The global health crisis as a result of the Covid-19 virus outbreak has taught us a lot of things. For instance, it has shed more light on the importance of technology and the internet in the education sector. As the health situation worsened, policymakers were forced to close down schools and most non-essential services. Even essential services were highly regulated in the best interest of all.
As a result of the need to keep the education sector up and running, virtual learning became the new normal. Teachers had to try as much as possible to get their students to learn via this means. Judging from reports, the change was not without some setbacks. This is especially for minors and little kids in particular. Many of these students were unable to concentrate. Some had a hard time accepting that learning in their immediate environment could be as effective as the offline system.
The truth is that virtual learning failed under these circumstances for reasons other than the ones stated above. One of the major shortcomings was the refusal to learn from successful language tutoring websites and apps. You should know that virtual learning had long been in existence before the outbreak of the pandemic. As a matter of fact, many successful virtual language learning platforms exist. Not every one of these apps and websites is good enough. This is why people that want to learn a different language should know the best options. This is exactly what we will do in this article. Here, we will discuss how to identify the best websites and apps for the purpose of learning a new language.
The Advantages of Learning a New Language Online
Some people find it hard to accept that virtually learning a language has so many advantages. For such people, listed and explained below are some of the advantages of learning a different language virtually:
It Is Cost-Effective
More often than not, learning a different dialect online turns out to be a cheaper alternative. When you consider the cost of moving to the location where the language is predominantly spoken or hiring a teacher to teach, you will realize that it is cost-effective.
Even the most expensive online platforms do not come close to the cost of hiring an offline language tutor. You might want to consider virtual learning if you are particular about a cost-effective system.
It Is Convenient
Frankly, learning a new language is not a stroll in the park. This is why many people never attempt it. Some people that even attempt to do so back out after they face challenges.
One of the issues with offline study programs is rigidity. Many of the tutors and schools that teach the new language are not flexible especially with time. This can make learning pretty hard especially for people that work.
Well, we have gathered that schooling under the guidance of an online language study platform is a lot more convenient. Many of them allow you to choose your convenient training sessions. This can even be in the early hours of the day. The flexible nature of many virtual platforms is a major advantage.
A Lot of Resource for Learning
Virtual learning has some disadvantages but serious-minded students can overcome them and improve their reading, speaking, and writing skills in the new language. One of the reasons for this is the enormous online resource.
Some of the learning aids are from the website or app used, while some are sourced from other places online. There is even the possibility that online tutors, website, or app administrator recommends online materials elsewhere.
All these go a long way in helping the student understand the new dialect well and as fast as possible. So, this is something you might want to consider.
A Safer Alternative
Without a reasonable doubt, learning a new language by immersion is very effective. This is because you get to witness the culture and how it influences the way people speak and even act.
However, not everyone can study a new dialect this way. For one, not everyone can leave their base and move to the area where the language is predominantly spoken. This leaves us with the option of hiring a tutor (preferably of native origin) or learning virtually.
One of the reasons we strongly advise virtual learning is because it is a safer way to learn. Considering the global health crisis caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, this is a better option.
This means that you can learn the new language without going over to the school or having the teacher come over. All you need to do is connect virtually with the help of the mobile app or website designed for this purpose.
Native Teacher Experience
Like it or not, learning from a native speaker comes with a lot of benefits. This is because the language is second nature and s/he is in a good position to teach you.
Well, the problem is those native language tutors can be pretty much difficult to find depending on your location. As a result, many people have to settle for non-native speakers. While such teachers can help as well, we have gathered that nothing beats learning from a native speaker of the language.
The good news is that many virtual platforms are particular about engaging the services of native speakers that teach the language. Even the few that are open to non-native speakers make sure all teaching aids are reflective of native speakers.
As explained above, this is not usually the case with offline schools. This is because engaging the service of a native speaker is costly. So, many of them have to settle for the best non-native speakers at the very least.
However, native speakers can teach conveniently from their station with a virtual platform. For instance, this means that you can have a native speaker teach Spanish from Madrid while you are in the United States. This is a reason you should give serious thought to learning a new dialect this way.
How to Figure Out the Best Websites and Apps for Learning a New Language
There are tons of websites and mobile apps dedicated to helping people learn dialects other than theirs. However, you need to ensure you are dealing with the right one to be successful at reading, speaking, and even writing the language.
We could go on listing some of the best websites and apps, but we would rather let you in on how to identify a good website or app for this purpose. By doing so, you will be able to choose the option that suits you best.
Against this backdrop, listed and explained below are some of the features of a good website and app for learning a new dialect:
Competent Teachers
We discussed how learning from a native speaker of the dialect is very helpful. However, a competent teacher is more than just a native speaker. This is because some native speakers are undoubtedly good at the language but cannot teach well.
As a matter of fact, some non-native speakers end up as better teachers than native speakers. So, you need to ensure the teacher(s) on the other end are capable enough to help you learn well and as fast as possible.
You should ensure the teachers have professional certifications that prove their ability to teach the language. For instance, English language learners should look out for websites and apps that hire teachers with TEFL certificates. For more on this subject, you can watch this.
Making sure the teachers on these virtual platforms have these certifications will help ensure they know how to teach. For instance, many of these certifications teach how to use signs effectively even as an online teacher. So, this is in your best interest.
A Good Teaching and Learning Platform
A good website or app for this purpose needs to have a whiteboard. The whiteboard has to be easy to use and helpful. A good whiteboard setup should have the following things:
It should allow students access. This is with the permission of the teacher who can stop or permit the student from using the whiteboard. This is particularly important for little children as they can be easily distracted by the features.
Ability to go over the topics discussed. We have come across a few websites and apps with amazing whiteboard setups that fail in this regard. This is because students are unable to easily download the lesson content for future reference. Make sure you deal with one that allows you access to the content even long after the class has ended.
A good whiteboard setup is expected to have icons that help the learning process. For instance, you should be able to do things like underline, highlight, erase, make writings bold, switch colors, and several other things.
Having a website or mobile app platform that has all of these and more will help the student learn easily and fast. We strongly advise that you stay away from websites and apps that rely solely on videos for teaching.
There must be an avenue for you to exhibit your knowledge of the language per time. This is easy to do when there is a well set-up whiteboard.
Age-Sensitive Materials
There is a difference between teaching a child and an adult. So, the right website or app must factor this in. The learning aids should be age-sensitive.
For instance, we advise that lots of educative games be used for kids. On the other hand, a lot of informative content should be used for adults. The whole point is that the materials need to be best suited for the learner.
Positive Reviews
Some credible review sites have taken it upon themselves to make sure learners make the right choice. So, they frequently do reviews of these websites and apps, sighting strengths and weaknesses.
You can make informed decisions by simply going through these credible review sites. We strongly suggest that you choose a website or app that is held in high esteem by these credible review sites. You can visit languagethrone.com for more information on this subject.
Learning a New Language
Learning a new language virtually is a good thing that presents some challenges. However, the process can be a lot easier when you deal with the right language learning website or app. This is why we have discussed how you can identify the best websites and apps for this purpose and hope that you make informed decisions.