Learning or improving upon a second language is no longer confined to rote learning audio cassette tapes or out of date computer language programs on cd-rom that look like they were created in the late 1980’s. People around the world are slowly starting to visit online language websites that cater to a diverse set of creative teaching methods largely integrating web 2. 0 technologies that create an environment of collaboration and sharing amongst its users. Methods that didn’t exist 10 years ago are now available to millions of language learners across the world. Not only do these new methods promise convenience, they also promise access to new and improved materials for online use. Online language learning is now being considered by students around the world and one of the up and coming methods is learning online using voice and video in order to communicate with a tutor. An online voice chat is kind of like talking to your tutor over the phone except it’s over the Internet and you have access to a webcam while you use a variety of online materials to help learn. Tutors are no longer tied to a specific region or city in the world but rather wherever there is an Internet connection. Students who normally don’t have access to a teacher now have access to a teacher. When considering which method of online learning is right for you, you should consider a variety of factors to determine the best option. · Ease of Use· Price (if there is one)· Availability· Reputation and Quality of ProductThese are only some of the factors you should think about before choosing an online solution to your English language learning needs. Ease of use is really all about the website or product and how easy it is for you to use. Is there a help section, frequently asked questions and should these not solve your problem how easy is it to contact a real person either through email or by telephone. Online connectivity vs. offline connectivity refers to being able to use the program or website when you are not connected to the Internet. Price is usually a very important factor for most people when making an involved purchase that could easily cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Don’t confuse the lowest price with the best offer by any company selling you an education related learning experience. Everybody has heard the saying before “you get what you pay for,” so just be aware of this great advice before you choose the cheapest language help out there. Availability can be a very important factor if you are using live video and voice chat online English lessons which would probably require you to schedule your lesson times well in advance. Most new companies offering this type of live video and voice chat service will have several teachers available with many choices of times to make it very easy to schedule weekly lessons with a tutor. Reputation and quality of product can be checked by visiting the better business bureau (assuming the company you are interested in is using their services) or by asking a friend if they have heard about any good companies or by a referral from someone you trust. Another method which is often overlooked is asking the company for a list of emails of clients who have used their service before. If the company is well established you can even ask for a list of other students in your area or region. Any company who is not willing to give you the names of students should be passed by unless they are restricted due to legal reasons as the last thing you want to do is pass up a great company to learn online English with. Choosing the right online English language solution today is more about convenience than anything else, so sometimes it may be best to go with the company offering the higher price. The Internet can suit about any learning style that you can possibly think of. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and talk with friends and ask them what they are doing to help them learn. About the Author Marc Anderson is the General Manager of an online English language learning company called TalktoCanada. com that helps companies of all sizes and individuals around the world learn English online using voice chat and a webcam with experienced native English tutors. If you would like to learn how live online English lessons can help you or your company please visit TalktoCanada. com today and find out how you can improve your online spoken English.
Posts Tagged ‘Method’
Choosing the Best Online Method to Learn the English Language
December 25th, 2009Review of Pimsleur Method, Linguaphone and Rosetta Stone Language Courses
December 24th, 2009This review is directed towards those people wondering what makes language courses different from one another. We will cover the strengths and weaknesses of the Pimsleur Method, Linguaphone and Rosetta Stone language courses. Each course is a top rated language course.
Advantages of Pimsleur Language Courses
1. Pimsleur is a good course to learn to speak a new language.
2. Pimsleur is audio course that works if you are on the move.
3. Pimsleur is interactive course that keeps you intensely involved while learning.
4. The Pimsleur Method makes it easy to learn a new language.
5. Pimsleur is a very simple learning course.
6. You are more likely to retain what you learn because of the Graduated Interval Recall System developed by Dr. Pimsleur, the developer of the course.
7. The courses focus on the most used words in a language. This becomes very beneficial in leaning to speak a language.
8. The combined group of techniques used in these courses makes learning easy.
Disadvantages of Pimsleur Language Courses
1. There are no written transcripts of the audio.
2. If you want to go further in learning a language than simply carrying on a simple conversation you will need to purchase a few books: grammar, verbs and a dictionary to expand your vocabulary and perhaps a workbook to learn to write. A good set of flash cards could also help.
4. The short Pimsleur courses are repeated in the more expanded Comprehensive I courses. The manufacturer uses the smaller courses to entice you to buy the larger, more expensive course. If you are serious about learning a language it is not very economical to buy one of the small courses.
Comments
Pimsleur offers 38 different language courses formatted on CDs and downloads. You can download a course directly to your computer. The cost is on the expensive side but Pimsleur is an especially good course for a beginning language student.
Advantages of Linguaphone Language Courses
1. Linguaphone offers courses that teach you to read, write and speak the language.
2. Many of the Linguaphone courses have very nice manuals with beautiful pictures and the dialog of what you are going over in a lesson.
3. Linguaphone has some courses that are all audio so you can learn on the move.
4. Linguaphone courses are based on: listen, understand and speak. This method has been used for over 100 years.
5. Many people rate Linguaphone very high on their list of language courses.
Disadvantages of Linguaphone Language Courses
1. If you don’t have a basic knowledge of the language you are learning, Linguaphone courses can be somewhat difficult because it moves along too fast, without enough repetition.
2. On some of the Linguaphone audio you will need to listen very carefully.
3. You may want to go over another language course series, like Pimsleur, and use Linguaphone to expand your language skills, vocabulary and listening comprehension.
4. Linguaphone prices range from inexpensive to expensive depending on the course.
Comments
Linguaphone has 15 language courses. Most people’s ratings of Linguaphone are positive. It covers all language core skills, oral, aural, writing and reading. Linguaphone courses are very thorough courses. People who like written transcripts of the dialog will like Linguaphone. The narrators on the Linguaphone courses are British speakers.
Advantages of Rosetta Stone Language Courses
1. Many people feel that Rosetta Stone software is very good because it integrates audio, text and images.
2. Rosetta Stone software makes learning a language both simple and entertaining.
3. The Rosetta Stone lessons are short and simple, featuring native speakers, real life images with beautiful graphics and big fonts.
4. Speech recognition is available in the Rosetta Stone software to help you say the words correctly.
5. Rosetta Stone is very thorough and covers all language core skills, oral, aural, writing and reading with good sound quality.
6. Vocabulary is a strong point with the Rosetta Stone software.
Disadvantage of Rosetta Stone Software
1. Rosetta Stone software is best used by a visual learner.
2. Rosetta Stone would be best to use along with another language course that teaches you grammar, verbs and to speak the language. It can be difficult to learn a language just by looking at pictures and repeating phrases that you hear.
3. If you are a beginner you would be better starting with another language course and then use Rosetta Stone to further your studies.
Comments
Rosetta Stone software is a great way to improve your specific language vocabulary quickly. It is very difficult to really learn how to speak a language with software alone by looking at pictures and repeating phrases. This does not help you in the real world. You need to learn to think in your new language. This is a better course for a child or pre-teenager than for an adult. Rosetta Stone Software has 3 Levels. It is a more expensive language course.
