Want to Learn English Online? Here is a Comparison of Software/Apps
There are many ways of learning English – school, college, adult courses or you can use technology and learn English online. Regardless of the medium you pick, it is important to immerse oneself in reading, writing, speaking and listening. By doing this you will improve and gain confidence and then be able to converse with other English speakers all over the world. Online language software is a great way to learn English online. Here are the pros and cons of learning using language learning software like Rosetta Stone:
Pros
You can learn at any time of day or night at your convenience.
All you need is a computer or tablet or mobile phone and a good Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G connection.
The more you learn, the quicker you can progress to higher levels.
It helps you learn by immersion on a regular basis every time you use the software.
This way of learning relates to the way children learn their first language.
Rosetta Stone requires the learner to read, write, listen and speak which helps in the immersion of the learning of English.
Cons
The cost initially is expensive.
You have to be disciplined to use the software on a regular basis. It is easy to start enthusiastically but in busy lives it can be very hard to find the time to keep up regular practice two or three times a week. You need to be very committed for this kind of learning software to help you learn.
You are not learning face to face with a tutor so you cannot ask questions for a clearer explanation.
It does not have the ability for you to look up the meanings of the words you are trying to learn so you will need to buy a good dictionary to help you.
It will not teach you English grammar which includes tenses and more advanced sentence structure.
The recordings cannot be slowed down which could be an issue in the beginning when starting the course.
There are other online courses and apps like Rosetta Stone. Here are some examples:
FluentU
This is a way of teaching through an interesting and real way of learning to speak English. This can be downloaded onto an IPhone and is a great way to interact and learn as there are videos on many topics to interest everyone. This will take you to be able to converse using intermediate English but will take you no further.If you want to truly learn English online and become a natural speaker, you need to practice with Real Native English speakers.
Busuu
It advertises that “it only takes 10 minutes a day to learn a language” and this course includes speaking and writing exercises. This app also includes flash cards to aid learning. This is a free app in the beginning but if you want to take this further there will be a charge but it is not too costly. The disadvantage of this app is that it is very structured together with the language used being more formal than natural and more textbook than the day to day way of speaking.
Babbel
This is based on lesson units and uses technology to help your learning and there are a variety of monthly subscriptions. This will take you to the intermediate stage of learning English but you will need more help in conversation with other people.
Duolingo
The pros of Duolingo is that it is a free app which can be downloaded onto an IPhone.
Within this app there is the ability to learn by certain topics together with vocabulary and some grammar. You need a good WIFI connection and there is no visual communication with anyone else. As with the other learning software you will only reach a certain level of knowledge of English.
LINGQ
This is another free mobile app which also has a website which will enable you to learn English online whist at the same time listening and reading. This is aimed at all levels and includes both audio and some video clips. The disadvantage of this app, rather like other learning software, is that it will not help you improve your grammar.
In conclusion, language learning software is a great way to start helping you learn the basics but you will improve more quickly when you have additional help to improve all other aspects of learning English as this kind of software and language learning apps will only help you to the intermediate stge. You will need further help to become advanced and truly fluent in speaking, understanding, writing and understanding all aspects of grammar. Choose one of the above methods of learning English using any of the above software. Look at which course or app suits you best and take the price of some of these into account. When you want to become more advanced then take lessons either in an English-speaking group or with lessons with either a private tutor or on a one to one basis using Skype for example using Spoken English Practice.
