Using Technology To Learn A Language

Using technology to learn a language.

Skype, Livemocha or Youtube – tips to choose the best way to learn a language
Today there are many interactive ways of acquiring a language without leaving your kitchen or living room (it depends on where your brain works best). There are free and paid learning resources such as live classes, downloadable files, chat-rooms and group sessions – this is all up to you to decide how, when and where you wish to acquire the knowledge. So where to begin?

Use Skype to learn a Language.

Learning a language through Skype can be helpful for busy people who don’t feel like leaving their house and spending hours in traffic jams on the way to the language school. Skype enables interactive studying in one’s own rhythm and the process often includes live courses, video group calls (available on Skype premium account only) and one-to-one instructor guided lectures – it all depends on the chosen tutoring program. The main advantage is that the combination of audio and video classes imitates a real classroom atmosphere.

Youtube and podcasting.

Another great and free way of learning is through YouTube or podcasting. YouTube videos are extremely convenient since the video can be repeated over and over again anytime, partly or at full length. Also, YouTube videos, unlike CDs, for example, can be listened though any digital device such as a laptop or a smartphone.

Learning through YouTube can be an amazing social experience: videos can be shared with friends, commented on or embedded into blogs or websites – all these user-friendly features make the learning process more open and fun. The only disadvantage is that internet connection is still required. Podcasting lessons, on the contrary, can be done offline – after the podcast is downloaded, a student can listen to it anytime and anywhere: on the way to work or during morning jogging.

The major difference between YouTube and Podcasting is that podcast files can be downloaded to a digital device in various formats (such as audio, video, image or text format). When downloaded, the file remains on your laptop or smartphone forever and can be used regardless of your location or internet access.

Livemocha and social language learning.

Livemocha is a language learning platform and it includes a variety of options: live one-to-one classes on different levels and with different course intensity, chat rooms and language communities. Basically, Livemocha is an all-inclusive tutoring program: it has its online materials, flexible schedule, videos, tutorials and more. Most of its features are available for a monthly fee, but there are also plenty of free options such as short sample video classes, exercises submission – where a student completes a written assignment to be checked by a native speaker, and a general knowledge review – where the student is asked to answer simple questions, form sentences and match phrases based on audio and text materials.

The main advantage of this platform is that, besides being user friendly, it contains all the materials the student may possibly ever need.

Everyone chooses their optimal way of studying and everyone has different goals and constraints. When picking up a learning resource it is important to weigh components such as time, budget and personal will to gain knowledge. To be on the safe side, it is always better to check out the free resources first and move to the next level later on.

Gabriele Monti is a dedicated writer about language teaching, and language acquisition teachiques. Will write articles about how to become fluent in one or more languages. Owner of The Language Class in London.

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