Cost: Free
Duolingo is a popular language program 100% free of cost. This program was first launched in 2012 by Luis von Ahn, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, and Severin Hacker. They wanted to find a way to learn languages on their smartphones without paying the inordinate amount of $270+. According to US TODAY, in 2013, Apple chose Duolingo as the app of the year with approximately 25 million users. Duolingo is currently available at Google Play, Apple Itunes, Windows Store and on their official website, making it accessible to anyone with a smartphone, a computer or an Ipad. This program is not only good for any individual but it is great for any language or ESL teacher.
Duolingo has 27 language courses for English speakers. It also has 8 language course for Spanish speakers including English, which makes it a great app for ESL teachers. This platform also offers an opportunity for teachers to track the student’s progress with its Duolingo for Schools dashboard, in which the students create an account that is linked to the teacher. The teacher can see how many times the student is consistently logging in, how many lessons and vocabulary stages they passed and the student’s level of proficiency making it a great blended learning tool. So, how does it work?
Once the app is downloaded into the individual’s smartphone or the website is accessed, they will have to create an account and they choose the language that they wish to learn. It is recommended to take the placement test; however, they can start from the beginning, that is Basics 1. This level is for individuals with no previous knowledge in the target or desired language. Duolingo offers immediate reward for those who use it. It gives them gems and they can “buy” new vocabulary sessions with it. It also has a nice balance between listening and speaking exercises.
Like many programs and platforms, Duolingo has its flaws. Since this program is by levels, individuals are not exposed to natural sounding conversations and sentences until they reached advanced levels. You are only exposed to phrases and sentences, which means that it has no natural sounding conversations or accents. Last but not least, Duolingo does not offer any explanation of grammatical structures as part of its platform. This can be somewhat confusing for the language learner.
To summarize, Duolingo has its bad side but, to me, has a great amount of rewards. First, it’s free and easy to use. It provides instant feedback and it is personalized. It also gives you the opportunity to learn a new language and practice. Additionally, it gives teachers an opportunity to provide students with a blended learning experience and space to track and assess their student’s progress.
Try it: www.duolingo.com
Teacher's dashboard: https://schools.duolingo.com/
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