ChineseLearnOnline Blog

Lesson 272

Adam — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:27:42 +0000

We have changed a couple of lines from the original recording, to make the explanations more clear. The lesson and transcripts have all been updated.

Lesson 279

Adam — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:55:12 +0000

This updates blog will also be used to mention updates to older lessons. Today’s lesson update is 279. In the original version, the lesson began by talking about weekend activities, but actually only ended up mentioning one - which was a picnic. We have since updated it so that the new topic is just picnics. Feel free to download the new version. All transcripts and PDFs have been updated with the new version.

To see other lesson updates, click on this link. Make sure the lesson file you have has a date that is not much older than the lesson update post.

Character Game

Adam — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:58:45 +0000

I’m happy to announce a simple game to test your knowledge of individual characters. Listen to the character being pronounced and choose it from a list of 30 or so characters on screen. You are given a score based on how long it takes you to answer it. Incorrect answers are penalized so choose wisely!

A progress screen shows you your high score for each game you have attempted (arranged by lesson number) and compares it other users who have also tried it. You can try out the game here. Enjoy!

Usability Updates

Adam — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:55:13 +0000

There have been a couple of minor updates made, based on observing how people use the site.

1. In the Quick Access bar on the sidebar (appears after you login), and in the word bank we have added some default text for the different modes. Hopefully that will help new users better make use of it.

2. We have added pagination to the bottom of the main page and premium feed page. This way you can go to earlier lessons more directly.

If you think of other features / issues (however minor they may seem to you), please contact us.

Chinese Flashcards iPhone / iPod Touch Application

Adam — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:41:24 +0000

We have now released our first application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is designed to help you recognize 2700 of the most common Chinese characters. You can find more information about it here. While this application functions independently from the CLO course, it works really well with it!

A link to the application on the iTunes app store will be placed here when it’s available. Users of the app are also welcome to post comments or future suggestions here.

The success of this app will determine whether improvements or further applications of this nature should be created. Enjoy!

Update: You can now find this product here. Enjoy!

Remembering Login

Adam — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:55:28 +0000

There was a bug that we had in the past, where the site said that you weren’t logged in, even though you were. I believe it’s fixed now, so hopefully that will enhance your user experience.

Wordbank Sidebar

Adam — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:16:35 +0000

You may have noticed a new “Wordbank” item on the sidebar after you login. It is not functional at the moment, but we are working on having it up as a quick way to access the word bank. I’ll post an update when it is ready.

Update: The Quick access bar on the right is now functional and includes an option to search the word bank directly. Enjoy!

Course Outline Problems

Adam — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:20:31 +0000

Due to an internal glitch, the course outline pages for levels 3 and 4 became corrupted, so I have taken them down for the time being. Rather than rebuilding them manually as was done in the past, I’m going to use this opportunity to create an automated version that should hopefully speed up the loading of pages as well. Please bear with me as we work on this.

Update: Ok, the pages are up again. The level 2 page needs some formatting, but all the content is all there. Thank you for patience!

More Updates

Adam — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:28:41 +0000

We have made a few updates to the site design.

- You may have noticed a new landing page greeting you when you first get on to the site. Users who are logged in won’t see this page. The idea is to introduce new users to our site with this page, rather than throwing them right in the midst of the latest lessons like before.
- Related to this is a (long due) “Remember password” option that has been added under the main login window.
- A “Vocabulary” option has been added to the Wordbank. This way you don’t have to specify whether you’re searching for Pinyin, Simplified, Traditional or English - all should work from that field. If not required, the other options may be removed.

You will start to see other additions to the site over the next few weeks. More information will be provided here as they are released. As always, please continue to send me feedback on what you like and / or what can be improved.

More Descriptive Course Outlines

Adam — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:17:39 +0000

Thanks to your user suggestions, the course outline pages have now been updated to also include the title of each lesson. Hopefully this will make it easier for you to scan through lessons from here on. As always, please keep such suggestions coming.