Technology and Foreign Language

Today is the two-year anniversary of my departure from Germany.  This date made me think about learning German and how technology can help us to learn a new language.  There are many technology tools that can provide an enjoyable learning experience and help make learning the language more relevant to real-world situations.

There are many reasons one would want to learn a foreign language.  Perhaps a foreign language is necessary for a graduation requirement or a degree.  Perhaps it is necessary to travel to another country.  Perhaps it is a job requirement.  In my case it was necessary in order to survive as a military member in my host nation.

There are several ways a foreign language can be learned through the use of technology.  Alessi and Trollip (2001) suggest foreign key pals (pen pals over the internet) as a way for students to interact with native language speakers.  This could be accomplished through e-mail or Skype.  Of course the instructor would have to find the key pals in another country and that could prove to be a challenge. 

The instructor can also use a microphone and free recording software such as Audacity to either make a recording and ask students to answer questions based on the recording or to have the students make the recording and grade their pronunciation.  The instructor could also use programs such as book builder to have the students create a story in the language they are studying. 

In Germany, I found the best way to pick up the language was by watching television or listening to the radio.  The student s the class could listen to different radio stations to learn the language.  I found this website that lists German radio stations.  http://www.listenlive.eu/germany.html.  I also found a list of streaming German television stations.  http://www.live-tv-radio.com/tv/germany.shtm.   I would use caution when using these sites for students as German radio stations play American music and do not censor the lyrics. 

I found this website called mygermanclass.com.   This podcast provides action with dialogue so that the viewer understands what is happening.  The creator also provides script to go along with the action and dialogue.  These videos are an entertaining way to learn German.

I looked online to see if I could find a text translator and got this site. German Conversation.  I typed the words in English and the program created a narration in German.   This program can be used in the classroom as well.

These are just a few of the many possibilities of how technology can be used to learn a language. They are free and probably the simplest tools available to learn a foreign language. I wish I had known about all of them when I was learning German.  I will visit these sites as they help connect me to Germany.

Alessi, S. & Trollip, S. (2001). Multimedia for Learning: Methods and Development. Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.