My Take
My students are beginning second language learners. This is their first exposure to Spanish and they absolutely love it. The variety of learning opportunities provided by this app are part of what makes this such a valuable tool. Lessons are categorized with a variety of sub lessons within a single lesson level. Students learn through pictures, Spanish to English sentence completion, English to Spanish sentences completion with a choice of words, speaking Spanish using the microphone, listening to Spanish and typing the English translation, and full translation using the keyboard with no word choices. Three hearts are given for every lesson and one heart is broken each time a mistake is made. After three mistakes the lesson starts over, but it may or may not have the same sentences as before. Students can earn points to spend on boosting their levels. A big push with this program is to practice daily, the mascot an owl, encourages users to keep the owl happy by practicing daily. If students go too long between practice sessions their skills lose strength and they have to repeat them to build them back up to their top level.
How I Use It
I use this app in class as a whole group. The students have their own head phones and they are all practicing, earning points, and practicing lessons at their own rate and level. I even have Spanish as a first language students participating. They are learning to write and read Spanish rather than to just speak it.
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