The Learn to Speak Series Part 3WindoWatch Magazine Volume 7 No. 5 May 2001 |
Learning to Speak with The Learning Company®
Copyright 2001 by Margaret Werdermann
Welcome back to the last installment of our three-part series on The Learning Company®'s Learn to Speak™ language learning software version 7.0. In Parts 1 and 2, we installed the software and took an in-depth look at its course content and presentation. This month, we'll finish up by discussing the supplementary resources included with the package and drawing some conclusions about its strengths, its weaknesses, and its overall value.
So, last month we did some microsurgery on the heart of the Learn to Speak package - the course content on the software itself. But, remember, there was more to this program than software alone. Let's move on now to what I call the "supplementary resources" - the workbook, the audiotape, and the online resources. These pieces are meant to aid and reinforce your learning, and each does so in its own way.
The workbook is broken into two distinct parts, a grammar and exercises section and a reference section. The reference section includes the English and target language translations of the Story and Action dialogues from the software chapters and a straight language-to-language vocabulary list.
The grammar section does cover all necessary concepts, but… (You knew there was a "but" there, didn't you?) Although there are some extra exercises and extra questions within the exercises in the workbook, the explanations of grammar concepts in the grammar and exercises section of the workbook mirror the software Grammar sections for each chapter exactly. Most of the exercises are exact duplicates also. This was a little disappointing. I would have liked to have seen a richer set of exercises, with no duplicates from the software, that would add greater depth to the learning experience.
More disturbing, though, the explanations of grammar concepts are written in a style meant for serious students of language at the high school or college level at least. Take a look at the first sentence of Chapter 2's grammar lesson (this is a screen shot from the application, but the workbook entry is identical):
Holy semantics, Batman!! This is not a sentence for the grammatically faint of heart! It would be really handy to know what a subject is, what a pronoun is, and what the word "precedes" means, among other things, before tackling a sentence like that. This is certainly not written in a style that a child would understand, and it's probably going to take some reading and re-reading for anyone else who's been out of a grammar class longer than a week and a half. Remember, this was from Chapter 2, so there haven't been weeks and weeks of explanation before you get to this point.
I'm not too impressed with this presentation (could you tell?). This is really quite simple subject matter (I, you, he, she, we, etc.) that is taught to people of all ages and abilities as one of the first things they learn in any language. There are so many less intimidating ways of presenting this subject - I can't believe The Learning Company didn't pick one!
So, what have we learned? The workbook's purpose seems to be purely to reinforce the reading and writing elements of the lessons you learn with the software without adding any additional content. I can see a serious adult taking this to work for some extra study over lunch hour or at some other time when he or she didn't have access to the software; but, frankly, the workbook is of very little use to a child - even with adult guidance. I'd give the workbook a C-.
In comparison with the workbook, the audiotape was a nice surprise. Remembering that an audiotape has limited interactive capabilities, I thought this one was done about as well as this media would allow.
The audiotape is meant to reinforce the comprehension and oral lessons learned using the software. It is broken into ten lessons to match the ten numbered units in the software, and each lesson is broken into three parts.
Part one of the lesson is Vocabulary Practice. The person on the tape says an English word, pauses to give you time to try to say the target language equivalent (let's just say "Spanish" for now so that I don't have to keep repeating the phrase "target language" all the time), then says the Spanish word and pauses for you to repeat it - good, solid reinforcement of what you learned with the software.
Part two is a Dialogue for you to listen to. This time, two or more people have a conversation in Spanish. No slacking here - you have to listen carefully to catch everything because these people are speaking in real time.
The third part of the lesson is called "How do you say?" This part is based on the preceding Dialogue. The narrator says a sentence or phrase from the Dialogue in English, pauses to give you time to try to say it in Spanish, then says it in Spanish so that you can see if you got it right. This is a real exercise for the old grey cells.
The audiotape is definitely accessible to the whole family, and it's a great way to kill time in the car on the long, boring commute to work/school. The "time limited" pauses can be turned into a kind of game where the first one to say the word or phrase correctly within the time allotted wins a point. (As I said, our commutes are REALLY long and boring.)
I should make it clear that the audiotape is not meant to teach the concepts covered. If you have not done the lesson with the software, you will not have a hope of keeping up with or understanding the audiotape - especially the Dialogue. The speakers use a natural rhythm and speed of speech - which is great if you're using the tape as reinforcement, but will kill you if you think you can skip the real lesson and just mindlessly repeat the phrases from the tape.
I give the audiotape an A+. It does exactly what it is meant to do in the best way possible for that media and can be easily used by its entire audience. It is challenging, but not so difficult as to be frustrating.
The online resources are made up of access to a web site and the ability to create a study plan online.
Sorry, everyone, I don't have a lot to say about the study plan because, after trying for the past two months, I haven't yet been able to access it. I contacted The Learning Company's technical support group about this and this was their response:
You may have recently experienced difficulty in contacting us by e-mail or accessing some of our web sites due to a server changeover. We have not been given a time frame for all functions to be fully functioning. We apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experienced during this time. (Case #429720)
So much for the study plan. That's too bad because I was quite interested to see how realistic it would be and how it worked. I'll keep an eye out for it in future, though, because the idea of a personalized study plan is an excellent one.
The other form of online resource is The Learning Company's web site, which you can access through the Web link in the software or directly at http://www.elanguage.com/. This is a great site and well worth a quick click on the link if you're interested in purchasing this software. In it, you'll find everything from a verb conjugator to a virtual conversation (LOTS of fun) to live chat groups to net resources on travel… The list goes on and on. Even if you don't plan to buy the software - check this site out. If you're into travel or language, you'll have a hard time dragging yourself away from it.
Well, over the past few months, we've explored every aspect of this package. Some things were good; some things were not so good. Now it's time to make some final evaluations about its technical and educational merit; whether or not it lives up to its advertising claims; and, finally, whether it is good value for the money.
The software itself is sound. The installation process (particularly with the QuickTime third-party software and the microphone) was not always intuitive, but once the software was installed on a suitable machine it proved to be very stable. Even the installation process would not have been difficult if the package came with a far more detailed user manual and/or online help.
Educationally, I have to say that this package does a remarkable job. The content is very appropriate. (What good is a sentence like "The cat is on the chair." when you're travelling? This software includes intelligent conversational subjects that might actually be usable by a normal human being.)
The teaching approach is very flexible, so a student can get as much or as little out of the course as he or she wants or can handle. The critical basic vocabulary section has some motivational weaknesses, and the grammar is definitely meant for serious adults only. However, the numbered units are fun to work through, provide plenty of practical practice with all four aspects of language (comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing) if you choose to take advantage of all options, and even include some refreshing cultural information. (One note about the cultural movies in the Spanish package, though: Everything was based on Mexico. That was a little disappointing - not because I have anything against Mexico, but because there are so many diverse places in the world where Spanish is spoken. I would have liked to have seen Mexico and Spain and at least a few Central and South American countries represented.)
As we've already discussed, the supplementary resources that come with this package run from the humdrum to first rate. Altogether, though, I'd have to say that they do an excellent job supporting the software course between them.
The two basic claims The Learning Company makes about the Learn to Speak series are that you can become fluent in the target language and that the whole family can learn using this package.
Can you become fluent without a living, breathing teacher? Yes, I think you can if you are disciplined enough to stick with the program and take advantage of the supplementary resources - particularly the online live chat sessions where you can practice with other students in real time. The course as a whole is well conceived and practical. With a little extra effort like seeking out friends and coworkers who might speak the language, watching television programs in the language (radio is more difficult because you don't have visual clues as to what the person is talking about), and making sure to review lessons you've learned previously rather than careening through all of them at a break-neck pace, you could definitely build your skills to a good conversational level with this package.
As for the "for the whole family" claim, I'd say that most of the course is accessible to anyone old enough to read fluently. My suggestion, though, if you really want your child to learn another language, would be to work through the lessons together.
My ten-year-old thought the Spanish course was "fun" and enjoyed using the voice recognition meter tremendously; but, when left on his own, focussed more on reproducing the sounds for recording than on their meanings. This made for good pronunciation but no useful language learning. Sitting down with him and discussing what he was learning and the similarities he might see between a word and its English or French equivalent was much more productive. Beyond that, he loved the "Go Fish" game but didn't even attempt the Grammar sections after a quick glance at one. His final judgement: "I like it a whole lot."
At the other end of the age spectrum, my mom had purchased the German package at the same time as I bought my two (What can I say, I'm a chip off the old language learning block.). On the whole, she is also very pleased with it. She needed help with the installation (no surprise there) and found some of the instructions in the workbook unclear, but was ultimately quite impressed by the course itself. (I should mention that Mom taught foreign language for a number of years - so she knows what she's talking about.)
That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? Was this software worth the price paid for it?
Even with its weaknesses, this software is without a doubt great value for the money. I bought it for under $50 Canadian and its effectiveness is without question.
How much would you pay for, say, a weekly evening course at your local high school or college? Yes, you'd have the advantage of a more interactive teacher (assuming you get a good teacher - not always a given) and practice with fellow students; but you wouldn't have the convenience of accessing that teacher whenever you want - night or day, reviewing the entire lesson as often as you want for years to come, and receiving the individualized attention that this software will allow (Remember: You're the only student here. You get to answer every question and practice every pronunciation. You don't have to wait while another student struggles through something you already understand. On the other hand, if you are having problems with something yourself, you can spend as much time on it as you want without holding up the rest of the class.).
I recently came across a concept called "Zero-based Thinking." Basically, the idea is to ask yourself, "If I had it to do all over again, would I buy/do this again." The answer - a resounding "YES."
By the way…about wanting to order a beer in a foreign language without being arrested…"Una cerveza, por favor." (Chapter 7 - Spanish) I LOVE this software!
This was the final installment of our Learning to Speak with The Learning Company three-part series in which we thoroughly explored the Learn to Speak version 7.0 second language software. It's bonus time next month as we've been lucky enough to get our sweaty little palms on version 8.0. Trust me, if you liked version 7, you can't wait to see what's new and improved in this package! Does the word "gripping" sound familiar?
| Product Contact: | The Learning Company® |
| Foreign Language Division | |
| One Athenaeum Street | |
| Cambridge, MA 02142 | |
| USA | |
| www.learningco.com |
When she’s not accosting people on trains, Margaret Werdermann leads the training department of a software company in Canada.