educational videos. And Rory, Rory, you used to work for what, Oxford, Cambridge? Where did you go?

R: I worked in Oxford, and I used to be an examiner for Cambridge a long time ago.

M: Oh, right. Okay, you see? So Rory is full of Oxford and Cambridge. And Cambridge have a whole series on different things. So if some Apple has a whole series of videos how to use their smartphones. And you can say, I enjoy watching videos on cooking, videos on learning English, videos from IELTS Speaking for Success podcast with Rory and Maria. Yeah, we do have some videos on YouTube. You know? They're quite fun.

R: We do, yes.

M: The best part is they're available for free. Yeah, our videos on YouTube, Cambridge videos are available for free. That's the best part. Yay! So you are well informed, and it's free, and also the videos contain some cutting edge research. So if you watch something educational, you can say like, yay, the videos have information about some cutting edge, super new, innovative research. I watch these videos from the comfort of my own living room. So I sit back, relax and watch YouTube videos from the comfort of my home or from my kitchen or from my bathroom. I don't know. Maybe you watch some videos in your bathroom, dear listener, do you? In your bathtub while having a bath, maybe?

R: But somewhere you feel comfortable.

M: Yeah. On the floor, maybe. You know? And then you can choose, well, you should choose one particular video. So the last video I watched was a few weeks ago. This particular video was about blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I vividly remember. You remember something very well, vividly.

R: Very clearly.

M: I clearly remember, I vividly remember that, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta. So say one thing, dear listener. One or two things from the video that you remember. If you don't remember, make it up. Okay? So make up for something. Maybe you read it from a magazine, or your friend told you something, but just imagine that you saw it in this video. Lie, dear listener. It's okay to lie.

R: It's okay to make things up for the test.

M: You can say that this video was really helpful. It helped me a lot. When it comes to why I decided to have a look at it, to watch it, or have a look at it. I always try to keep up to date with the latest developments in ta, ta, ta. So maybe you watched a video, I don't know, about cars, about technology. So I keep up, I keep up to date with the latest developments, with the latest models of cars, with the latest, I don't know, cooking recipes, medicines. So keep up to date to be in the know of the latest, the newest inventions, the newest developments. But we say the latest, kind of the newest. You can say it's a good source for this. So the internet is a good source for all sorts of videos. And if you watched a video about artificial intelligence, you can say that it's all the rage now.

R: Well, yeah. I mean, even though it's not a particularly new thing, people are still really interested in it. And there's all kinds of videos out there about it.

M: Yeah, ChatGPT, different AI tools. So if you say all the rage, it's a bit old-fashioned according to Cambridge online dictionary. This means to be very popular at a particular time. For example, long hair for men was all the rage in the 70s. Now, artificial intelligence, ChatGPT is all the rage is in the trend, trendy, popular. It's convenient to watch this video because I can speed it up, so to make the speaker speak very quickly like this, so I can speed it up, or I can slow it down. So also this podcast, if at some point you understand that Rory speaks too fast or I speak too quickly, you can slow it down or speed it up. And I can listen to it, or I can watch it at a decent pace. Pace? Like speed. So to save time, I usually speed it up to watch it at a more comfortable pace, at a decent pace. If I say I'm on the right track, what does it mean?

R: Just I'm doing the right thing.

M: Yeah, it's an idiom, to be on the right track. So do something correctly or well. You write your essays, you do IELTS tasks. Yes, you're on the right track. Everything is fine. Well done, you! Rory, what helped you organize this answer?

R: Well, normally you start talking about a video, but I gave a bit of background on the series of videos and where it comes from to begin with, because that helps me later on when I have to explain why I'm looking at this. So it comes from these people, and I chose it because these people are good at talking about these different things. And this is a very popular subject right now. And then, between those two things, I talked about where and when I watched it. So again, I didn't say exactly when. I just said it's a few weeks ago, and that's still true. You could say a few days ago, or maybe even it will be a few hours ago, and where, from the comfort of. And then why I did that as well. I didn't have to say why I was in this particular place, but it just gives a bit more context. And then I went into more detail about what I learned from it, and I rounded off by just doing what I normally do, talking about the alternative. If I hadn't watched it, well, it wouldn't make too much difference, but it's still nice to know that you're doing the right thing.

M: Right, dear listener, do you want to know what's the most viewed videos are 2024? So the first one, dear listener, so fun. It's Baby shark. Have you watched it? If you haven't watched it, go to YouTube and listen to this. Baby shark. Baby shark...

R: Or just listen to Maria's live...

M: Baby shock. Yeah, it's for kids, but it's... Oh, my God. It's amazing. And the song is very nice. And once you hear it, you're gonna be going like baby shark... Oh, and you know how many views? So it has 15 billion views.

R: Oh, my God.

M: No from this year, 2024. Globally.

R: Why? What?

M: I know, my gosh. Baby shark.

R: If it's been listened to that many times, it's safe to say that many people have already listened to it.

M: Oh, and the second, second place goes to Despacito, dear listener. Still 8, almost 9 billion.

R: Still?

M: I know. Still. Despacito is quite, you know, old. But still, people listen to Despacito. No, watch, it's a video, right? Thank you so much, and we'll get back to you in our next video! Not video, audio. Speaking part three about online videos and learning. Bye!

R: Bye!

M: Baby shark... And then they go like mommy shark...

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