Saturday, 24 December 2011

Features That Can Cause One Language Learning Software Program to Stand Apart From The Others

If you are looking for a software program to help you learn a new language then you should focus your search down to one of the most important features, which is quality. It's important to remember that not every language learning software is made equally which means that it's in your best interest to find the one that will take you to the point of fluency. Finding a quality language learning software program on the Internet today can seem like a daunting task due to the vast majority of language software programs on the Internet. Luckily, I have had to go through this chaotic experience myself and as a result I have compiled a few tips to make the searching process easier for you so that you can find a great language learning software program.

Every language learning software program is different! With that in mind, I began my searching by identifying what features make up a great language learning software program. I started with thinking about teachers teach and what makes one teacher better than the next. By putting a language learning software program into that perspective, I realized that it comes down to one component and that major component is the teaching methods of the software program. This couldn't be more evident than it is in the two language software programs called Rocket Languages and Rosetta Stone. Rocket Languages uses a traditional approach where it includes a huge audio database that incorporates English comparisons. Rosetta Stone takes a different approach too teaching its students by focusing on using total immersion. Total immersion basically teaches you a language in the same manner that you learned your first language. With total immersion there are no English comparisons and you learn by associating pictures with words and phrases in that language. You will use the words and phrases that you learn and evolve them into sentences and eventually conversations. Both of these software programs have taught students to learn a language to the point of fluency which leads me ask the question "which do you choose then?" To answer this question, you have to find out how you learn! Do you have a really strong visual memory or are you better at remembering definitions and words through English comparisons? When you are able to answer this question you will be able to move forward and look for additional features like learning tools.

In order to out compete each other, language learning software programs have started developing addition perks or learning tools to help their students learn more efficiently. The names of learning tools that provide the same service vary from software to software program. So you should look for learning tools that will make your learning experience with a particular language software more enjoyable. Three tools that I know of that will make learning a language more enjoyable for you are the speech pronunciation tool, progress tracking tool, and personalized learning path tool. In general, the speech pronunciation tool teaches you how to pronounce words correctly in another language. This tool is extremely important because it teaches you the spoken language. Without it, you run the risk of pronouncing words incorrectly and as a result you may not be understood when talking to someone in that language. The progress tracking tool is really neat because it allows you to keep track of your activities and focus on areas that you may be performing weak in. The personalized learning path tool is also neat in regards to it providing you with the ability to design a study path according to what you want to study. With that said, these are only a few of the learning tools that you may come across while searching for a language learning software program. Find tools that you like and look for them in the various software programs! In addition to learning tools, you should also focus on software language programs that cover all of the basic language fundamentals.

The fundamentals of any language are reading, writing, speaking, and listening! If you are missing just one of these fundamentals then you are limiting yourself and your ability to become completely fluent in a language. That's why it is really important to choose a software language program that covers each of these fundamentals. By using a language learning software that teaches these fundamentals, you will be creating a strong foundation for yourself which will enhance your ability to learn progressively harder lessons.

Very quickly, lets recap the four main points that I just went over in order to identify a quality language learning software program. The first thing that you need to do is identify how a language learning software teaches its students. I mentioned total immersion and the combination of audio with English comparisons. The next thing that I mentioned focused on incorporating how the language software teaches with how you learn the best. The third point that I covered in this article focused on identifying the learning tools to go with any particular language software. The last point that I made was mainly to inform you that it's going to take a firm understanding of how to read, write, speak, and listen in another language to become fluent in that language.

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