21st century teachers are always looking for ways to engage their students, and technology is now becoming the main avenue for teachers to do this. In high school, most students will have cell phones or access to mobile device. These devices have unlimited access to information through applications. There are many different applications that can be used in a classroom setting. However, for a Spanish classroom there is own type of application that is extremely useful. Language learning applications are being used worldwide to learn many different languages.
These applications can be used as a supplementary tool for teachers in a foreign language classroom. These applications can support learning by giving students a fun and engaging platform to use anywhere they are. According to Beatriz Redondo on Fluentu an educator blog these applications can be a good break for the students in a comfortable environment with the technology. She also mentions that these applications allow for differentiation because the student advances when they become an expert at the subject. This can be a good source for teachers to see where each of their students are with the target language.
Duolingo is one application created by Luis Van Ahn and Severin Hacker in 2011. The application is free and the user can learn multiple different languages. Duolingo has a special platform for teachers in Duolingo for schools. This platform allows the teacher to make a classroom dashboard where he/she can keep track of the students’ progress. The dashboard is easy to navigate and shows either a green arrow pointing up for progress or a red arrow pointing down symbolizing student setbacks. This can be an easy way for a teacher to reach out to a student to see where he/she is struggling and needs a little extra scaffolding.
Lisa B. is a foreign language teacher in Pennsylvania who uses Duolingo as a supplement in her classroom. Lisa has her students use Duolingo when they are done with an activity to make the extra time useful and engaging. Lisa’s school only has Spanish and French, so she allows her students to use Duolingo in any language they want. This is an interesting take on using this app in a classroom because it is not in her target language. There are many parts that Lisa loves about Duolingo, but she says that it would be better if it had a better cultural aspect. Lisa is not the only one experimenting with Duolingo in a classroom. There are many studies being conducted using Duolingo.
Pilar Munday conducted a study using Duolingo on college Spanish students. The students had to complete five lessons on Duolingo per week for the semester. He then had the students fill out a survey on how easy and satisfying Duolingo was to use. 54.3% of students said it was easy to use and 41.3% of students were satisfied with Duolingo. Pilar also found that these students preferred Duolingo over normal book homework because it is more accessible.
Form the research done over Duolingo, it seems as though this application would best be used as a supplementary tool in a foreign language classroom. It gives students access to the language where ever they are and provides easy feedback for the students and teachers.
