4 New Technologies for Language Learning
The way we transmit information has changed as a result of technological advancements. Technology has made its influence felt in a variety of ways, from coworkers sharing firm data across continents at the speed of light to learning a completely new language.
It has made language transmission more democratic. Rather than boarding a plane and flying to where the native speakers are, stay in your seat. Simply go to one of the millions of language-learning websites.
They also use technologies to bring the lessons to life in these language learning apps and websites. They have memory games to help you learn while having fun. The lessons are recorded on video, which you can watch at any time of day and as many times as you choose. So, what are the advantages of incorporating technology into foreign language learning? There are a lot of them! Let’s take a look at a few of them to gain a better idea.
- Language Education via Remote Access
Technology allows you to communicate with people all around the globe. It enables teachers to get hired on the spot, and students can enroll in courses taught by natives to assure deep understanding and immersion. Advancements in technology have also made boundless and limitless materials available to learners regardless of their location, language proficiency, or economic position.
- Blended Learning Approach
Blended learning is when you combine online and in-person attendance. In this concept, the learner completes online courses, and the teacher acts as a complementary element that is more focused on the actual requirements of the students rather than the language elements that can already be covered in a prerecorded online course. In this sense, learners can learn grammar rules at their own pace and practice speaking and listening in a traditional classroom!
- Collaborative and Interactive Learning
The greatest method to acquire new information is in a learning environment generated by technological tools and resources that make it interactive. Language learning is not different; in order to improve the students’ experience, language learning needs to be more interactive and interesting. Collaborative tools are also an excellent approach to learning a new language.
- Immersion in Real-Life Situations
Language study applications are updated on a regular basis and can include current happenings and events to help students learn a foreign language and culture. In this way, students are learning in a virtual educational environment while being in tune with the real world and with real-life circumstances. This allows them to have a better understanding of the country and the history of this language.
- The Finest Tool for Instructors To Use as a Supplement
Traditional schooling is no longer as successful as it once was. When the teacher instructs something in the classroom, they must motivate their students more than before. Studies have shown that technology has played a huge part in the short attention span of young people. Technology aids the teacher in supplementing traditional teaching methods and improving the student’s learning experience.
- Monitoring Learner Progress Is Made Simple With Technology
With the rise of online education opportunities that provide multiple functions adapted to educational institutions’ needs, managing courses, keeping track of learners’ progress, and other administrative activities have become much easier and efficient. Along with the new technologies come new management methods – completing tests, answering student questions, and many more features.
4 Technology Tools To Use for Language Learning
Videos and Music
Audio listening tasks are useful for determining what students can recognize by themselves. Learners can get context clues from a combination of visuals, gestures, and accents, which can aid them in comprehending the language on another level. What you can also do as a beginner is hire an online translation agency to translate in the language you are learning some of your favorite books or plays, so you can make language learning fun and productive!
Websites Devoted to Education
Websites like FluentU and Quizlet, for example, can help students learn more effectively by delivering useful and enjoyable exercises that focus on grammar and current events, depending on the language! Teachers can use them as recreational exercises that are also educational. So, instead of traditional homework, a student can complete a short and fun quiz!
Tools for Collaboration
Facebook, Classting, and Google Classroom are examples of tools that can assist students in using the language they are currently studying and engaging in interactive and collaborative activities. These tools can help especially students that are learning a language from home to practice everyday conversations and do listening exercises! They also bring in the social factor of learning a language!
Apps for Smartphones and Tablets
Many smartphone and tablet apps, like Duolingo, and Memrise, provide learners with an engaging and enjoyable approach to learning a language. Their easy, 20 -minutes approach, is a great supplement to help learners stay in touch with the foreign language every day! These apps are great for familiarizing yourself with the foreign language and for learning and remembering your vocabulary!
Conclusion
Technology has infiltrated every part of our existence, and the way we absorb new concepts is no exception. It has significantly improved both the instructors’ and students’ language learning experiences. But we still need to keep an eye out for certain unforeseen repercussions of today’s technologies.
It tends to turn learning into a passive process. Everything is available, and everything can be accessed in a matter of seconds. As a result, the brain takes for granted what it is given so easily. And you don’t place a high value on what comes readily to you. There’s something about flipping through the pages of a huge dual-language dictionary, for example, that helps us appreciate the term when we eventually find it.
