News in Levels
Principal function(s): Autonomous learningIndividual workListeningReadingVocabularyWebsite/other users supply
News in Levels is a tool that provides daily news articles for students of English. The articles are rewritten at three different levels of difficulty, each corresponding to a different vocabulary range (1000, 2000, and 3000 most common English words, respectively). Each article includes an audio recording for each level, allowing users to practice both reading and listening skills. The articles are short and focused on current world events. The tool is free to use and does not require an account to use.
Evaluation: News in Levels is a practical and easy-to-use tool for practicing reading comprehension. By presenting current news in a graded format, it allows users to practice and improve their reading, listening, and vocabulary skills in a natural way while being able to switch levels. One disadvantage is that the audio recordings use a text-to-speech voice, lacking natural intonation. However, it still serves its purpose for basic pronunciation practice. Another downside is that News in Level’s interface is cluttered with advertising.
Cost: Free.
Website: https://www.newsinlevels.com/
Categories
Skills
- Listening
- Reading
- Vocabulary
Content
- Website/other users supply
Usability
Interface 
User-friendliness/complexity of the tool´s interface
Straightforward.
Time efficiency Time needed for mastering the „how-to“ of the tool and a production of a task
High.
Interface language(s) The number of languages in which the tool is currently available/adaptable to
English.
Respect for privacy Does the tool require registration? Who can see my data? Can I remain anonymous?
Medium. News in Levels does not directly collect user data since it does not require login. Its privacy policy does not mention cookies either, although these are probably collected. It mentions processing data for operational purposes; however, more information on this would be helpful. News in Levels also shares data with these parties for operational purposes, with data being transferred outside of the EU. It also guarantees confidentiality in data processing. News in Levels acknowledges users' rights to access, rectify, erase, and restrict the process of data. It states compliance with the GDPR. See more here.
Saving work for future use Possiblity to save your or others´ work for reuse/reproduction
No.
Tailorability (If so, how?) Possibility of the tool to be used for a range of different activities (e.g. to what extent you can organize a project assignment with a central activity based on this tool)
Medium; while News in Levels provides only some daily news, they can be tailored to three different language levels.
Technical requirements
Installation required?
No; it is a browser-based tool.
Compatibility/ Operating System
Any browser.
Other technical requirements