I am always on the lookout for new language learning tools. As someone who is raising my own bilingual children, and teaching in a French Immersion classroom, there is a lot to be excited about in recent years. Early in my teaching career (and when I was a younger language learner myself), resources were static. Short of traveling to a francophone destination for immersion, language learning technology was print media, recorded audio, and occasionally live or recorded video and audio. New language learning tools are increasingly responsive, contextual, and high-interest for learners.
Click here to check out Talkpal
AI is the tech du jour (or du décennie), and every AI company seems to be promising some sort of value in the AI-assisted language learning space. I looked at several, and this was the best that I could see of the lot so far. It uses Chat-GPT to offer a variety of discussion-based tools with a variety of chatbot avatars. You can debate, learn, role play, learn to describe, complete learning goals, and a variety of other things. It is limited to the capabilities of Chat-GPT, but that provides plenty of leeway for the time being. The user can choose the style of conversation or topic to discuss.
The design appears to be mobile-first. The focus on audio interaction lends itself to mobile interaction, and the site and App both work well and load very quickly. The AI feedback is fast, provides feedback as well as novel interaction each time, and provides options to expand learning. The app is limited without having a paid subscription, providing only 10 minutes of chat function per day. This seems like more of a teaser, designed to drive users to the paid content.
A few things I’d be interested in digging further into or getting feedback on, if possible:
- There is an “Education version”. What does this offer?
- Can progress be saved/shared?
- Does the AI driving the app continue to learn and grow with the learner’s language skills, or just focus on content?
- What sources are used for the French language learning? Is it designed for particular varieties/regional dialects?
Thanks for sharing. I am going to look into this further!