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Destinos Spanish DVD | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| jim doogle Newbie United States Joined 6703 days ago 8 posts - 8 votes | Message 1 of 17 21 July 2006 at 7:36am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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I made a post inquiring whether anyone had any suggestions for Spanish dvds (telenovelas) that had audio in Spanish but had Spanish subtitles as well so I could see the words. I saw a program called Destinos offered online. Is this program any good and does it have subtitles in English and Spanish??
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| Andy E Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 7104 days ago 1651 posts - 1939 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish, French | Message 2 of 17 21 July 2006 at 8:26am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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Destinos is part of an introductory course in Spanish. Do a search on the forum and you'll find numerous posts on it.
As far as Í'm aware it has no subtitles at all. If you want to know if it's any good the programs can be watched on-line from here. A search on Destinos will also give you information on how to download the programs and save them off. Andy. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| johnL Newbie United States Joined 6684 days ago 29 posts - 32 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, French | Message 3 of 17 18 August 2006 at 3:18am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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Hi, Jim.
The Destinos DVDs have Spanish subtitles that can be turned on and off. When it's aired on PBS there are no subtitles. There are no English subtitles on the DVDs. I like the program a lot, but I could talk for a long time about various stupid things the publisher did when they were creating the materials (books, videos, audios). Bottom line, though, is that I like it a lot and I think it's very effective. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Andy E Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 7104 days ago 1651 posts - 1939 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French | Message 4 of 17 18 August 2006 at 5:01am | IP Logged | ||||||||
I, for one, would be interested to hear about the various stupid things the publishers did. I never finished the Destinos on-line videos - after a while I lost the will to live as it was simply moving too slowly for me - but reviews of resources are an important part of this site.... so talk for as long as you like. Andy. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| johnL Newbie United States Joined 6684 days ago 29 posts - 32 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, French | Message 5 of 17 18 August 2006 at 7:28pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
I like that! I suppose the slowness of the videos has to do with the fact that the course is for beginners. But that brings me to my first gripe about Destinos: While it's intended for beginners, it's supposedly for high-school or college age. But there are many ways in which the materials treat students as if they were in elementary school. 1) In each video lesson, the DVDs contain a preview (which I suppose can be helpful) which contains "helpful hints" on how to get the most out of the video. The SAME "helpful hints" in all 52 episodes! 2) In the textbook, each chapter (except review chapters) begins with "helpful hints" on how to use the chapter; the same "helpful hints" in every chapter. And in each and every chapter, they remind you that when you see a little icon that depicts headphones, it means there's an audio track that accompanies that particular exercise. How long could it take to learn that? 3) In the Workbook/Study guide, at the end of every chapter, there is a list of all the sections from that particular chapter, with a space next to each item in the list. You're supposed to check off each item as you work the corresponding section! (Yow! Where's the space for your mommy to sign, to verify that you've actually done the work?) Also, at the end of every chapter in the workbook, there's a little blurb that gives you the page number of the test for that chapter, along with a "helpful hint" that if you see a headphones icon in the test, that means there's an audio track to go with the test! ("Oh, yeah, I knew I'd seen that little headphone thingie before!") And, lastly, a space for you to check off that you've actually taken the test. The next part of the "treating us like we're children" concept can be kind of hard to explain, and it could also put some people off the course, so let me just say this: If you ignore all the section and sub-section numbers in the books, you won't have any problems at all. The Destinos books are like any other book: You start at the beginning of a chapter, you work until you get to the end, and you've finished that chapter! It's easy. Ignore the numbers. Okay, here we go. The way you use the course, basically, is that you watch the video, work that chapter in the textbook, then do the workbook chapter. Simple. In the textbook and workbook, there are multiple sections. Each section has a name (Vocabulario, Grammatica, etc) and some have numbers. The first section in any textbook chapter is, of course, section 1. In each chapter of the workbook, though, the sections aren't numbered starting with 1; they start where the numbers left off from the textbook. (If the textbook chapter ends with section 5, the workbook chapter starts with section 6.) This is to let you know that the workbook is supposed to be done after the textbook! (They've already explained that multiple times in the course. The textbook, THEN the workbook! Is it a hard concept to grasp?) And while I'm on the subject of section numbers: Each Gramatica section has numbered sub-sections. These subsection numbers start at 1 in the first chapter, and they continue to increase chapter by chapter, until they end with subsection 74 in chapter 26. So, to sum up the problem with section and sub-section numbers, let's say you're working through chapter 2 in the workbook. The first thing you see is section 7, followed by 8, 9, 10, then 2, 3, 11, and 12. This is why I say, "Ignore the numbers, just work from beginning to end, and everything works fine." The last problem with the books has to do with the answer sections in the back of the books. (Answers to the exercises and tests.) The type is tiny, tiny, tiny, and very poorly arranged! It's extremely difficult to keep your place as you're checking your work. All the paper and ink they wasted giving you the same "helpful hints" over and over again could have been much better spent making the answer sections easier to read. Audio CDs: There is a set of 7 CDs to accompany the text and another set of 7 to accompany the workbook. I like them a lot. However: (And truly, this is the dumbest thing about the whole course!) Each CD contains typically a few dozen audio tracks, to accompany several lessons in the books. When the book tells you to listen to an audio track for a particular exercise, it doesn't tell you which track! And the CD tracks aren't labeled as to which exercise they go with, they're just labeled "track x" through "track y!" So, say you're working on lesson 5, and you see the headphone icon. You look on the CD for lesson 5, and it also contains lessons 4 and 6. If you haven't been writing in your book to keep track of which exercise goes with which audio track, there is no way to know which track to listen to! Stuuuupiiiid! So, those are my gripes. (Actually, there's another one regarding the answers to the Gramatica sections, but it's too hard to explain; it goes back to the type size and the numbered subsections.) After reading this, it may sound strange, but I love the course! I can't wait to see how the story unfolds, and it's very easy to learn the material. But man, the people at McGraw-Hill must have been abusing prescription drugs or something when they created the materials! So, just ignore all the section numbers and the other stupid sh*t, number the audio exercises in the books, and remember these golden words: Start at the beginning and work to the end! If you do that, whether or not you've checked your check-off lists, you'll be finished! 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Will Senior Member United States Joined 6939 days ago 165 posts - 165 votes | Message 6 of 17 19 August 2006 at 8:48pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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Thank you for the information John. Every little bit of information on learning material helps. I think I will avoid acquiring the written material that goes with the Destinos videos.
I ran across this page some time ago. I have a feeling that the information is dealing with the audio for the Destinos: Alternate Edition edition. Correct me if I am wrong. Key for the Audio Exercises that go with the Destinos Workbooks Bill VanPatten of Destinos fame has another video based learn Spanish program out. On the linked to page the full second lesson can be viewed online. The video for the lesson is only about six minutes. You may want to avoid viewing the clip on the linked to page if slowness in movie pace brings out suicidal tendencies. But again, it's only about six minutes. Sol y viento: Beginning Spanish I don't know if Andy made it to the excavation cave-in part of Destinos, but he would have really loved that if he hasn't already seen it. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| johnL Newbie United States Joined 6684 days ago 29 posts - 32 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, French | Message 7 of 17 19 August 2006 at 9:07pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
Hmmm... I don't think that applies to the version I have, which is the "second edition of the alternate edition." (Kinda seems to fit with the "numbered sections and subsections" business!) The link you gave only shows 47 lessons, not 52, and it mentions 11 CDs. My set has 7 CDs with the workbook, and 7 with the textbook. Thanks. I appreciate the effort, anyway! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Will Senior Member United States Joined 6939 days ago 165 posts - 165 votes | Message 8 of 17 19 August 2006 at 9:29pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
Actually on the Lessons 42-47 page, at the bottom, it says, "There are no more audio exercises in the Workbook (none in lessons 48-52)." That is one of the things I didn't like about the Destinos production. So many different versions of books, and now it would seem audio disc versions. You say you have seven disc and the web site link says they have eleven, with no audio in the workbook for lessons 48-52.
What effort. I found that link months ago. Edit added:
O.K. So you have fourteen disc total, whereas the school web site I linked to only has eleven. Vast difference in material. Edited by Will on 19 August 2006 at 9:35pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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