Thursday 15 December 2011

Features in a Language Learning Software Program That Will Make a Difference

Alright, so you have made the decision that you want to learn a new language! Now where do you go from here? How can I find a really good language learning software program to help me learn a language to the point of being fluent? These are the same questions that I had to ask myself when I first started searching the Internet for software programs to learn a language with. Fortunately, I did find a software program that worked great for me and in order to make the overall process easier for you I have written several tips for you to follow that will help you reach the same goal of becoming fluent in another language.

What features do I need to look for in a quality language learning software program? To find a quality language learning software program you need to look at the most basic teaching element in the software program! Basically, how does the language learning software go about teaching its students? There are several great programs to learn a language with on the Internet today and two of these programs are Rocket Languages and Rosetta Stone Languages. Rocket Languages is a newer software program and they focus on teaching their students by using audio lessons. Each audio lesson incorporates English comparisons and allows you to develop your understanding of that languages spoken word by teaching you listening comprehension. This language software also includes several other great features but its main area of teaching focus is in its audio lessons. Rosetta Stone takes a different approach to teaching its students and their method of choice is total immersion. The total immersion method teaches you a new language in the same format that you learned your native language as a baby. Basically through picture and word associations. By using these basic word associations, Rosetta Stone hopes that you will eventually be able to develop and use these comparisons to build sentences and eventually have conversations with other individuals. It should be noted that both of these courses have taught students to speak fluently in another language. So how do you pick one software program over the other then? Remember where I said that all software programs are not created equal? This is where you come into the equation! You need to assess how you learn best and then choose a software program based on whether or not it stresses your learning strengths. By doing this you will greatly improve your chances of learning a language to the point of fluency. Once you have identified which learning method works best for you, you can start looking at the other features the software program has to see if those addition features are worth the price you will have to pay for the language learning software.

Language learning software programs that are of higher quality generally tend to have additional features for their students that will help them learn more effectively. These additional features are typically called learning tools. A really good example of a language software that has several great language learning tools is the Tell Me More Languages software. This software program includes a tool that provides its students with the ability to improve their speech and pronunciation of tons of words in the language they are studying. Two other great tools that comes with this software program are the progress tracking tool and the personalized learning path tool. With these two tools, you can keep track of your progress through the various lessons and you can develop a study guide based on how much time you want to study each and every day. The Tell Me More Language company designed these tools to provide their customers with better learning experiences which also makes them more attractive to potential students. Learning tools are great additions to enhance the value of a software program but when you are choosing which language learning software to learn with, you need to choose a program that focuses on teaching its students each of the basic language fundamentals like reading, writing, speaking and listening. Knowing how to communicate in another language by using these fundamentals is crucial to being able to communicate fluently in your language of interest.

Learning to read, write, listen, and speak in a language is very crucial to becoming fluent in a language. If you choose to learn with a software program that covers only a few of these fundamentals then you will be setting yourself up to never be completely fluent in a language. Yes, you may be able to speak to someone in another language but can you sit down and read a menu at a restaurant or read a news paper in that language? This is why you need to learn with a language learning software that incorporates all four fundamentals. If you do choose a software program that incorporates these fundamentals then you will be giving yourself the opportunity to become completely fluent in another language.

Lets very quickly review what you need to look for in a great language learning software. First, identify how a language software teaches its students. Second, incorporate the information in point one with how you learn most effectively. Thirdly, identify what learning tools come with the language software and will these learning tools make it easier for you to learn. Finally, see if the language learning software teaches all of the core fundamentals that are necessary to know in order for you to become completely fluent in a language.

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