Blog task #3

In the following blog entry we are going to present two examples of learning software, namely “Teen Talk” and “Englisch Klasse 7- Lernpaket”.

Teen talk focuses on listening comprehensions about various topics, such as school, food, hobbies, future, etc. It has to be mentioned that it is sometimes difficult to understand the different speakers, since they are all native speakers. On the other hand, this is also one of the advantages of the software, since it provides authentic language samples. Besides, it is usually possible to have a look at the written form of a spoken sample.The software provides interesting types of exercises, i.e. matching activities, etc. We liked the idea of training communicative skills by presenting authentic language but it is obvious that the software does not serve the purpose of teaching grammar, although it contains some grammar exercises. We think that the design of the software is good, since almost every piece of spoken language is usually accompanied by a little video of the speaker.

Lernpaket Englisch is a learning software designed for students of the 7^th grade. The different exercises can be chosen according to various fields of interest, such as family, shopping, etc. Besides, the learner has to choose a certain grammatical subject. One disadvantage of this software is the fact that the learner just has to click on different buttons instead of typing the answers himself in most cases. Besides, all the task descriptions, as well as the little games included in the software, are written in German. Another weak aspect of this software is the design of the exercises, which sometimes seem to be appropriate for younger students. A last difficulty we experienced was a technical problem, since the software announced a system error while it was running. The overall layout is ok and the software is well-structured. Besides, we liked the feedback functions, i.e. the statistics that show the learner which aspects of the language he has already mastered. The listening comprehensions in this software are easily understandable but sometimes the exercises get too easy since the software also offers some hints for finding the right solution.

We wouldn’t actually recommend the two softwares for the use in class, although some of the interviews of  Teen Talk might be used as a listening comprehension in school. One idea might be to act out the different interviews in class or to improve the listening comprehension skills by using some of the exercises from the software. Englisch Lernpaket might be useful for private use at home in order to improve the language skills but it does not seem to be appropriate as a tool in school education.

(in cooperation with Fabian Debus)

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