ETEC 522 – September 2012

melissaayers 6:47 pm on September 30, 2012

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  Colin 5:20 pm on October 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply

  I did download the Spanish tutor app hoping that it would be a neat app that could teach me some Spanish. The app is more about testing your knowledge of Spanish than teaching you the basics. Not knowing any Spanish I was able to guess a lot of the correct answers but I wouldn’t be able to say the word or even remember it later. The app would be better if it would pronounce the word for you and give you some basic lessons before a test. I think this free app is just to get you to buy their other apps and on it’s own is not that useful. You can use it to test students but you can also do that with other programs where you have more control over the content.

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  Mike Rae 1:39 pm on October 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply

  I agree Colin. I do have a background in Spanish, so I found it useful for getting the rust off the knowledge that was buried in brain somewhere. It was amazing how much came back to me though. For beginner Spanish in high school I could see it as a possible review tool, either at home or in the classroom if kids have the proper devices.

  You are probably right where they offer something the free version to lure you to spend a little money and help their bottom line.

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  teacherben 7:22 pm on October 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply

  I see that Rosetta Stone has apps for iOS and Android, but they appear to be companion products for those who have already purchased the full versions. It allows them to do some similar activities on their handhelds, but they are stripped down a bit. I wonder if this is a shrewd business decision or a missed opportunity. The software really is in a class of its own, but it is also priced in a class of its own. Maybe they don’t want to cut into their revenue share by offering an app that is cheaper, but sooner or later, there will be some really good apps to challenge their dominance in this area. Spanish Tutor may not be there yet, but one of these little guys will come out with something sooner or later that might.

  If anyone is learning Chinese, or interested in learning Chinese, Pleco has an incredibly powerful and sophisticated app that is worth checking out:

  http://www.pleco.com/

  Their app even allows you to use the camera on your device to take a picture of a Chinese character and it will translate it for you and then allow you to add it to your own personal set of flashcards to study later. Rosetta Stone doesn’t have anything like that!

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  visramn 4:14 pm on October 6, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply

  I downloaded this app to try it out. I found that it has a lot of options to help a person learn or brush up on their Spanish. Personally I do not know any spanish and would need to work on it a lot if I wanted to learn to speak and comprehend the language. I do not know if an app like this would help me learn to the degree that I could communicate fully but it could definitely teach me some words and some easier phrases. I think the app would be better for people who already have some background in spanish.
  I believe this app has a lot of potential in a classroom because it is hands on engaging way to expose students to Spanish vocabulary.
  Nureen

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  Paula Poodwan 8:27 pm on October 6, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply

  I did not download this app to try it out as I have many good websites that I can use to learn Spanish already ( I recommend Duolingo for learning Spanish for free). So I just tried out the “Spanish FREE 24/7” and I quite like it. There is enough information for anyone wanting to learn the basics of Spanish before actually buying a paid version. I find the Basic Phrases and Questions to be very useful. I will definitely buy the paid version when I have more time to study more in the future ( after finishing this course).