Duolingo

How has technology revolutionized new language learning?

It goes without saying that the internet has altered every aspect of life, including friendship, music, and shopping. Likewise, the process of learning a new language is also being revolutionized by the internet. It’s creating a lot of opportunities that did not exist 20 years ago. Duolingo has been revolutionizing the game!

The formal classroom is no longer the main space for learning. It is because the landscape of language education and language learning has changed rapidly. Educational tools greatly appeal to language instructors. It is because of the tool’s contribution to maximizing positive learning outcomes due to active student engagement.

Technology use has developed into a crucial component of education both inside and outside of the classroom. Now it is seen as a fundamental requirement in modern universities and schools. Read more if you are interested to know the impacts of learning a new language with the use of technology:

Language learning before the technological revolution

The majority of individuals depended heavily on books to learn new languages. Prior to the 19th century, knowing numerous languages or learning new ones was seen as a noble talent. Most people mainly relied on literature, but some people also traveled to learn new languages.

Around the world, there are several language schools. Language schools have a rigid, school-like curriculum, and it is incomplete without an instructor, a whiteboard, exercises, homework, and tests.

The growth of the children at these schools depended on the presence of a teacher in the classroom each day. The use of technology in language learning has revolutionized this type of learning.

Language learning today

Language learning has evolved significantly with the help of technology. The number of tools and programs available to assist individuals in their daily lives has grown along with human dependence on technology.

Learning a new language develops one’s hearing, reading, writing, and speaking skills. The development of artificial intelligence (A.I) has made it possible for these applications to provide users with personalized learning experiences. It depends on their interactions and progress within the app and sites.

Technology advancements have done away with the compulsory need for a teacher to master a language. These technologies come in handy in language teaching as the scarcity of qualified language teachers widens.

 

Different Methods of Learning

Reading and listening have historically been the only methods for language learning. You read dictionaries and tapes or CDs with native speakers. You did not have many other options unless you really traveled to the nation where the language was spoken.

Today, numerous innovative teaching techniques have emerged because of the internet. Video chatting with native speakers is free for learners. To ensure correct pronunciation, dictionaries have built-in audio.

Phones can be configured to solely show foreign languages. With many translation apps, students may compare texts in their native language and the language they are studying side by side.

Simply put, language learners find it simpler to fully immerse themselves in a new dialect. They have access to text, audio, and even video to learn a new language. They will soon have access to virtual reality, allowing them to visit other places.

The internet may introduce a language to someone in ways that were previously impossible. It also made new language learning accessible to more learners.

 

Digitalization improved the convenience of language learning.

This represented the biggest advancement in technological language learning. Carrying your study materials got incredibly simple as heavy physical books made way for digital information.

While initially copying the 1-to-1 standard language learning methods, variations started to emerge rather quickly. One of the earliest inventions that made cross-referencing words simple was the development of hyperlinked texts and online dictionaries.

Digitized dictionaries made it exceedingly simple to carry along reference resources. And it helped students not to carry them on vacation.

Today, the majority of these may be conveniently saved on a smartphone, and they usually consume less memory. Some of them even have the capacity to offer translation services that have been compiled and examined by actual multilingual users.

Automatic correction

Learning is being speeded up significantly by automatic correction. Auto-correct feature immediately corrects foreign word usage and spelling. Using style checkers can also make achieving fluency much quicker.

The pronunciation checkers can hear you utter a word and then indicate how near you are to a native speaker. Many tools compare a word to the correct pronunciation syllable by syllable after hearing someone pronounce it. Then it gives feedback.

Before the internet became prevalent, all editing had to be done by hand. In a workbook, you had to turn to the back to see the right answer before figuring out what was wrong.

It was necessary to frequently say a word while listening to it in order to assess pronunciation. The digital revolution has almost completely eliminated these problems.

Bringing the classroom to your phone and desktop

The integration of social engagement with digital language learning came next. Technically speaking, this is more of a case of technology catching up to the demand in the market.

Nothing helps you learn something new like peer review. For new learners, forums and social media integration in language learning software today offers an exceptionally powerful tool.

Incentives like friendly competition have been shown to be a successful and practical way to improve language comprehension. Mini-games, leaderboards, and other tools like this make new students feel more motivated to get better at their classes.

The new application “Duolingo” have mastered this. It offers both a carrot and a stick to encourage you to improve and to help you feel more confident.

It also has forums where you may ask questions or obtain assistance when you run into problems. This truly does a good job of simulating a classroom setting.

Greater personalization

People who wished to study a language in the past had to use one or two specific programs. Finding the program that suited their learning tastes and style the best was both expensive and time-consuming. Additionally, there were much fewer resources available.

A language learner can now completely customize according to a learning experience. Flashcard study can be quite monotonous, and it can burn out people out very quickly. But personalization keeps things interesting.

The big game

Play is a way for kids to learn, and it turns out some things never change. Knowledge is not considered to be powerful unless it is actually used. Duolingo is great to use.

For students, the use of gaming features in foreign language instruction has become a game-changer. This teaching strategy engages the brain’s most primitive regions by including elements of reward and competition.

Many programs and technologies today incorporate gamification of language learning, whether they are standalone or all-inclusive. Nothing is more fulfilling than completing a game that you enjoy and learning something from that will help you in real life.

Increased social integration 

It can be a lonely pursuit to learn a new language, which is one of the main reasons, so many people give up on it. You isolate yourself for hours at a time to memorize flashcards or study books. Spending so much time alone can be monotonous and demoralizing.

The social element of language acquisition has greatly enhanced because of the internet. Similar to how friends can compare steps, friends can compete against one another in some online applications.

People can receive assistance and encouragement in real-time through forums and video chats. Nearly all learning experiences now incorporate social media. Duolingo has an incredible presence!

You can get support from friends by using apps like Duolingo that integrate many social media platforms directly into the program.

Utilizing social technologies allows learners to learn in ways that are not possible when they are learning alone. Language learning is no longer just for solo learners. Learners who like personal interaction can easily integrate it into their studies.

The emergence of A.I language instructors 

Some desire to get the guidance, even though other people prefer to pursue their own path to mastering the language. There have been some fascinating advancements in technology-based foreign language learning recently.

The ability to identify which activities will help sharpen your talents is provided by these new methods. In essence, they serve as an artificial instructor. Until you finally grasp the topic, the apps continually generate new questions.

Applications like Duolingo have the characteristics of allowing their AI to introduce new vocabulary rather than following a predetermined pattern. AI will inevitably advance over time, becoming more and more powerful and intuitive as a tool for learning new languages. Duolingo has been a fantastic move for our company to work with!

Kids learn a language with technology.

With the aid of technology, students have more opportunities for real-world communication with native speakers. Kids can also interact with other language learners at different proficiency levels inside or outside of the classroom. Language learning is made feasible by a wealth of technological resources and leads to perfection.

Students who transition from passive listeners to active learners may become very enthusiastic about language learning. They are encouraged to practice more when they use tools with capabilities that let them practice a language. It includes voice recognition and interactive multimedia exercises.

Students are given far greater freedom in these new devices to select their method of learning the language. There is also an option for time management and the location of their extracurricular activities.

Technology assists teachers in teaching a new language 

Flexible classroom spaces that integrate connected devices and audiovisual tools in a technology-driven learning environment promote positive student engagement. The combination of independent, small-group, and whole-class learning is now regarded as crucial to student success. Duolingo is very underrated!

Modern language teaching techniques primarily make use of various tools in teaching. It includes multimedia, communicative approaches, and educational games to give students opportunities to increase their exposure to the language.

It thereby creates their own knowledge, as opposed to traditional language teaching methods that may make students passive and bored.

Videos, photos, and software tools used in the classroom enable teachers to include more of the outside world in their lessons. Students are motivated to practice themselves in language learning when the theories are translated into real-world situations.

The impact of software in enhancing the basic linguistic abilities

To develop students listening abilities, teachers can use a variety of graded listening tools. Depending on the knowledge the students already possess, and their interests, a variety of websites and real-world listening resources could be used. Even though they are studying the same subject, every student can benefit from a totally customized experience.

A crucial step in learning a language is mastering pronunciation. Students could be shown videos that include step-by-step instructions on how to move their tongue and jaw to create various sounds.

Students will benefit from personalized feedback. The scores from speech recognition technology will help them pronounce words and phrases correctly.

In addition to enabling solo practice, software solutions can pair students for spoken engagement, which will improve communication. Teachers are able to better manage language classes. As a result, it gives students more time for speaking and active learning.

Software for language learning helps students brainstorm and visualize their thoughts and arrange their material in a logical order. Students can rapidly identify and correct errors with the help of spell-checking software that automatically checks everything they input.

Blogs give students the opportunity to write more expressively for themselves or to peer-review written content that they have collaborated on. It is possible to develop kids writing abilities by successfully utilizing all software options.

Fundamentals, language, and higher-order thinking abilities must all be mastered in order to understand what is being read. To gradually increase students reading comprehension, teachers can choose from a variety of resources. It includes those for vocabulary development and exam preparation.

Software programs monitor student’s development, helping them become more aware of their areas of strength and weakness. It enables them to access reading materials that are specifically designed to develop their weaker areas.

Final Thoughts

Duolingo is the platform that changed the way language is learned. The platform accelerates language learning while also making it more enjoyable, social, and convenient.

Although nothing can replace the effort required to learn a new language, Duolingo can undoubtedly make the process more enjoyable. Duolingo is the way to go!