LingoDeer: A Five Star App for Learning Asian Languages

Hi everybody! It's been a while. Today, I wanted to introduce you to an app I recently discovered. I kept hearing about LingoDeer through the language-learning community grapevine (yes, that is a real thing), and all I heard was good things. I was excited to try it!

LingoDeer is an only an app at this point. But it's definitely one you want to have if you are learning Japanese, Korean, or Mandarin Chinese.

I got under a cozy blanket and spent at least twenty minutes working on this cool app. I might have actually spent more time as I lost track of it.

The app is very fun and game-like. When you get an answer correct, you hear a Ka-Ching! sound with is a positive sound, in my opinion.

The game will have you drag and drop characters onto the board to construct a sentence. It will also have you practice writing the characters. Every feature of the game was fun. There was no part I didn't like.

The voice was good and clear, too!

Ready for the best part? I found myself remembering the words that I had learned. Sometimes, I try out a course for Mandarin Chinese, and I forget the vocabulary immediately. (Mandarin is one of the tougher languages for me to learn.) But with LingoDeer that didn't happen! Now, I want to shout about it from the rooftops.

If you're leaning any of the three languages they offer,

GO. GET. LINGODEER. RIGHT. NOW.

(Can you tell I'm excited about this app? Lol)

Linguti

http://www.linguti.com

Linguti vs. Duolingo: A face off?

At first glance, it looks like Linguti might just be the new Duolingo. It has many similar features, including a streak, money to buy power ups, and a general gamified learning environment. I decided to review Linguti and find out what made it stand out! And whether it's competition has anything to worry about. 

Linguti offers a few languages that Duolingo doesn't. Korean and Japanese, for example. But I decided on French, because I struggled with it on Duolingo. (Mostly due to the robot voice.)

The course starts out with vocabulary. The first thing I noticed, and this is definitely a pro, was a human voice said the words. Not a robot voice! I think Duo is great, but that robot voice is horrible and will always be a con in my book.

After the vocabulary, you start learning simple sentences right away. This is similar to Duolingo, but you are treated to real pictures throughout the course, not just for vocabulary. This is a huge pro for visual learners. 

The listening tests and midterm reviews were also nice features. Unlike Duolingo, Linguti makes you take two tests, a midterm review and a review, before you can move on to the next part of learning. Definitely a pro!

Now for the downside, because there always seems to be one. Linguti didn't seem to have any community or forum discussion. So unlike Duolingo, you can't discuss grammar concepts with other learners. This might be a pro for solo learners who would be distracted by the community environment, but for me it was a definite downside. I did see a spot for notifications of friend requests but no actual place to find friends. 

Another con of Linguti is that they don't accept alternative correct answers. They do allow you to report bugs like this, though. While this definitely can hinder the learning experience, I think it is something the site will improve over time.

They are also very strict about accents. But for those who want to make sure that they are always spelling the words correctly, with accents in place, this is definitely a pro!

Overall, I did like the look and feel of the Linguti learning experience, and I will probably visit this site from time to time.

If your target language is Japanese, Korean, or (coming soon) Chinese, you'll definitely want to give Linguti a chance!

Pros: Completely free

Human voice

Many pictures 

Tests

Offers Japanese and Korean

Cons:

Strict about accepting answers

No discussion forum

Languages: French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish

Similar to: Duolingo, Mondly, Rosetta Stone

ASL Resources

Here's a quick list of sites for you to bookmark if you're looking to learn ASL.

https://www.signsavvy.com

Dictionary, blog, learning area, and more!

http://lifeprint.com

First 100 signs, videos, and more!

http://aslpro.com

Dictionary, Quizzes, and Sign Language for babies!

http://asl.ms 

Fingerspelling practice

http://asl.bz

Number Practice

http://www.signlanguage101.com

Absolutely free ASL instruction!

Http://www.deaftv.com

Videos in ASL

http://howyousign.com

Links to many ASL resources

http://aslized.org/

Journal of American Sign Language and Literature

http://ideafnews.com

World Wide News For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing

http://www.oicmovies.com

News, information, and entertainment in American Sign Language

Mondly.com

Hello, everybody! I know it's been a while since I blogged. I thought I'd run out of language courses. But today I came across one that is definitely worth talking about. It's called Mondly and it uses the "gamification" method of learning.

I like to pick a language I don't know well to review the course in. So for Mondly, I picked Chinese.

You start here with what looks like a travel map.

And once you pick your destination you will have a set of lessons. See the stars? They reflect how well you did the lesson.

Mondly feels a lot like a crossover between Duolingo and the old LiveMocha. You start off seeing pictures and hearing names. Basically, this is a total immersion course.

For each wrong answer you lose a heart.

Mondly's method is even more "sink or swim" than Duolingo as you don't get translations of the words and they will throw you expressions you haven't heard yet. I highly recommend combining it with a vocabulary course such as Memrise.

So why bother with Mondly when there's Duolingo? Well, here's one good reason. They have quite a few languages that Duolingo hasn't even begun to hatch yet such as Mandarin and Afrikaans.

Overall, I really like Mondly and I think you should give it a try.

Languages Available: English, German, French, Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, Czech, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Korean, Swedish, Finnish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Greek, Indonesian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Afrikaans

Games For Language

http://www.gamesforlanguage.com

 

 

I found this course a while back, but it wasn't really complete when I found it. Now that it is, I want to review it for you. Okay, actually I'm addicted to it.

 

It's super fun.

 

First off, they treat learning languages entirely as a game.

 

 

There are five or six different games that teach you selected vocabulary and phrases. Oh, and these aren't random either. All of the vocabulary being taught is going to be used in a story that you get to read after you are finished with the lesson. There is no rote repetition at all. Just fun games that test you on your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The collection of games covers all the important bases of language learning.

 

You can also record yourself speaking which is a huge bonus and benefits you. Oh, and this another site that's completely free. You just need to register. So go sign up!

 

 

Hope you enjoy it,

 

Love Destiny

 

 

 

Languages: English (for Spanish speakers), Italian, German, French, and Spanish.



Fluencia

There are things I like about Fluencia. It has a nice layout and is pretty easy to use. You learn vocabulary by listening to a conversation. Then you are quizzed on it. I was having fun even though I was mostly practicing stuff I already knew.

The environment is sort of like a game or quiz. This is a big plus.

But here is the con. Fluencia is not free. Much like Babbel, Fluencia gets you hooked and THEN throws you their pitch. I'm moving through the course, enjoying myself, when suddenly a box  pops up  and informs me I only have a few more lessons until I will have to pay.

What? Yep, a hundred dollars a year. It's less expensive than Rosetta Stone, but I'm not crazy about the fact that they tried to trick me either. Are these courses afraid that if they don't state that they cost money up front we won't bite?

Maybe it's because free language courses are the wave of the future with courses like Duolingo leading the way. Even ad based courses and courses that offer a basic account tend to do better than totally paid courses.

If you are learning Spanish go ahead and try Fluencia. You can at least take the first fifteen lessons. If you like the style and can afford the subscription, it's totally worth it.

# Dieci consigli per imparare una lingua da Destiny (tradotto dalla fantastica comunità Duolingo)

English note: This is my list of 10 tips for language learning translated into Italian by the awesome Duolingo community. Woohoo!

# Dieci consigli per imparare una lingua da Destiny

ultimamente non ho trovato nessun nuovo corso, ma volevo comunque scrivere un articolo. Così eccolo. Dieci consigli per imparare una lingua straniera.

1\. Etichetta tutto Esatto. Ho detto etichetta tutto. gira per casa ed etichetta tutto nella lingua che stai imparando. Se stai imparando lo spagnolo allora metti una etichetta "la pared" sulla tua parete e "la puerta" sulla tua porta . Se vedi le parole continuamente, ti si stamperanno in mente.

2\. Trova qualcuno con cui parlare nella lingua. Potresti trovare qualcuno che parla la lingua e che sta imparando la tua per video-chattare con lui. Oppure se sei timido puoi usare messaggi istantanei o una chat room come "Espanglish Chat".

3\. Fai delle schede didattiche. Puoi trovare delle Flashcard in un negozio locale nel reparto scuola di solito a prezzi contenuti. Dovrebbero costare un dollaro o meno quelle che hanno le linee su un lato. Crea un mazzo di schede usando un grosso evidenziatore nero in modo che le parole siano facili da vedere

4\. Usa le flashcard per giocare. Gioca a diversi giochi con le flashcard. Puoi giocare a Memory

Memory

Per giocare a Memory scrivi la parola nella lingua che stai imparando su una carta e nella tua lingua madre su una carta separata. Disponi le carte in una griglia o trova qualcuno che lo faccia per te Per giocare, devi accoppiare le parole della lingua che stai imparando con le parole che hanno lo stesso significato nella tua lingua madre.

a pesca di parole

Questo è un po' più incasinato è un pò più ridicolo e potrebbe essere più semplice per i ragazzini. Si può giocare anche contro un amico.

Per questo hai solo bisogno di carte con una parola sul fronte e sul retro. Ammucchia tutte le carte Questo è il lago Ora a turno raccogliete una carta. Indovinate cosa significa la parola. Se hai indovinato continui tu a pescare la carta. La persona con più carte alla fine del gioco vince.

5 Investi in un vocabolario se parli inglese e stai imparando lo spagnolo, allora investi in un vocabolario spagnolo-inglese. Ottieni l'idea Ogni volta che scrivi o ti eserciti e hai bisogno di cercare una parola puoi semplicemente aprire il dizionario e ricercarla.

6\. Trova uno spettacolo in lingua da guardare. Quando stavo studiando tedesco trovai uno show chiamato Lauras Stern che guardavo su youtube. Ho guardato un episodio dopo ogni lezione di Tedesco che prendevo. Penso di aver aumentato abbastanzala mia comprensione Mi dava anche una carica di sicurezza quando capivo molto di quello che stavano dicendo.

7\. Gli esercizi di scrittura sono necessari. Potete non essere d'accordo con me ma non eravate soliti scrivere gli esercizi a scuola per imparare la vostra lingua madre? se sei timido puoi semplicemente scrivere esercizi e scrivere cosa sai su un pezzo di carta se ti senti coraggioso puoi inviare i tuoi esercizi su http://www.lang-8.com che è un sito specifico per imparare le lingue e fare esercitazioni

8\. leggi nella lingua E' IMPORTANTE ESSERE IN GRADO DI LEGGERE NELLA LINGUA SCELTA,SOPRATTUTTO SE SIETE INTERESSATI ALLA SUA LETTERATURA. la lettura può anche aiutarti a capire l'ortografia e la pronuncia delle parole che altrimenti potresti confondere puoi leggere libri in lingue diverse su http:/www.childrenslibrary.org. hanno libri in diverse lingue oppure puoi cercare i libri nella lingua che stai imparando su eBay

9\. PARLA AL TUO CANE NELLA LINGUA SCELTA. O AL TUO GATTO. Oppure al tuo pesce rosso oppure al tuo peluche favorito si, sembra sciocco. Ma probabilmente parli con il tuo animale domestico tutto il tempo comunque,quindi perché non parlare a loro nella lingua scelta? loro non vi giudicheranno e questo vi fornisce un modo libero da giudizi di praticare la lingua. Avanti così.

10\. non smettere di studiare Mantieni la pratica Perchè una lingua straniera è un giardino che ha bisogno di essere innaffiato o morirà. Se le persone non usano una lingua straniera spesso la dimenticano. chiedi appunto ai tuoi genitori se ricordano qualcosa del loro corso di lingua alle superiori quindi studia un pochino ogni giorno

Spero che questi suggerimenti di apprendimento linguistico vi aiutino!

Con amore,

Destiny

10 Language Learning Tips From Destiny

I haven't come across any new courses lately, but I still wanted to make a post. So here it is. Ten tips for learning a foreign language.

1. Label EVERYTHING. That's right. I said label everything. Go around your house and label everything in the language you're learning. If you are learning Spanish then label your wall "la pared" and your door "la puerta". If you see the words all the time they'll stick in your head!

2. Find someone to talk to in the language. You could find someone who speaks the language and is learning your language to video chat with. Or if you're shy you could use a messenger or chat room like Espanglish Chat.

3. Make flashcards. You can get Flashcards at a local store in the school supply section fairly cheap usually. They should be a dollar or less for the kind that have lines on one side. Make a bunch of cards using fat black marker so the words are easy to see.

4. Use the flashcards for games. Play different games with the flashcards. You can play Memory.

Memory

For Memory write the word in your target language on one card and your native language on a separate card. Lay the cards out in a grid or have someone do it for you. To play, you have to match the word in the target language with the word meaning the same thing in the native language.

Fishing For Words

This one is a little messier. It's a bit sillier and might be easier for younger kids. You could play it against a friend.

For this one you only need cards with the word on the front and back. Throw all of the cards into a pile. This is the lake. Now take turns picking up a card. Guess what the word means. If you get it right you get to to keep the card. The person with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

5. Invest in a dictionary. If you speak English and are learning Spanish then invest in a Spanish-English dictionary. You get the idea. Whenever you are writing or practicing and you need to look a word up you can just open your dictionary and search for it.

6. Find a show to watch in the language. When I was learning German I found a show called Lauras Stern which I watched on Youtube. I watched one episode after every German lesson I took. I think it boosted my comprehension quite a bit! It also gave me a confidence boost when I understood a lot of what they were saying.

7. Writing exercise are a must! You can disagree with me, but didn't you use writing exercises in school to learn your first language? If you are shy you can simply do writing exercise and write what you know down on a piece of paper. If you are feeling brave you can post your writing exercise on http://www.lang-8.com which is a site specifically for language learners to do writing exercises.

8.  Read in the language. It's important to be able to read in your target language, especially if you are interested in its literature. Reading can also help you understand spelling and word pronunciations that might have confused you otherwise. You can read books in different languages at http://www.childrenslibrary.org. They have books in several language. Or you can search for books in your target language on eBay.

 9. Talk to your dog in the target language! Or your cat. Or your pet goldfish. Or your favourite stuffed animal. Yes, it sounds silly. But you probably talk to your pet all the time anyway, so why not talk to them in your target language? They won't judge you and this provides a judgement-free way to practice the language. Go for it!

10. Don't stop studying! Keep practicing. Because a foreign language is a garden that needs to be watered or it will die. If people don't use a foreign language they often forget it. Just ask your parents if they remember anything from their high school language class. So study a little bit every day.

I hope these language learning tips help you!

Love,

Destiny

LanguageComics

https://www.languagecomics.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/LanguageComicsTeam/featured

LanguageComics is a great free resource for people learning either Spanish or French. You can read an easy comic with translations for practice. If you go to their Youtube pages, you can also watch some of the comics and hear it read to you.

More on this later.

Hope you like it!

Love,

Destiny

mySpanishgames

Someone on a forum was struggling with telling time on a Spanish forum, so I searched "cómo decir la hora"  and I came across THIS website. This wonderful, fantastic Spanish learning website!

It is called mySpanishgames and it is 100% free.

It runs on donations, so if you can afford it, please donate.

There are different categories, including Stories, Songs, Games, Vocabulary, Fun Grammar, a book store and a teacher's corner.

The website has quite a few fun games. You don't have to know Spanish to play the games, but a little knowledge does help.

One of the games is called ¿Quiénes? If you have ever played Guess Who? you will love ¿Quiénes? Eliminate the suspects according the clues given If the game says "Lleva zapatos negros" or "Is wearing black shoes", click on the people that aren't wearing black shoes to eliminate them.

You can also read and listen to some fun stories on this site. They are very easy for beginners to understand.

In the fun grammar section, the grammar lessons are also basically games. Above is a lesson indirect objects.

All of the games and lessons on this site are tons of fun, so go and try it out! It's definitely a winner.

Love,

Destiny

Busuu

This is an online language course I've been hesitant to review, BUT it does have a free area (and way more free content than Babbel).

The biggest con? You can only study ONE language as a free member.

However, there is quite a bit of free content, so pick your favourite language and sign up.

Busuu uses cues for both the visual and auditory parts of the language. A picture along with the word. This is really helpful for learning the language.

Busuu gives you a review of everything you've learned. There are a few different activities. In this one the speaker says a word or phrase and you must select the picture she is talking about. Once you select the picture, the word will appear underneath it.

This is another fun activity on Busuu. You match the words on the left side of the screen to their meanings on the right. Just like the criss-cross puzzles you do (or did) in school.

This activity forces you to think about how the words are spelled in the language.

One of the major PROS of Busuu is the writing activity. In just about every section, after you learn the vocabulary, you can choose WRITING after you've gone through VOCABULARY and DIALOGUE or you can review first. A question is asked in the language you are learning, and you must answer it in the language. Native speakers will comment and correct you. They will also give you stars based on how good your writing was.

Here is an example of a WRITING exercise that was corrected by a native speaker.

Some other key points about Busuu.

You earn Busuu berries that you can shop in a little store with. You can use your Busuu berries to buy discounts on the paid course or you can buy cute little animals for your garden.

Busuu also has a chat feature. After you've studied a lesson, Busuu offers you the chance to select a native speaker to chat with. This is a great way to practice the language.

And that's the main reason I give Busuu 4 stars.

Enjoy!

Love,

Destiny

Languages: English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese

Language Practice: Children's Library

Today, I want to talk about a place called Children's Library. It's located here.

http://www.en.childrenslibrary.org

Click on Read Books and you'll be taken to a library of books in different languages.

Select the language you're studying and select the length you want to read. If you are beginner, I recommend choose a SHORT book. If you are advanced try choosing LONG books. Once you've selected these specifications you should have some pretty good options related to your learning level.

Once you select the book you can flip through the pages and read it. It looks like a real book, but it's virtual! See how easy the German text from the book Waldo And His Colors is?

Have fun reading and practicing!

Love, Destiny

Utilizing Youtube For Language PRACTICE.

Aside from using Youtube to learn languages, you can also use it to practice languages.

Chinese Practice

This t.v show appears to be for preschoolers. It has singing, captions (in Chinese characters), and fun. It should be easy enough for beginner to intermediate Chinese learners. Beginners will catch at least some of the words.

Die Zauberer Vom Waverly Place (German Practice)

You can find Disney shows in a lot of language. Here is one example: Wizards Of Waverly Place. In order to find your favourite show in the language you are learning, it helps to translate the show into the language first and then do a Youtube search.

I recommend this for intermediate/advanced learners.

Trotro (German Practice)

Trotro is a very simple, easy-to-understand cartoon for preschoolers with simple language. If you have the knowledge of a 4-5 year old in your target language you should be able to understand Trotro. Very good for beginners.

Trotro comes in a few other languages.

Trotro Francais

Trotro English

Trotro Türkçe

Utilizing Youtube For Language Learning: Day 2

Learn Chinese

Mandarin For Kids

Utilizing Youtube For Language Learning: Day 1

Alright, so I haven't found any good sites to review lately. But I was answering some questions about language learning the other day and it got me thinking. One resource that a lot of people skim over is Youtube.

"You can use Youtube to learn a language?" Faith asked me when I bounced my idea off her.

"Yes, you can!" I told her. "In fact, if you want to learn Spanish all you have to do is type in 'Learn Spanish' and lots of resources come up. But to start you off, I am going to give you a glimpse of a few Youtube Language Learning Courses."

Learn Irish Gaelic with Puppets!

Learn Lebanese

Learn Japanese

You can click on the video to go to Youtube and learn more about the course. You don't even have to have a Youtube account to use it for language learning, but it really helps if you get one. Then you can subscribe to every course related to learning your language.

Babbel

Babbel  is a language course that I have been very hesitant to review because it appears that you only get a very, small amount for free.

Well, it's true. You don't get much for free. About one lesson, that's it.

They have 13 languages to choose from.

I like the feel of the course. Once I got into it I was really disappointed that they didn't offer more for free because I love the format. It kind of reminded me of Rosetta Stone but it has a much better value ($44.70 for a six month subscription). I'm not a fan of subscriptions myself but if you try out Babbel and like it then it something your Mom and Dad might find affordable as a birthday present for you.

There are some really good features here. I liked the "gamey" feel of the site and the writing practice where I was asked to type in letters or even whole words. I even got to listen to two native speakers have a conversation and write in some of the vocabulary.

All in all, it's a good language learning course, but it shouldn't call itself free because it only has a "free demo" of each language. It is worth checking out, though, as you may find it is the language course that will work for you.

Love,

Destiny

Languages: German, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Free Language

Free Language is a language information site that has information about many free and partially free courses.

And that, my friends, is why I chose to review it.

That and because it kept popping up in my search and I finally decided, "What the heck? I'll check it out. It can't hurt and it does say free in the title."

That's one of my favourite words.

So are gratis, kostenlos, gratuito, and gratuitement

A lot of information here.

There is a lot of information on this site. I scrolled through it for a while and I think it is best if you can check it out for yourself. I would like to say that they have tons of information on learning, teaching, videos, apps, software. You just have to pick the language you are learning and check out all the stuff that is listed under it.

Check out all those languages!

Hope you have fun!

Love,

Destiny

Languages: Too many to list

LanguageCourse.net

Language Course is  a site that helps you pick a school to study a language abroad. You can read reviews about language courses in different countries.

They also have a free vocabulary trainer which is a lot of fun.

I like to spend time on this one because I find it challenging.

You look at flashcards while listening to a native voice.

She goes over the list.

After going through the list you are tested on the vocabulary. There are a lot more features to this course than I even realized at first.

There is a nice video to go with it and teach you how to use the course. This course is well worth it.

Many thanks to LanguageCourse.net for allowing me to embed the video!

Languages: Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish

Google Chrome Apps Day 3: Learn Japanese 1

The Menu for Japanese 1

Japanese 1  is an app that allows you to practice the Japanese that you already know. You can practice hiragana, katakana, kanji, and your vocabulary (in hiragana).

Practice reading and vocabulary

Practice your hiragana



This is a good little study site for someone who is already a Japanese student and just needs practice. It is more serious than the Sugoi family but also better for quiet time.

If you  still need  to learn to read Japanese I recommend  Learn Kana which is an app that helps you learn to read in Japanese. The Google Chrome store actually recommended this to me when I was looking at Japanese 1.

A part of the site Learn Kana

Use it to study the basics of Japanese Hiragana and Katakana.

Google Chrome App Store Day 2: The Sugoi Japanese Funny Cartoon

                                      The Sugoi Japanese Funny Cartoon is great!

There are actually three apps and if you are learning Japanese go ahead and get them all.

The Sugoi Japanese Apps

Enjoy Japanese Sugoi Manga

Watch funny cartoons in Japanese, read, and listen to native Japanese speakers. If you don't know any Japanese you may want to combine this with a language course like LiveMocha or your Japanese classes at school. Look at how many cartoons you can watch. It's free, too!

Learn Japanese Learning With Sugoi Family

This is a fun puzzle game where you put together the faces of the characters and every time you place a character, it is read out loud to you!

Learn Japanese Write Gatakana

In the writing game, you can choose different characters and practice your strokes. This one is a lot of fun. Grace (my Japanese-American best friend) and I played it together and we couldn't stop laughing!