Three Tips to Find the Best Language Learning Software

It can be quite frustrating trying to differentiate between all of the different language learning software programs on the Internet today! The majority of these programs provide their users with the bare basics on learning a new language. To determine which software program has the muscle to take you from zero to fluency you need to do a little bit of research!

Targeting Specific Keywords

If you want to get quality search engine results for your research then you have to take a moment and think about which keywords will provide you with the most accurate results. These keywords are keyword specific. Here's a good example of what specific keywords should be like.

Imagine that you just moved across the country a week ago to Jacksonville, Florida. It's a Monday afternoon and your kids are in the backyard playing catch and all of a sudden one of your kids comes running in the house screaming because he just got hit in the mouth with a baseball. There is blood running everywhere and you can see that his lip is busted up pretty bad. In addition, you see that one of his central incisors is chipped. What do you do? Where do you go to get help? To get the help for your child as quickly as possible, you will need to do a specific search for dentists in your nearby community. This would be a specific keyword search. A non-specific keyword search would be similar to "Dentists in Florida." By using specific keywords, you can put yourself on the right direction to find the best language learning software.

Identify How the Language Learning Software Teaches

After you have found several language learning software programs, start picking these programs apart so that you can identify how each software program teaches. This is important because each software program teaches its students differently. You also need to identify how you learn and then pick a software program that teaches in the same manner that you learn best. By doing this, your overall learning experience will be better and you will be much more likely to become fluent in the language you choose to learn. A great language learning software should also cover the basic teaching fundamentals and provide its students with great customer support!

Teaching Fundamentals and Testing Out the Customer Support

If you want to reach fluency in the language you are interested in learning then you need to make sure that the language learning software teaches all of the basic language fundamentals. These are grammar, reading, writing, vocabulary, and listening comprehension. If a software program excludes teaching you one of these fundamentals then your percentage at becoming fluent in the language significantly decreases.

Fluenz Languages - The Best Language Learning Software Program

Fluenz Languages is a relatively new program compared to its competitors. Its developers decided to create the program after realizing that most of the language learning software programs on the market did not effectively teach its students a new language. It was apparent to Fluenz founder that the other language software programs did not work because they lacked common sense. They either indulged on vocabulary or used other methods to completely avoid the English comparisons. People needed to be able to create associations with words they already knew and use those associations to build a foundation for words in another language. Fluenz focuses on this and many other techniques to help its users learn a new language.

What Fluenz Offers it's Users

Fluenz understands that learning a language is not easy and that it's going to take time and hard work. To start each lesson, Fluenz's audio tutor (Sonia Gil) gives a detailed explanation of what you will learn in the upcoming lesson. She uses this short tutorial to help you understand how the new material will help you get one step closer to fluency.

In the lessons you will usd useful, everyday language. Basically, allowing you to learn how to communicate with another person. Following the introduction by the tutor, each lesson will allow you to listen in on a common conversation that you will hear while speaking that language. Immediately following the conversation, the tutor will give you a detailed overview of the conversation and explain what every word means in English and why it was used in its specific context during the conversation. After the one-on-one tutorial, you will go through a workout, that focuses on what you just learned, which will help you develop your reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.

The best thing about Fluenz Languages is that they provide you with an audio tutor to guide you through the lessons and better help you understand the materials. Just like Tell Me More, Fluenz offers its students a variety of tools to help them learn with: speech recognition tools, personalized learning paths, and progress tracking tools. You can also get audio CDs for your car or iPod. Better yet, you can download Fluenz Podcasts to learn where ever you go. A unique tool that Fluenz offers is "The Fluenz Navigator". The navigator is a book that allows you to keep track of various phrases that you have learned and use phrases as needed to reinforce your memory.

Japanese Language Learning Materials

If truly motivated, self-study is a great way to learn a new language. It needs a lot of determination and patience to start to become fluent in Japanese so it's essential to have the ideal set of Japanese language learning tools and materials to hand.

Home study is helped with a multitude of free sources to learn a foreign language. Search online for a series of courses that aim to help teach the fundamentals. Begin with the basics, such as learning common words and phrases, alphabet, and to how to tell time. Listening to Japanese on radio stations can help, or find some reading material - in the early stages it might be an advantage to read books designed for children. A textbook that features an audio course on CD is a necessity as it's often impossible to learn a language if the words aren't actually heard.

A complete language-learning package is often found in the shape of the downloadable software packages. These programs aim to improve on the pronunciation and vocabulary skills with the assistance of the innovative multi-media lessons, quizzes and games. These software applications are a fun, and an easy method to help learn a new language. And aim to fast-track a student to learn and speak Japanese more effortlessly from home.

An alternative to those options is classes, but that can be slow going, especially if lessons are scheduled once or twice a week. Or find a native Japanese teacher for one-on-one lessons. Although, these options aren't open to all, as not everyone will have the free time or money to accommodate the more expensive teaching methods.

Online Resources for Spanish Language Learning - For Slow and Fast Learners

What is the fastest way to learn Spanish for free? Do you know any online resources for Spanish language learning?Why does anyone need to learn Spanish anyway? Is it that you'll be able to communicate with over 500 million other people in the world? Maybe, get high paying jobs in the U.S. or other countries. It could be just to be a better rounded individual and experience a different culture than your own. The reasons could be endless if you really think well about it. We could give you more and more statistics of the benefits of learning Spanish. But we assume that you could think of even better reasons for learning a new language on your own.

You may ask as well, what is the benefit of using online resources for Spanish language learning?Why can't I just go attend a regular class?...well you can do that as well. There are pros and cons to both methods of learning, but we can think of more advantages to learning online. Sure, in a regular classroom setting you will definitely have the advantage of being taught by a native Spanish speaker, or anyone who has had an impressive Spanish fluency. With a bit of luck, you will also have the benefit of interacting with your fellow classmates and your instructor as well.

But what about if you don't have the luck to fit your current schedule or even lifestyle to these classes then that could be a very big problem. And mind you, these classes could become very expensive. Time is money and these teachers are paid with their time, so if you are not a fast learner this could definitely cost you a lot in the long run. Online resources for Spanish language learning can be the answer to those problems.

Since, you will have all your lessons through either Audio CDs or with the more economic downloadable (mp3) format, you will benefit from all the savings. You can study with your own schedules, whether you want something more intensive or just learning the basic Spanish words, phrases or pronunciations.

You don't have to feel the pressure to learn at the same speed as your classmate, just study at your own pace and not be pressured as well about how much it will cost a very slow learner. You'll be a proficient learner at no time, and be confident in your language skills.

When you've learned to be a basic Spanish speaker or a more fluent Spanish conversationalist, you will join the many people out there raking in the benefits of being a bilingual speaker. Don't think twice about learning Spanish, you already know there are countless of opportunities that could open for you, all you have to do is to decide when you want to start and use the online resources for Spanish language learning.

Free Online Language Learning

Online Spanish and English language learning represent two major markets for online language courses. Many of these courses are pricey, but they can also be a highly motivating experience for online language study. However, there are a number of free language learning software that can also answer your language learning needs especially if you are on a tight budget.

Contrary to what people might think about online language learning in general, it can be highly interactive and can help you build confidence in order to eventually speak the language.

Online Language Software for Learning Spanish

SpanishSense allows you to experiment with their language learning software for a 30 day period. Subscribing to the free podcast is the most convenient way to go about online Spanish learning. The online Spanish lessons are built using specific language structures around specific scenarios.

You first hear the dialogues, then the speakers isolate the grammatical forms emphasizing the special tenses and the target vocabulary. For the visual learner, there is a PDF file for each corresponding online Spanish lesson and you can browse through the archive of lessons and add them to your custom feed allowing for easier accessibility.

Navigating from the site to the content material is relatively simple but be prepared for some language adjustments especially, if you have not learned Spanish in quite a while. However no online language learning software is perfect and there are adjustments to be made:

    in explanations and accents and pace
    in instructions for reading and writing assignments

Since the focus is production and making yourself effectively understood, the lessons appeal to a general language threshold of understanding.

Online Language Software for Learning English

For students interested in online English learning, Dave's ESL Café is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling whose love for teaching and technology comes across in one awe impressive website of forums, discussions, links, teacher resources,and an undated photo gallery for learning English. But, many ESL websites have this... so what is so special about Dave's ESL Cafe?

Since its establishment back in 1995, Dave's ESL Cafe has become the one stop for English language learners and teaching professionals. You can find information on how to learn English along with interactive grammar and vocabulary exercises. Some of his teaching reflects the pre-Internet mode of teaching. Students of online English learning like this approach because it keeps to teaching points within a conservativist methodology yet surprisingly is quite interactive.

This site was built with the educator in mind. Pop-up windows effectively facilitate information on types of idioms and definitions of idioms. Other websites do not go as far as to provide these explanations.

There are quizzes that range from topics such as geography, grammar. Since Dave adopts a grammar approach, you will find a lot of isolated grammar points that are taught in isolated ways, which at first, do not always appear meaningful.

7 Language Learning Tips

Learning a foreign language can be a daunting task. But when we break it down, it's really a numbers game. How much time you are putting into it and how many words do you know? In most cases, you will require a few hundred hours of study time and overall 2000-3000 words of active vocabulary to be conversational with any hope of one day being actually fluent.
Once you learn it to that point, it pretty much becomes self-sustaining, if you maintain it and continue to use it.

This sounds like too difficult a task for someone who casually says "hey i'd like to learn spanish!" but the reality is, you can learn to speak a language at a daily conversation level much more quickly if you apply a few additional techniques to
supplement your language method or class. You can be functional with a lot fewer words and you can significantly reduce the number of hours necessary to learn the foundation of the language.

Flashcards Pound for pound the single best and most efficient use of your time when learning a language. Ten
seconds of free time becomes a quick quiz - whip card number one out of your pocket "what is the spanish word for ... food? comida? flip the card over ... correct!" Two minutes is a major review session. Look at it this way - if you spent ten seconds on one word, for two minutes - that's twelve words in two minutes. Twelve words a day for five days a week is 3000 words in one year. All the words you need to be conversational in just two minutes a day. That doesn't account for grammar and pronunciation, but still - one year to learn all the vocabulary you need. Don't say you don't have time to learn a language. Remember this the next time you are on line at the bank or the grocery store, doctors office, waiting at a red light etc.

Read Once you have some basic understanding of the language, get some reading material. Here's the important part - something you are interested in. If you're into gardening then get a magazine or print out an online article on gardening in your target language. You'll be learning vocabulary and phrases that really interest you, and that will help you pick it up that much quicker.

Audio If your language method doesn't have an audio component then get one. If it does then get another one
anyway. Hearing the language is the most important aspect of learning if you intend to speak it. Give yourself opportunities
to use it during otherwise non-productive times like while driving or just relaxing.

Internet Radio Following the above advice, give yourself more (and free!) opportunities to hear your new language. Radio can expose you to new vocabulary and fresh content daily. Don't overdo it with your one audio cd. Mix up your audio with other sources, and constantly changing ones like music and internet news broadcasts from other countries. The more sources you have to hear from, the better.

Daily Contact This is probably the cardinal rule when it comes to learning languages. You must expose yourself to the language every day if possible. Studying ten minutes a day is better than cramming for an hour once or twice a week. Frequent review, even if only a few minutes, is essential. This is true for maintaining a language after you have learned it too. Long periods off are deadly.

Penpals Use the power of the internet to hook up with other people around the world who speak the language you are learning. They can help you immeasurably. You can help them with English and they can help you with your target language. There are plenty of free sites and forums to find people who will be happy to work with you.

Study With Others Studying and practicing with other people can give you instant feedback and interactivity that
you just can't get from a book or even audio or software. Even if you only know very little, you will absorb it quicker and with more enjoyment than just studying alone. Ultimately, that's the purpose of learning a foreign language anyway - to
communicate with other people.

So, try applying some different techniques to your language learning regimen. You will probably find that you can add a few
techniques without requiring any more time from your already overtaxed schedule. You may find that you can actually use
less time studying as you streamline your learning process. Learn to learn more effectively and remember to keep your eye
on the goal whether you put a number on it or not.

Myths Of Language Learning

By breaking down communication barriers, the language learning industry has indeed changed the lives of people significantly. Careers advanced, relationships improved, and businesses doubled their revenues through the help of this growing business. Sadly, however, there are still those who think that learning a new language can be done in other ways. Language learning got enshrouded by myths because many people believe that in this fast-paced world everything can be acquired without exerting much effort. Learning a new language may be a gratifying experience, but it takes time and dedication. Listed below are some of the common notions misguided people have on language learning.

Myth 1: Language learning is quick and easy.

Those who believe that they can learn Spanish or French in two to eight weeks are about to get the biggest disappointment of their lives. No school or university has met a student who can learn something that would normally take years to master. Language learning is not also an easy task, as what many perceive it to be. It requires a great amount of discipline, time and effort. The only time learning a new language becomes easy is when one visits a different country and learns a few foreign key words or phrases just so he can find his way around the city.

Myth 2: Going to foreign countries is the best way to learn a foreign language.

If one is in a foreign country, it doesn't necessarily mean he or she will automatically become an expert of the country's language. Individuals who are forced to speak a foreign country's language will often end up saying incorrect sentences that eventually becomes a galling habit. And when the habit becomes full blown, it becomes almost impossible to correct. Institutions and universities specializing in language learning is still the best place to develop a foreign tongue.

Myth 3: Kids learn languages more easily.

This is a popular belief commonly affirmed by linguists because of the belief that children begin learning a language at birth. The problem, however, happens when the child enters puberty (about 12 years old). A study done recently suggests that one's first language must be acquired by that age, because after puberty, neurological changes in the brain make it impossible to fully learn a language.

Myth 4: Pronunciation is not important.

Many fail to correct their pronunciation either because their professors didn't consider it important or they just assume that their pronunciation is already good enough. A long-time resident in the US who suddenly migrates to England will be surprised to find out that most British will not understand a word he'll utter simply because the way English is pronounced in both countries are different. Genuine language learning considers the importance of proper accent and pronunciation in making conversations smoother and more pleasant. Furthermore, if one takes time to learn a foreign country's natural way of speaking, he or she will look more secure and learned, becoming more easily accepted by others.

English Language Learning Tips

English Language Learning Tips!

Many people ask the question - How long does it take to learn a language? The answer to that is - How much time do you have? Obviously the more time you study the faster you will learn. It is also important to speak the language as much as you can even if you make mistakes. The more you try, the faster you will start speaking. Here are some English language learning tips that will help you to learn English:

English Language Learning Tip 1

The FIRST thing you should do is to listen to and learn the PRONUNCIATION of the language. My advice to you is to get this right from day one! Spend time on Spend time on this now and the rest of your study for the rest of your learning period will benefit greatly! Some languages are phonetic, some are not. Phonetic means that the sounds and the letters of the words always match. There are international phonetic symbols that teach you how to pronounce all the sounds in all of the world languages. The English language is not a phonetic language. It is ESSENTIAL to first learn the phonetic symbols that relate to the sounds of English words. It is certainly possible to learn English without any knowledge of these phonetic symbols but your learning time will be much longer and most times your pronunciation will be inaccurate as you are relying on memorising the sounds of the words for the most part of your learning, just as you had to do as a baby. I strongly recommend the learning of the phonetic symbols for learners of English before you start your first grammar or reading book! If you can learn the CORRECT pronunciation at the beginning, it will save you a lot of precious learning time later. It is much harder to more dificult to undo incorrect learning and have to relearn the word correctly. I have an excellent workbook (including audio CD) that I can recommend to you to help you to learn these phonetic symbols. It's called "Phonetics for Learners of English Pronunciation" If you have already started studying English but need some help with pronunciation this book will still help you!

English Language Learning Tip 2

It is better to study a minimum of 20 mins every day than to study one hour per week. Each of us has a limited amount of attention span (concentration time). This is the amount of time you can concentrate before you starting thinking about something else (what to make for dinner, who you are meeting later etc.). Research shows that most people need to learn small amounts and then have time for revision before adding new information. As an example, say your attention span is 20 minutes. If you study for one hour (60 minutes) only 20 minutes of that time is actual learning time for you, the other 40 minutes are not as effective. You would be better to stop after 20 minutes, take a break and continue when you are refreshed and ready to absorb new information. This is why it is better to divide your study time into smaller regular time slots. FIRST and MOST

IMPORTANT - REVISE what you have learned BEFORE learning new information!

Divide each of your study times into: 1 - learning time 2 - revision time

Each time you revise you are cementing information into your brain and making it easier to remember when you need it.

English Language Learning Tip 3

The methods for learning any language are:

1 Listening

2 Speaking

3 Reading

4 Writing

This is how you learned your own language as a baby!. You have already learned one language one language - you CAN learn another! As a baby you first listened, then copied saying the sounds, then you learned how to read and write. Some language experts say that you do not fully learn your own native language until about the age of 12 -15 years old! As an adult you have the advantage of being able to read and write already so your learning of another language should be a lot faster!

English Language Learning Tip 4

Listen: Cassette tapes and CDs that accompany workbooks. Reading books. Songs cinema native speakers radio and television (news and documentary programmes have the better pronunciation without slang as in some regular programmes)

English Language Learning Tip 5

Read! Read! Read! This is probably the easiest study method as you can do this at your own speed, in your own time and at your own level. Reading sources: Course Books (these will probably be the first type of books you will read) Magazines (good for short stories, advertisements etc) Graded Reading Books (these books are specially written for each of the learning levels) Newspapers (they may be difficult at first - but persevere! ) Leaflets Brochures Timetables Menus

English Language Learning Tip 6

Writing: Writing is a powerful way to learn a language. All my language students who wrote an essay every week to give me to correct, learned English much faster than the students who never wrote, and some not even notes in class! Every time you look for a word in the dictionary you should write this word in a small pocket notebook, small enough to keep in your pocket or handbag along with your pocket dictionary, so that you can use it at all times and all places (eg standing waiting for the bus! ).

English Language Learning Tip 7

Speaking: Now you are ready to put it all together and SPEAK! Try to do this as soon as you can and dont be afraid to make a mistake. If it is a bad bad mistake a native speaker will soon tell you. Take Care! a native speaker will not always tell you your mistakes! A native speaker will not always know the grammar of their own language. (Do you?). Therefore may not be able to explain your mistakes but just give you the correct answer. It is best to study with a recognised language college. If you are studying with a private teacher, request to see his. Her qualifications. Just because a person is a native speaker of a language does not make him. Her a qualified teacher! He. She should have some kind of teaching certificate AND an EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching qualification. Ways you can practise speaking: Speak with a professionally qualified native teacher as much as possible.

This is the first best resource you have as you will learn the correct way from the beginning. Other students in your class (do NOT be tempted to speak your own native language during class time! ) With native speakers that you might know, or advertise for exchange lessons! Travel to the native language country so that you can practise with native speakers. If possible, go and learn and or work in the native language country. Obviously the longer you can stay, the better. In six months you ought to be at least intermediate level and in one year you should aim for fluency, that is, if you stay and mix with native speakers for the entire duration of your stay. DO NOT be tempted to stay with people of your own nationality. You may as well be studying at home and your progress will be much slower!

What to Look for in a Language Learning Software

When you start looking for a language learning software program, the most important thing that you should be looking for is quality. By finding a software with quality, you will be greatly improving your chances successfully learning a new language. Unfortunately, it's hard to find anything that has really good quality anymore. This is true for the majority of the language learning software programs on the Internet. Despite this, there are a few exceptions on the Internet and you can find these programs by using the following tips to eliminate the "not so greats" from your initial list.

Features that are Found in Quality Language Learning Software Programs

The first thing that you should look for in a quality language learning software program is how they teach! Teaching methods vary from program to program and this is evident in language software programs like Rosetta Stone and Rocket Languages. Rosetta Stone focuses on immersion methods to teach their students where as Rocket Languages focuses on teaching its students through audio lessons. Both of these methods have been very effective at teaching students how to speak confidently in a new language. So how do you know which program to choose if both are effective at teaching? The answer to that question depends completely on you! If you learn more effectively through immersion then that's the program you should choose and vice versa. In addition, these programs also provide a lot of learning aids to help their students learn.

The majority of the language learning software programs have learning aids or tools to help their students learn. Learning tools are additional programs within the teaching software that provide additional features to learn with. A software called Tell Me More Languages has several of the best learning tools. The programs three main learning tools are called the speech recognition tool, personalized learning paths tool, and progress tracking tool. Each of these tools focuses on specific learning areas in order to provide you will an overall more productive learning experience. In addition to learning tools, a software that teaches all of the necessary teaching fundamentals is essential to learning how to read, write, speak and listen in another language.

Teaching fundamentals are the very basics of a language and the teaching fundamentals that you should look for in a language software are grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, speaking and listening! Having a software that teaches these is very important because it will allow you to build a strong learning foundation, which you will be able to build upon as you progress throughout the language learning software program.

The Best Language Learning Software

The reason you have found your way to this article is because you are wondering what is the best language learning software on the market today! Right? The truth is, there is not one specific language software that will be the best for each and every person! And there are many factors that go into determining which software is best for you and why. If you will take a few moments and finish reading this article, I assure you that you will have a strong heading to guide you to a specific language learning software that best suites you and your learning strengths.

Based on my personal analysis of several different language learning software programs, there are four software programs that really stand out. Each of these learning language software programs have their own teaching styles. The four software programs that I am referring to are Tell Me More, Fluenz, Rocket Languages, and Rosetta Stone.

There are a number of factors we took into consideration when determining which of the software programs above is the bert language learning software program. These factors include pricing, teaching methods and styles, tools, and additional accessories such as games.

If you are interested in a teaching program that is low in price and contains several games then I recommend you look at the Rocket Languages software program. Rocket Languages specializes in 11 different languages including sign language. The program can be downloaded directly to your computer or shipped to your home. Having the software shipped to your home is a couple hundred dollars more expensive. So you may prefer to stick with the downloadable material. The major fall back to this software program is that it is mostly an audio program. You have the games, including a vocabulary game that helps develop your vocabulary, but the majority of the program is audio. But you are still getting a superb program for only $99 if you decide to go with the download.

Rosetta Stone is another big language learning software that you hear about all the time. It seems like every time you turn on the TV that you see a Rosetta Stone commercial! Rosetta Stone is a great product and they offer a lot of software tools and learning material. The major drawback that I see with the Rosetta Stone's software program is that it teaches you as if you were learning your native language for the first time. You may be thinking, "What could be so hard about that?" What makes this teaching method so hard is that you learn by looking at pictures and then hearing or seeing the foreign language word along with it. There's no English translation! Rosetta Stone has designed this program so that you can learn various words pertaining to different objects and eventually develop those words into sentences and conversations. The problem with this method is that it will probably take a long time and a lot of us don't have years to wait for our language skills to develop with Rosetta Stone. Don't let me sway you away from looking into Rosetta Stone if this is the method in which you learn best. Go with what you know works for you and you will find the success that you are looking for.

Fluenz is another exceptional language learning software program. This program has been designed to take the headache out of learning. Fluenz has done this by eliminating lots of drop down menus and other buttons that you may see on your screen during the learning process. Basically allowing the software program to easily guide you through each lesson. In addition, Fluenz is rated extremely high among its users. There are a lot of users that are very happy with this program because of its simplicity. Other great features of Fluenz include progress tracking, iPod/MP3 compatibility, personalized learning paths and speech recognition. But one of the down sides to Fluenz is that the program developers choose not to include any games, test or quizzes. The reason the designers choose not to implement any test or quizzes for the software program is because the designers felt it best that the individual repeat various lessons until they have mastered the material. Sometimes people can just go in to a testing situation and do well on a test by simply being lucky. This method eliminates that likely outcome and encourages a complete mastery of the study material.

As awesome as the Fluenz language learning software program is, my absolute favorite is the Tell Me More software program! The program includes all the perks of the Fluenz software program mentioned above with the addition to games, quizzes and test. Something that should be noted here is that Tell Me More's personalized learning path tool is extremely awesome! It has three different modes that you can choose from. The Free-to-Roam, The Guided Mode and the Dynamic Mode. The Free-to-Roam mode allows you to do what you very well please. So if you want to work on one specific area of a specific lesson then you can. The Guided mode will guide you through your lessons one at a time. The Dynamic Mode is the coolest of all! This mode will analyze your previous scores and progress, and then adapts your future lessons to focus on the areas that you performed weakest in a previous lesson. Essentially, allowing you to develop your weaker areas. The major downside to this software program is that it's only available in windows operating systems. If you have a mac then I am really sorry. Just pray that the designers of Tell Me More come out with a mac version in the very near future.

As you can see each of the programs are different in their own ways. So it is definitely beneficial to look a little closer to pick out the details that can make a software program right for you. If you interested in learning Spanish with one of these programs and want a closer look then feel free to check out one of the links in the authors bio box. Thanks and have a great day!

Language Learning Software

Learning a new language is tantamount to success in today's interconnected world. More and more people are becoming either bilingual or trilingual. The world has become interconnected in all fields which make learning a new language very important. Add a new language to your repertoire and a whole new set of benefits and advantages are open to you. A new language can give you access to a new target market if you are an entrepreneur. And you can negotiate with other entrepreneurs from another country with the new language you have learned.

A new language can be tricky to learn because of the non-verbal nuances and the different contexts that language brings. You must understand the correct usage of words and phrases pertaining to a particular language. English is clear cut when you write it down and say it compared to Japanese where you have to understand the context of the things you say. A word or a phrase you use in Japanese is entirely different when used in a different context. And the direct translation would sound like a Saturday Night Live skit. Always understand the context of the language you use. Cultural nuances will be a huge difference once you learn a new language.

You can easily learn a new language if you had the right kind software for learning a new language. With this kind of software installed in your computer you can easily grasp a language that you want because it has a step by step process that anyone can follow. A good software for learning a new language shows you the different words you can use and the phrases to use in different kinds of situations. You can see the Roman alphabet as you try to pronounce the words in Chinese or Japanese.

There are many benefits and advantages of using a language learning software. It provides you with an audio guide along with a written guide. You can hear the intonations, diction, and phrasing of the language you want to learn. It is also important to hear the language spoken to you instead of just reading a dictionary. Hearing the language gives you a mental cue on how it sounds like, how it is used, and how it is said.

You can also learn how to write in the language you choose to study. The software includes audio guides, Roman characters, and a writing guide. The writing guide teaches you the alphabet of the language you have chosen and demonstrates the strokes needed to write the characters. These are only a few benefits of using a language learning software. Try one for yourself and see if it is worth your time. You can greatly benefit from a language learning software because of the tools it provides you with. You can search the net for the pros and cons of software you want to purchase. Check reviews and ratings and educate yourself to make a good choice.

Are Language Learning Software Programs the Best Way to Learn a New Language?

When you decide to learn a new language, it's pretty obvious that you're going to need the best resources available to help you achieve that goal. There are many different avenues that you can take to learn a language and some of these are as follows: personal tutor, college classes, textbooks, and language learning software programs. In this article, I will inform you of the positives and negatives of each language learning software and why learning a language with a language learning software will provide with the best likely hood to successfully learn a new language.

Tutors

One of the oldest methods of learning a language is with the help of a personal instructor or tutor. You learned your native language by listening to your parents or guardian. So in an essence, they were actually a tutor to you. Having a tutor to teach you a new language is a great way to learn a language! Your tutor can plan out a study schedule for you and keep you on track. One of the biggest challenges that students face when learning a new language is pronunciation. With a tutor, you will not have to worry about this aspect as much because your tutor should have a solid understanding of how the words are spoken and be able to teach you that same solid understanding. The unfortunate part of using a tutor to learn a language is that tutors are expensive. The average price of having a personal tutor is in the range of twenty-five dollars an hour. This is just an average figure and I have personally seen this price much higher! Overall, having a tutor teach you a language is a great option to have at your disposal if you can afford to pay the necessary dues.

College Classes

College classes are another great way to learn a language. By taking advantage of college classes, at either your local college or a local university, you will be providing yourself with a teacher who can teach you how to communicate in another language. Your teacher will define a study schedule for you and help you over come any obstacles that you may encounter. Some of these obstacles may be pronunciation, verb usage, and listening comprehension. In addition, you will have the added benefit of having classmate to learn with. This is a great tool to have because it allows you to ask your classmates questions and help answer any questions that your classmates may have. The major fall backs to learning a language by using a college course are time and progress. Unless you are taking an online class, your college class is usually on a set schedule. This means that you show up at a specific time no matter what you may have going on in your personal life. Progress is the other problem and becomes evident very quickly when taking a college course! A professor will do his or her best to ensure that each student is learning the material and this usually decreases the amount of material you will learn. A semester in college usually last around five months and at the decreased learning rate you will probably be able to only learn the basics of the language. If you have all the time in the world and you don't mind waiting on your classmates then this may be the perfect option for you.

Textbooks

The best thing about using a textbook to help you learn a language is that you can learn at your own pace. You can take your time or you can kick everything into high gear and drive right through the material. Either way, you can learn a lot about any language you choose to learn. The major down side to using textbooks to learn a language is that you are severely limited in what you can learn. For instance, if you're studying Spanish and your textbook only list 20 verbs for you to learn. Obviously, there are way more than 20 verbs in the Spanish language! You may also face problems in learning how to correctly pronounce words or letters. Altogether, textbooks are a great supplement to another learning method but on their own they can do very little to help you become fluent in another language.

Language Learning Software

One of the most effective ways to learn a language is through a language learning software program. These programs provide you with an array of learning tools and in most cases they cover all of the basic language fundamentals such as reading, writing, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and listening comprehension. Having a strong grasp of these six areas is essential if you want to be able to communicate effectively with a person in another language. In recent years, most language learning programs have really advanced in their ability to successfully teach a student a new language. Some programs offer you guided learning tools, progress tracking tools, and speech pronunciation tools. Having these tools in addition to the lessons that cover all the basic fundamentals are very important to helping you learn that language. If you choose to learn a language with a language learning software then you should really take advantage of their customer support. These individuals can really help you out with any questions that you may have with the software. The disadvantages that are associated with language learning software programs are based on the individuality of each software program. One program may focus on immersion methods where as others may use a combination of methods. So take your time and figure out exactly how you learn best and look for a software program that teaches in that format.

Language Learning Styles

Your Own Special Individual Different Learning Styles:

HOW you Learn determines WHAT and HOW WELL you learn a Language

What is the best way to learn a foreign language? Everything depends on your particular approach to learning. Take a look at the following approaches to language learning. No matter the language, our minds work the same way. But our personalities differ. Just as we have different ways of showing our joy or our anger, we also express our desire to learn languages in different ways.

MOTOR MOUTHS: The persons who are not afraid to try out the language they are learning will progress very rapidly. These folks probably have a little genetic edge over the rest of us. However, we all should try to put together the pieces as we learn them. If there is no opportunity to talk with someone else, then we can tape our attempts. There are two parts to this early talking practice: confidence and pronunciation. The most important thing is to gain confidence or to be thick-skinned enough to speak your piece, knowing that the exercise will pay dividends. However, we should not put off working on our pronunciation until it is too late and we have given up on acquiring a valid accent. For example, there are too many people who after living years in a Spanish speaking country are perfect in their grammar but who have a typical or even stereotypical English accent. There is no need for that. Spanish is perfectly regular in its phonetics. Motor mouths should also work on their accent!

NON-VIRGINS: Those who have already studied another language should use the skills they acquired with that language. They know what a conjugation is. They know that verbs are different from nouns. Their previous study gives them some mental hooks to help with their new language. They should not throw away their advantage by working on THE LANGUAGE THEY ARE LEARNING in a completely conversational manner. They should try to get an overview of some commonplaces in the language. They should get an "old fashioned" grammar and lean heavily on the tables to organize their thought. This type of learner should "invent" their new language on the basis of what they know of the other language. They will remember a little of the structure of the other language. For example, what is the relation between adverbs and adjectives? What is the most common way to express what happened yesterday (past tense)? If the other language is a Western language, they should observe the possible similarities. If the other language is non-Western, the very differences can be their starting point to learn the counterparts. In short, they should study "the wrong way". This is not for everyone. The learner should know his or her STYLE.

BRAINS: These folks will operate much like the Non-Virgins. They will progress better by concentrating on the little points that intrigue them in their new language, such as the difference in usage in Spanish between the prepositions "por" and "para" and the verbs "ser" and "estar". The same goes for "da" and "di" in Italian. To master one or two of these elements so characteristic of their new language will help the learner build on their conquests to go on to master other things. This analytical approach will be of great utility to the persons with the cerebral learning style.

WORD COLLECTORS: This person may be great at crossword puzzles Crucigramas) in Spanish OR French, etc. but rarely gets to speak it. If you find yourself learning words and not getting any further, break out of it! We once had a houseguest, a young man from Spain who came to learn English. There were times when our family would be talking Spanish, and he would echo all the Spanish words with their English equivalents. He had a great vocabulary but never got around to talking English. This kind of learner should always make sure that they make up sentences to practice using the new words they learn. They can combine their ability with vocabulary with the "divide and conquer" tactic. They should not only invent sentences to use the new words; they should run through different grammatical constructions as the setting for their vocabulary.

PEOPLE PEOPLE: Anyone who likes being with people and who has a need to communicate will progress quickly in learning a language. Many outgoing, friendly people learn language in the "motor mouth" mode. However, other people without the gifts of the motor mouths can gain valuable exposure to the language by just following their social instincts. These folks, however, should not overlook the need to speak correctly. Although they are not interested in traditional grammar in the same way the "brains" are, they must work at speaking correctly. We all know people who learned English years ago, but still say things like, "I am interested to go with you". You don't want to spend your life in the language you are learning with a similar easily corrected error. Learn it right as soon as you can. The people people have to stay curious about the language. The people people should repeat in the same conversation the new expression that they just heard. The same goes for all the others. The only way to learn a language is by following the "Swiss cheese" method, nibble away at the things you don't know, and master them until they are all gone.

LEARN-WHILE-DOING PEOPLE: I was told once that the only way to learn French was to sleep with a French woman. The idea behind this is that we learn the expressions and words for the activities we are interested in. People who learn like this try to get their native-speaking friends to accompany them as they cook or fix their car. They find that they learn better when their whole body is involved in learning the new words and phrases. For example, the person who learns the word "serrucho" while sawing a board will remember it better than the person (see the "word collector") who just learns the vocabulary from a list.

DIVIDE-AND-CONQUER PEOPLE: Every learner of a foreign language has to learn to incorporate the learning style of dividing and conquering into their own style. If they are "brains" they should concentrate on one grammatical turn of phrase, such as conditions contrary to fact, (If my grandfather hadn't died, he'd be alive today!) until they can handle it.

LOST LATINOS: This person should try to remember the nursery rhymes that they might have learned in Spanish. They should run over the names of their cousins and uncles. All of this will loosen up their rusty language skills. They should listen to how others speak "spanglish" and try to figure out the proper way to say things. They should make a game of trying to spot the influence of English in the Spanish they hear at home or in the barrio. This detective work will make them more aware of correcting whatever bad habits they have picked up. However, don't think that these persons have all the advantages. The person learning from scratch will probably spell Spanish words better than those who know a little Spanish. I'm not sure why.

What works for EVERYONE... There are two activities that will help everyone move forward rapidly, no matter what their learning style or he language they are learning: They are: 1. Passive Listening, and 2. Pattern Response Drills.

1. Passive Listening. Everyone should keep the foreign language radio on as much as possible. Keep the radio or TV on while you doing other things. It has to be the sea of sound that you swim in while you are beginning your study. You don't have to concentrate on it; you are not listening to try to understand. After a while you won't hear it but it will be affecting you. Little by little you will begin to anticipate the rhythm of the language, even before you understand everything. You will also begin to recognize certain words. You will begin to hear "beyond" the differences in pronunciation of different people and recognize the underlying word. Once you clearly hear a word or phrase, you can look it up and progressively expand your vocabulary.

2. Pattern Response Drills. You have to run through all the permutatinns of the new expressions that you learn. For example, suppose you just learned to say. "Pedro tiene cuatro años" rather than translating from the English incorrectly, "Pedro es cuatro". Now to make this new element of the language stick with you, you should go on substituting different ages and the names of different people. You have to be able to say comfortably, "María tiene cuatro años." "Juan tiene ocho años." "Yo tengo treinta años." "¿Cuántos años tienes tú?" "Nosotros tenemos cuarenta años." This type of drill is necessary for all the different learning styles.

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.

What Is the Best Language Learning Software If I Wish to Learn Spanish?

Today, many people are opting for learning a new language for employment and personal reasons. They scour the net for the best language software and for options unavailable decades ago, such as being able to learn Spanish online. Two of the best language learning programs in my opinion are Rocket Spanish and Rosetta Stone. Interactive Spanish programs are becoming popular due to the following reasons.

Firstly people have increasingly busy schedules and a regular class does not always fit people's timetables. Then there is the problem of affordability - a tutor or full-time class can cost a bomb.

People prefer to "learn on the go" and audio lessons, such as those advertised by Rocket Spanish or Rosetta Stone meet this need. Finally, people want to learn Spanish fast and if they can do it online or through an interactive program, they will.

So what are the pros and cons of the best programs? Well I do not have space here to talk about all of them so in this article I shall cover two of the better, well-known programs: Rocket Spanish and Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone's Spanish program is designed in such a way that the more practical sentences and phrases, that are needed to encourage learning in the initial phase, are available towards the end of the program. This reduces compliance to the program because the learner cannot apply what he/she learns from day one.

This program basically starts off with loads of vocabulary that you have to inculcate before you can totally immerse into it. This can take away the fun part in learning and cause diminution of interest.

Rosetta Stone uses what is known as a 'Dynamic Immersion' technique to teach you Spanish. Basically this involves no conscious thinking by the student; instead the program attempts to immerse the student in the Spanish-speaking world and to pick up words through practice and repetition.

The advantages of Rosetta Stone are: it's an accessible teaching style and you do not need to be always memorizing phrases or writing down rules-you earn language like a baby does; it can definitely help to improve your pronunciation.

The disadvantages of Rosetta Stone are that if you buy into all the levels it gets quite expensive.. Also you need to do practise and repeat words and phrases a lot to remember what you have learned.

Rocket Spanish most users say is more traditional being an audio course (yes you do need to spend time on the computer as well) with extra reading material to give you grounding in grammar and vocabulary. Their games which contain picture/word associations are similar to Rosetta Stone but not as comprehensive.

Rocket Spanish has a forum and generally seems to be more responsive to its students and offers multiple choice questions so students can assess their progress.

Advantages of Rocket Spanish are: it is cheaper than Rosetta Stone and many other language learning programs;it is responsive to what students want and need: it has a reasonably busy forum where you can ask questions. Follow-up lessons can be sent out by email. It offers a good (but by no means exhaustive) grammar and vocabulary guide, a few games like Rosetta Stone and a decent audio course.

Should I Learn Spanish With a Language Learning Software?

If you are interested in learning Spanish then you have several options available to you that can help you achieve that goal. Learning Spanish is a really smart decision because Spanish is one of the most common languages spoken around the world! In addition, the number of people who speak Spanish is rapidly increasing in the United States. It's been estimated that by 2050, the Hispanic population will be the largest ethnic group in the United States. If these trends continue to maintain their same course then it's going to be extremely important for a person to know how to speak both English and Spanish.

What are the advantages of learning Spanish with a language learning software?

If you decide to learn Spanish with a language learning software then you will be making the overall process of learning Spanish much easier. Spanish is considered one of the easiest languages to learn, this is certainly true if you have the right teaching tools! Without the right teaching tools, learning Spanish can be really difficult. The main difficulties that a student will face without a language learning software are pronunciation and guidance.

The Spanish language is unique because its verbs and its consonants are pronounced slightly different than they are in the English language. These variances cause problems for students in regards to pronunciation. For example, the vowel (a) sounds like "ah", the vowel (e) sounds like "a" in English, and the vowel (i) sounds like "e" in English. These are just a few of the examples. If you interested in a really cool Spanish song that allows you to see and hear the pronunciations of all of the letters in the Spanish alphabet then check out the Spanish Alphabet Song

Guidance is also a problem that most students face when trying to learn a language on their own. It's hard trying to plan your study schedule around your work schedule and any other lifestyle activities. You can over come this problem by using a Spanish tutor or by taking a Spanish course at your local college. These two options are really helpful but they also have their limitations. Learning a language with a language learning software is a study option that you can go for that helps you overcome any limitations that the other two methods may lead you into.

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.

Language Learning - A Review of Popular Methods

Today's technology has made the world much smaller and many people have become interested in learning foreign languages. Some want to learn for fun, many for business reasons, but it is your desire and passion to learn that will make you successful. No one can give you that.

I have discovered that many popular language-learning methods are not what they say they are and you can waste a lot of money quickly on them. Here is my homework on some of them.

Rossetta Stone - online - $299 for 12 months

I tested the free demo online at the Rossetta Stone site. The demo seems to brag that there are no written translations, you learn from looking at pictures only. The first lesson for Spanish shows pictures of a woman (una mujer) and man (un hombre). By clicking the pictures you learn the words woman and man. The next lesson shows a boy (un nino) or girl (una nina). So now you have learned words for boy, girl, man and woman. The next pictures are of people drinking and eating. You learn all of this from pictures only. There are no written translations. This is where I had a few questions. What if I wanted to know who is this woman? (in the picture) What is her name? Where is she from? What kind of pictures can they make to teach me the words who, what, where, her and name? Also what do the words is, this, and from look like? I had to use Google translate to find that (una) and (un) are the word "a" in Spanish. I urge you to take the free Rossetta Stone demo online before you purchase it.

Pimsleur - software - $119.95

The site started by teaching me phrases. I think it makes more sense to build a vocabulary first than to start with phrases because then you will know what each word means. From their free half hour lesson of repeating phrases I learned the Spanish words for pardon, understand, English, miss, speak, sir, no, yes, a little, North American, you, and are. Twelve words. I was a bit puzzled because they taught me "entendo" and "entende" for the word "understand" then told me I was saying "I understand" and "you understand." "Yo" is I in Spanish and "usted" is you. "Yo" was never spoken with understand and "usted" was used only at the end of the lesson and not spoken with the words for understand.

The lesson is audio only. Nothing is written. I like to see the words because for me it is easier to remember them. I completely agree with their statement - "Probably no aspect of learning a foreign language is more important than memory." Word memory is the key. Repetition is good for this reason. I think you could learn from their approach but it will be slow and impossible to learn phrases of your own choice.

Transparent Language - software - $179.95

I like the philosophy of the site. I could not test it because they offer no free trial or way to see how they teach so I Googled the site for reviews. I have found if reviews talk only how great the method is but not how you are taught or why you will learn fast they are most likely written by the people selling the product. No trial lesson and no review with content? You decide.

World Word Exchange - online - 2 lessons $12 - 4 lessons $20 - 8 lessons $32

This is a new site. Their philosophy seemed sound so I signed up and got a free lesson. The site has seventy-six lessons of twenty words each. The first lesson had the words: who, what, where, when, why and how among others. These are helpful one-word question words. I clicked the words to hear a native speaker say them. What surprised me was that they spelled the English word first, next to it the word was spelled phonetically in English, and then they have the native text. I listened and studied for a while then went to their memory test. It's a multiple-choice word game which challenges you to match the question word to eight other choices. This is an excellent way to remember the words in my opinion. Repetition is how we remember.

The site also has a grammar section that explains how to use the words and there is a page to practice spelling. For people who already know some words there is a user lesson page where you can choose the words you want to learn. The site has some great tools. The most impressive feature is the organization of the words you learn. Learning the most common words first is a feature no other language method I could find has. The only down side to the site is they teach only Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and Thai. Hopefully more languages will be added soon.

Optimizing Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

Technology transforms virtually all human pursuits. In the field of education, the use of audiovisual aids, computers, and telecommunication devices has radically altered classroom dynamics. For ESL and TFL practitioners, the possibilities being opened up by technology are highly promising, with the currently accepted practices already demonstrating the huge benefits technology offers to both students and educators. Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is a growing sector and advocacy in the language instruction area that has huge potentials in making the learning of a second or foreign language easier and more accessible.

The impact of technology on all levels of academic instruction cannot be overstated. For the most part, educators agree that technology enriches the learning experience in many ways. For example, watching relevant video clips certainly enhances how students develop an appreciation of nature and its processes. Research work also becomes much easier using an online computer. In the ESL and EFL sector, the advances in software development and the channels through which multimedia instructional content can be delivered has already reached the point that ignoring CALL in instructional strategy is almost unthinkable. Serious language educators who wish to be effective, updated, and creative practitioners should integrate CALL in their lesson plans.

Various studies already affirm the positive impact of technology on students' ability to think, articulate, and create ideas using words that are expressed verbally or in writing. There are already dozens of computer software, for example, that are designed to allow young learners to create their own stories even before they undergo formal language training. Word processors are not just great tools for doing home work, they are also instrumental in helping students grasp English syntax through built-in dictionaries as well as spell and grammar checkers.

Definition and History of CALL

Broadly defined, CALL refers to approaches in language teaching and learning that uses computers as aids in one or more aspects of the learning engagement. These aspects include how instructional materials are presented to students, how students engage the instructional content, and how their understanding of the lesson concepts are assessed. Thus, Power Point presentations, video conferencing, interactive language games, and computerized assessment exams all fall under the classification of computer-assisted language learning.

The use of computers in language instruction can be traced to as early as the 1960s wherein programs lodged in mainframe computers were used in universities as teaching aids. One example is the PLATO project that was designed in the University of Illinois and offered a number of coursework from elementary to university levels. When the personal computer was introduced in the late 1970's, CALL programs were developed and marketed more aggressively. Since then, CALL evolved into a formidable tool for instructing language learners, and one that should never be barred from a language classroom.

Benefits of CALL

Early studies on technology-enhanced instruction already indicated strong evidences on the positive impact of technology on education. According to these studies, technology-enriched classrooms exhibit impressive learning outcomes including higher test scores, improved learner attitudes, higher interest about the subject matter, and deeper engagement.

Two such studies are particularly notable. One was directly funded by the Department of Education while the other is a 10-year program called ACOT (Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow) initiated by Apple. The first study concluded that the effective use of technology translated to improved gains for all students regardless of demographics: parental income, gender, age and other criteria. Meanwhile, the second study reported that students immersed in technology-enhanced environments not only performed consistently well but also learned other competencies that were rarely measured before. These include behavioral modifications wherein students are encouraged to explore their environment more. Students under the program also became socially aware, self-starters and independent learners. They were also enabled to communicate more effectively and generally developed more confidence in their abilities.

When properly deployed, CALL delivers huge benefits that ESL and TFL educators cannot choose to ignore:

· CALL has a significant positive effect on learning achievement.

· Interactive videos are effective tools when lesson concepts have strong visual elements.

· Online collaborative interfaces have been shown to improve students' academic skills as well as increase their self-esteem.

· Use of computer-based instruction can result to positive attitudinal changes--particularly those relating to self-confidence, learning motivation, and how lessons are received. When students are allowed to manage their own learning pace, the effects were greater.

· CALL transforms the learning environment into a student-centric engagement.

· CALL encourages cooperative learning and dramatically improves student-teacher interactions.

· CALL provides avenues for passive and underachieving students to perform, communicate and participate better.

Barriers in the Use of CALL

While the advantages of integrating CALL in the overall language teaching strategy are well-documented, there are still barriers that prevent many educators to fully embracing the benefits of CALL. In a study conducted at the University of Taiwan, these barriers were itemized as follows:

1. Financial Barriers. The cost of computers, online connectivity, software and technical support can be prohibitive, especially in economically less advanced locations.

2. Availability of Relevant and Applicable Software. High quality software that are applicable to the socio-cultural context of the language classroom may sometimes be difficult to come by.

3. Technical Proficiencies of Teachers and Learners. There are cases wherein the learning curve required of teachers and/or students to develop adequate proficiency in the use of new technology may prevent full integration.

4. Hesitation in Accepting New Technology. Similarly some cultures take longer to accept novelty than others.

Notwithstanding the barriers, the future is still very bright for computer-assisted learning simply because it has been consistently demonstrated to work extremely well. In addition, many of the barriers will eventually be addressed even in the short term (the prices of computer hardware and software are generally going down, computer interfaces are rapidly becoming so intuitive that people hardly need a technical background to operate touch screen phones, notebooks, and computers, etc).

Conclusion

CALL is arguably the most formidable instructional aid ESL/EFL educators can integrate in their learner engagement strategies. Currently, the range of available online applications that ESL/EFL educators can use in their classrooms is far-ranging. There are dictionaries, encyclopedias, language translators, resource links, forums, chat rooms, digital pronunciation tutors, quizzes, videos, music and games. Aligning lessons to integrate some of these aids will enrich the experience of both students and language teachers.

CALL impacts practically all aspects of the learning process that giving lessons without it is like shortchanging both the learner and the educator.

1. CALL promotes experiential learning that empowers students not only to become self starters but also content creators themselves.

2. CALL boosts student motivation because computers are associated with games and are considered fashionable.

3. CALL allows for the accessing of instructional materials 24/7.

4. CALL provides the infrastructure for close collaboration and cooperative learning.

5. CALL expands the learning environment by bringing in resources from the World Wide Web.

6. CALL promotes global understanding.

To use CALL in the language classroom is to embrace the future of holistic language education. Hardly designed to replace teachers, CALL nonetheless provides new and richer opportunities for learning English. In addition, CALL is already redefining the roles of language educators and students such that ESL/EFL teachers are not just sources of information but knowledge facilitators who guide students on how to proactively assess and build on the information shared with them. Meanwhile, students take on a more active role as content creators instead of merely just content recipients.