PuebloLindo - a virtual interactive community for Spanish language learning

a non-profit service of

PuebloLindo is an entirely Internet-based virtual environment designed for students, teachers and native speakers of Spanish.  Communication can be synchronous (text chat) or asynchronous (through the PuebloLindo mail system).  Graphical and audio elements as well as hyperlinks to the World Wide Web enhance the learning experience while lively conversations delight and motivate the learner.

In the following screen shot, you will see a number of elements:
Along the left side:

• A photo of one view into an area of PuebloLindo called a "room," even though it's just part of a large area called the Plaza Mayor.  In every room you can click on the red arrows to move in any of the indicated directions.  There are 44 "rooms" in PuebloLindo.  These include such areas as the bus station, a taxi that has a taxista "bot" you can talk to (this is a simple scripted conversation program), a travel agency, a restaurant, a cafe, a photo gallery, a tourism office, a school, and a currency exchange office.
• The room contents window.  Room contents include: the exits, the people in the room, and objects in the room.  Clicking on them activates them in a variety of ways.  Some objects may be hyperlinks to the World Wide Web.  In the Entrada there is a map which is actually a hyperlink to a web page containing a map of PuebloLindo.
• The 30,000-word bilingual dictionary.  Click on any Spanish word, including those being used in a live conversation, and the word will appear in the dictionary.  700 of the most common words also have audio to go with them (click on the word "audio").

• The text window.  In this window, the lines of text that you and others type scroll up and disappear off the top of the screen.  Toward the bottom of the window, you can see a hyperlink to the World Wide Web has been entered by the person in the conversation.  Anyone in the room can see this link and can click on it.  This then opens that link's website in the user's web browser, launching the browser if it wasn't already open.
• The text entry box.  This is where all commands and conversations are typed in by the user.  It allows for full editing before the text is entered for others to see.

• complete help files (just type "help")
• ability to see who is logged on
• ability to chat and show actions and emotions
• ability to send messages to people in rooms elsewhere in PuebloLindo
• an internal mail system - asynchronous communication in case your friend isn't logged on
• ability to easily join others in other rooms or follow them from room to room
• use of "social verbs" - see how Spanish speakers greet each other, say good-bye, etc.
• music which can be turned on or off by individual users
• users' ability to describe themselves as they please
• links to activities written especially for learners using Heinle & Heinle textbooks - a way to use the skills they are getting in class

Screen shot (maximize your browser window):