What exactly is Academic Software?
Simply put, it is any program, application or tool designed specifically for the support and enhancement of different aspects of academic work and research, across different areas of study.
Academic software should be tailored to meet the needs of students, educators, researchers and other professionals within academia. It should also serve a number of purposes: research and analysis, writing and documentation, presentation and visualization to name a few.... They can be open-source tools (free) or proprietary software (with licenses or subscriptions).
It just depends on the needs, preferences and financial constraints of the academic institution or the individual user.
So,..... ¡Vámonos! Allons-y!
Since my field of specialty is Modern Languages, let's take a closer look at one of the more popular pieces of academic software for language-learning. Which one would you select? Hmmm....
Well, if my students were the ones making the selection, I know that they would choose 'Duolingo' without hesitation. They seem to love it! Also, in a recent Parents Meeting, several parents intimated that they use 'Duolingo' to re-visit or learn a foreign language. This suggests the preference persons have for this particular language-learning tool. So, 'Duolingo' is the software I have chosen to examine more closely. Let's investigate further.
Have you ever used 'Duolingo' as a language-learning tool? How was it? Easy or difficult to navigate? What were your challenges, if any? What did you find most beneficial? Would you recommend it for use in the classroom?
Share your thoughts with us....
I have heard the name mentioned before Debbie, but, I have never used it. Your blog stirred up memories of my French classes at secondary school. I loved hearing the language but I found it quite difficult to learn at the time. Our only use of technology was the teacher's tape recorder of persons pronouncing words and reciting French verbs. If this software helps with both writing the language and speaking it, there may still be some hope for me. Je ne sais pas.
ReplyDeleteI have used Duolingo, albeit not extensively. I have found it useful for review and reinforcement. I quite like that it offers exercises in the listening, speaking, reading and writing (typing) domains. It also offers positive affirmations with each correct answer and allows the user to redo items in order to correct errors. It is visually appealing and offers challenges and rewards to motivate the user. It promotes the importance of consistent and committed (daily) language learning. It bombards your inbox with reminder and prompts if you have stayed away to long. I think it works well for someone wanting to go at an individual pace but I would have to explore it more to see how it would fit within the classroom setting, especially as it relates to specific topic areas. It is user-friendly and easy to navigate. It is
ReplyDeleteencouraging to know that such language learning applications are available and I hope that more of our students would tap into these resources.
Petra, the idea of being able to work with Duolingo at the student's pace is a valuable asset for adaptive learning, so I agree with you on its importance. The real-time feedback is another asset for students and educators using the software. So, even though you may not have used Duolingo extensively, you have been able to focus in on some of the key areas which language teachers would fully appreciate, in working with our students.
DeleteThat's the idea, Frances. I want to sensitize persons to the availability of academic software that can make learning another language achievable and be enjoyable at the same time. Duolingo helps with the pronunciation as well as with the sentence structure when writing the language. So, there is lots of hope Frances, "beaucoup d'espoir".
ReplyDeleteI use Duolingo, I am using for two reasons. I want to learn Portuguese and also I wish to see what my students are exposed to as many of them use the program. I am not always in agreement with some of the grammar concepts and the way that they are taught. Similarly, the pronunciation. That's not to say that I don't see its benefits to our students.
ReplyDeleteI fully understand, Sophie. I am glad to know that as foreign language practitioners we are making use of good online resources to make the language learning experience more realistic for our students. However, as I pointed out on another page, I have found a few limitations; but these do not prevent the effective use of the tool for student engagement. So, we are on the same page (pun intended)!
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