Originally posted by Jiri Karas on October 13, 2019
My Assignment 1 focuses on Hello Talk, a language exchange mobile app which allows you to learn and practice a foreign language with people who are proficient/native speakers of that language and who want to learn your 1st language. It quite uniquely combines a number of affordances of different mobile apps or environments – social networks, chats and messengers, learning apps such as dictionaries, pronunciation practice, AI transcription services.
It helps to cross physical and social distances which would normally make real-time practice of one’s additional language difficult and it also provides learning support that enhances learner’s autonomy.
I have prepared the assignment to be listened to and watched on a mobile phone. You can think of it as a video podcast which aims to downplay the importance of the video. I do not believe that visuals from apps or presentations normally show well on small screens and key words or screenshots are often sufficient to support the message. I wonder how this will work for you when you listen/watch it.
References:
4 big trends for the sharing economy in 2019. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2019, from World Economic Forum website: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/sharing-economy/
Average: 5/5 Stars
This was a great summary of Hello Talk. It did a great job of providing background information about the sharing economy and the impact it could have on education. The fact that you use this app in conjunction with a real person is interesting, as I imagine it would allow you to direct the learning in a way (for example prioritizing a certain type of vocabulary) as opposed to a prescriptive “one size fits all” language learning app like Duolingo.