Thanks for this excellent article! At first, I wasn't sure I would like taking classes online.  I have taken Spanish lessons for several years in a "live" classroom with native instructors, and I have continued to study online with teachers from various countries.  The convenience of studying at home is a huge benefit for me and  that has prepared me for the "real" world of conversation with Spanish speaking people from different countries in person and on skype.

Many thanks for this article!

We, at GamesforLanguage, certainly believe in the benefits of online language learning. However, we should acknowledge that for some, classroom courses provide the structure, personal encouragement and contacts that these learners need to stay motivated.

Maybe it's also a generational issue as older adults are still not as adapt in using all of the available online resources

I liked this 52 episode story. It helped me with my listening skills and was very entertaining.

http://www.learner.org/series/destinos/watch/ep1/

For me, it was discouraging to listen to audio/video where I struggled to understand. Little by little it became easier. Of course, we need to find a good level which you are trying to do. I found that my listening skills needed improvement from the standpoint that in our native language we can do several things concurrently and still converse with someone. Not so easy in the language we are learning.  I found that my concentration skills needed work. My largest improvement came with a teacher from italki in whose class I have to listen very attentively so that I could respond to her questions based on the text (it is a culture class) and illustrations. I also find that writing for the class helps me with the grammar and form of Spanish. I have a long way to go but I am encouraged. I like the challenge of learning Spanish and the good friends that I have met and continue to speak with on Skype. A friend from Madrid gave me an excellent piece of advice-"You expect too much progress too fast. Learning a language is a slow process. Be patient with yourself." I think of this advice often.

Any recommendations for subtitled videos (online) that not too hard (like Yabla's Argentian soaps) and not too easy (like programs developed specifically for learnes, like BookBox, @Extra and Destinos.) I'm guessing a Colombian soap or education videos (for Spanish speakers),

I searched for a list of medium-level videos, but didn't find one...