Over the past several weeks, I have examined a variety of online language learning tools and conducted in-depth comparisons to determine which apps, if any, I would deem effective for classroom learning. I started by looking at the two district-promoted tools, Yabla and Duolingo. I found Yabla to be a fairly helpful app. It teaches…
Although XR technologies can certainly help with accessibility to certain places or experiences for people with disabilities, they are not necessarily accessible to everyone. An article from UC Berkeley states: “Given the importance of vision, hearing, motion, and haptic control in XR, there also arise many crucial questions about how to accommodate users’ various functional…
Mauril is a free app by CBC that allows you to learn Canadian French or English by watching videos and answering questions about the videos. You start by picking your level so that they can give you videos that match your language level. With each video, they provide a list of essential vocabulary to help…
The more I use Duolingo, the more curious I become in finding a better app. I have tried Yabla and am enjoying the video learning and the ability to go back and review words and practice them in different ways. I think the ability to go back and practice is essential. Duolingo really seems to…
Game-based learning and gamification can be highly effective in increasing engagement and helping students understand complex concepts in an engaging way. That being said, not all gamification is equally effective. With my inquiry project, I have come to realize that many language learning apps are game-based, but end up over-emphasizing the game aspect at the…
What I appreciate about the SAMR integration model is that it is simplified and aimed at helping you understand the purpose of using technology for a particular task. It allows you to consider whether you are using technology to enhance or transform a task and whether it is for functional improvement or a redesign of…
Last Friday, I attended a Focused ED seminar on AI literacy and on cybersecurity for students. Cari did a wonderful job of walking us through the risks and benefits of AI use as educators. For starters, Cari reminded us that AI is a tool that relies on data and probability; it is not a search…
In a 16-week study comparing the effectiveness of language learning with Duolingo vs. in a classroom, Gonzalez-Fernandez and De la Viña found that “overall […] app-based learning can support certain aspects of L2 development, particularly receptive grammar and vocabulary knowledge, while classroom-basedinstruction is more beneficial for developing listening skills” (2025). The article also notes that…
As I continue my exploration of online language-learning resources, I wanted to review the app that I first used to learn Spanish several years ago: Memrise. Memrise is a free app with a premium version that allows you access to more specific chat features and grammar support. I really like that Memrise teaches you new…