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February 15, 2003
Spanish for Beginners
By Mark Sargent
Three introductory programs for middle school and up incorporate the latest digital technologies to make language learning more engaging and authentic.
For most people, studying a nonnative language in a traditional classroom bears mixed results. While we may learn about a language-that, for example, French is spoken not only in Paris but also in Quebec City-most of us have never really developed the capability to communicate in that language. Ask anyone who's bilingual, and chances are they developed that skill by living in a location where the language and culture was all around them and where little, if any, English was spoken.
The challenge for language teachers has always been, short of winning the lottery and moving their class to Mexico City or Paris, how to create a real-world language-learning environment in the classroom. Thanks to advances in digital technologies, many software programs provide rich and varied learning experiences that move beyond traditional textbook approaches toward more immersive linguistic environments.
In this review we look at three titles that use a combination of audio, video, and Web resources to make learning Spanish more compelling and authentic. Additionally, all three integrate speech recognition technology, offering students opportunities to "converse" with the computer and get feedback on their conversational skills. Appropriate for beginning and intermediate language learners, these programs all deserve consideration by Spanish teachers looking to support the traditional curriculum and improve student comprehension and communication.
Rosetta Stone Spanish Level I 4.0 (Fairfield Language Technologies)
While most competing titles provide a healthy dose of English-language tips and tours, Rosetta Stone's Spanish I offers an almost full immersion environment for language learners. The program minimizes the need for translation with an intuitive interface and a pedagogically sound structure that invites students to learn a single concept in multiple ways.
Each lesson is presented visually, beginning with a set of pictures or illustrations. Students can interact with the material in one of five modes: listen & read, listen only, reading, speaking, or writing. For example, in a lesson on professions, students might select the listen mode first. A series of illustrations appears, and, by clicking on one, they will hear how the word-doctoro, for instance-sounds in Spanish. By selecting speaking mode, students can record and compare their own pronunciation for each word in the series (or, in more advanced lessons, phrases) with that of a native speaker. Finally, in writing mode, students can click on an illustration to hear how it's pronounced, then type the word or phrase into a text box. The word is then reviewed for correct spelling and, in the case of phrases, punctuation and syntax. At least this is the theory. After several tries, I was told my spelling of enfermera, the Spanish word for nurse, was incorrect.
A major strength of this title is that the user has control of the learning experience. Moving from one lesson to another, or switching modes within a lesson, is almost seamless due to the program's intuitive interface. Teachers can use this instructional flexibility to customize lessons for individual students. In an introductory unit on hot and cold, for example, separate pathways can be created for two students: one who needs pronunciation practice could be directed to the speaking mode, while the other could use the writing mode to work on spelling.
What's missing in this program, if anything, is a fuller sense of the language as it's used in the context of actual life. This could easily be provided by the addition of video in future versions of the software.
Learn Spanish Now! Version 9 Deluxe (Transparent Language)
When it comes to using video as the centerpiece of an engaging language learning experience, Learn Spanish Now! from Transparent Language is tough to match. Each new lesson or theme in this title is introduced with a short video presentation demonstrating the richness of the language as it is actually spoken. For example, in one lesson from a unit called Spanish Adventures with Andres, students follow the host on a videotaped excursion to Madrid, where family members greet him and catch him up on the latest news. The video has the engaging informality of a well-produced home movie and can be watched in short segments or in its entirety.
One of the defining features of this title is that students can select from a range of supporting text windows to be displayed alongside the video window: one provides the Spanish transcript of the video dialogue (even highlighting individual words or phrases as they are spoken), while another gives the English translation. Additional windows offer translations of individual words or phrases and also include a blank box for learners to type in notes.
Similar to Rosetta Stone's program, students can move from listening and watching to pronouncing key phrases from the dialogues and then comparing them to a native speaker. They can also practice conversational Spanish by taking on the role of one character from the video dialogue and recording themselves speaking highlighted sections, then comparing their pronunciation to that of a native speaker. Teachers can leverage this feature to give students conversational practice within the context of an authentic scenario with engaging characters.
If there is a drawback to this title, it is its reliance on English translation to support the material, including English-language learning tips that pop up on many screens. The effect, however minor, is to dilute the software's immersion potential.
Learn to Speak Spanish 8.1 (Riverdeep/The Learning Company)
Of the three titles reviewed here, Learn To Speak Spanish 8.1 presents the clearest information about the program's learning goals and what students need to do to achieve them. However, much of this information is in English, which unfortunately gives users the experience of learning Spanish as an outsider looking in.
The title is very much the multimedia equivalent of a traditional Spanish language textbook, with a fairly straightforward approach to language learning. A section on greetings and introductions begins with an audio presentation with colorful illustrations, followed by various grammar and vocabulary exercises. As with the other titles reviewed here, students can record their own pronunciation of words or phrases, then compare them to a native speaker. In some cases, unfortunately, audio presentations of material do not come with an option to see accompanying text. As a result, if listening and seeing images is not enough to convey meaning to users, they're out of luck.
Like Learn Spanish Now, users can record "conversations" with on-screen characters: they can listen to a model phrase or a prompt, record a response, then compare their response to that of a native speaker. The use of video clips of people who look into the camera and address the learner helps approximate an actual conversation.
A key strength of this title is a series of engaging 3-minute to 5-minute videos on topics such as Mexican traditions, Mexican cities, and pre-Hispanic architecture. Accompanying the large-frame videos are text boxes with the transcripts in Spanish and English translation, which the user can hide or display. This material is compelling and informative, but isn't effectively integrated into the program's instructional content.
Mark Sargent, a former middle and high school foreign language teacher, is director of Web content at the George Lucas Educational Foundation.
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