Livemocha

Livemocha is a website that allows students to learn a language and engage in a new language.  What is so great about this website, is that it is FREE! I have used this website in the past, and I feel that I have taken it for granted.  It looks as if the website has certainly gotten better, now possessing conversational videos so that users not only can recognize language, but hear it as well.  What is so great about this website is that natives actually correct your work and give feedback. (I can’t wait to finish this blog post so that I can start learning some French…!)

Middle schoolers or high schoolers would most definitely benefit from using this website.  The website is pretty easy to use and is self-explanatory.  Since this generation of students has grown up with technology, it should be no problem for them to use.  Instructional goals that I would employ with this website would probably include listening activities, vocabulary review, and sentence practice.  I would leave speaking activities to be done with students in class.  This website is great for people to learn language on their own, but should not be used as the only learning tool.  Other students (and the teacher) are the best learning tool one can ask for – getting real spontaneous practice with language will most benefit language learners.

I tried out this software and found that it was very user-friendly, but I had issues opening up some pages.  I had to reload numerous pages for content to show up.  Otherwise, everything worked pretty well.  I do not think that tech support will be needed for Livemocha; however, if you do not have internet access, it is not possible to use the website.  Also, if you have spotty internet access, it may make the Livemocha experience pretty painful, because I was having issues as is opening certain pages with good internet access.

           
Overall, I think this website is pretty incredible.  It is rare to find a language-learning site that is free.  What I like most about the website is that it is interactive and has natives give feedback on student work.  While it may have some glitches, the website is still worth it.  Compared to Rosetta Stone, which is over $500, I’d take advantage of this any and every day.

*****I just realized that they have a speaking section, where you can send your speaking to a native speaker! I really like this idea and feel that it is great to get native feedback.  I have a feel though that schools may not have this type of technology in the classroom or in a language lab for every student, but it would be good to do at home.  However, this is another obstacle at home, that students may not have microphones in their computers to record themselves onto the website.*****