191: Do you use apps for language learning?

Saud asks: "Do you use apps for language learning?"

Episode Summary:

• Because technology is always being promoted as making our lives more efficient, many people are tempted to look to apps to speed up the language learning process
• All my opinions about apps are formed in the light of the fact that I remember what language learning was like before the internet
• Nothing will ever be as effective as you, a good book, a pen and a paper
• The critical mistakes that apps make is to try to offer a new learning methodology
• The role of technology in language learning should be to help you consume learning material more efficiently
• The criteria for judging an app should be: "Does it help me do more efficiently something I was already doing?"
• Before the internet: Hard to access texts, audio on tapes was inefficient to listen to, everything has to be stored manually on paper, native speakers inaccessible
• After the internet: Texts are freely available, you can manipulate audio easily, you have data entry on your phone, native speakers readily available
• There's a big risk you have to mitigate against when you use apps: Attention and focus
• I use two apps: Flashcards Deluxe and Speater
• I also use dictionary apps and Skype
• Part of the reason I haven't used more apps is because I've been learning less common languages. However, if I want to pick up German, for example, I would go straight to a book, not an app

Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode:

• LingQ
• Readlang
• Flashcards Deluxe
• Speater App

IWTYAL 051: Can technology help you learn a language? https://youtu.be/rM-N29vnYME

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