LinguaeLive is an instructional tool that allows students to practice their language skills with native speakers all over the world.
PROVO, Utah (Sept 23, 2014)—Most students are familiar with the idea of a study buddy. Someone they can meet with on a regular basis to prepare for an upcoming test. Soon, though, it might not be out of the ordinary to have a study buddy living as far away as Moscow or Berlin.
In a visit to Brigham Young University, Jennifer Ruth Hosek, associate professor of German studies at Queen's University in Ontario, gave a presentation to introduce LinguaeLive, an online program that will connect students worldwide like never before.
Speaking of the various methods employed in second-language education, Hosek said, “Communicative language learning and acquisition are effective, as is immersion. Yet our classrooms can only offer so much in this way.” To support teaching endeavors, Hosek teamed with other instructors to create LinguaeLive.
LinguaeLive is an online tool that serves as a meeting point for language instructors and students the world over. By registering their classes on the website, instructors can find complementary language classes in other countries and put their students in contact with foreign students through tools like voice over internet protocols (e.g., Skype, Google Hangouts). Students can then conduct live, one-on-one conversations in their respective languages of study, honing their communication skills through application. For example, a student in Germany will practice English with a U.S. student, while the U.S. student practices German with the student in Germany. Both students get the chance to practice with expert speakers – an opportunity that isn’t readily available under normal circumstances.
The program, which is free to use, only requires that instructors register their classes before students can gain access. According to pre- and post-surveys, learners and teachers find peer learning through LinguaeLive effective and fun.
Hosek was invited by Michelle James, associate professor of German studies, to come to BYU to share this program with the students and faculty. The two met through the National Coalition of Women in German. After learning of Hosek’s program, James immediately saw the potential for BYU.
James said, “We are introducing many types of technology to assist language learning in our first- and second-year language courses, but none of it is related to speaking, or in particular, conversing with a native speaker. What LinguaeLive can do is add this component of conversation practice to the other components of technology-aided learning which we are already using. We can also use LinguaeLive in our upper-level language classes, which likewise currently don’t have a component which allows them to practice speaking with a native speaker.”
For more information on LinguaeLive, visit their website.
—Samuel Wright (B.A. English '15)