The Internet and My Education

The internet has profoundly impacted my educational career via Duolingo, a free multi-language-learning website. Developed by dozens of native foreign speakers, Duolingo allows me to practice reading, writing, listening, and, to a lesser extent, speaking, French in a format which has the appearance and flow of a game.

Why French?

I chose to learn French on Duolingo for several reasons. Given the fact that I am already highly proficient in Spanish after studying it for five years throughout college and high school, I wanted to begin learning a third language which would complement Spanish in my area of studies (International Affairs and Economics). I must emphasize that I am not beginning French at the expense of Spanish; rather, I am continuing to learn Spanish in the traditional academic sphere. This past semester, I finished my second semester of Spanish literature and will be studying abroad in Chile this summer and fall. French complements Spanish well because of the close ties between the Francophone and the Spanish-speaking region and the important roles these regions play in international affairs.

Although my career plans are not set in stone, I am striving to work in the field of international affairs. As a starting point, I seek to obtain an internship at the Organization of American States, an intercontinental organization focused on international cooperation in the Americas. The OAS strongly recommends that internship applicants master at least two of its four official languages (English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese). Since I have already mastered Spanish and my native English, I believe that learning French, especially under my own extracurricular efforts, will help set me apart from other people both at the OAS and even further down my career path.

Finally, like many youth nowadays, traveling is one of my life goals for the sake of experience, enjoyment, and education. Nevertheless, I want to do more than simply see more of the world. By mastering a foreign language, I can better understand and appreciate the culture of wherever I go. In talking to many of my classmates who have studied or been abroad, they have frequently stated that they wish they understood the language where they studied as they would have better enjoyed the experience and learned more from it. Learning French and Spanish opens up a whole new world of possibilities as both languages have vast historical and cultural heritages.

Why Duolingo?

I chose to study French with Duolingo for a variety of related reasons. Primarily, I wanted a free and reputable method of language learning which I could undertake without the constraints of time and money. Duolingo satisfies these requirements. My existing college classes are already very costly and time consuming; I simply do not have the time or ability to take a four credit class of beginner level French.

In addition, Duolingo allows me to learn at my own pace. In twenty minutes each day, I can review a previously completed lesson or complete a new lesson segment and thereby maintain my learning streak. Of course as I often do, I devote more time than the minimum needed to keep my streak alive by doing extra practice, learning additional skills, or looking for third party information to aid in comprehension. Nevertheless, the twenty minutes of French a day minimum fits perfectly in between my traditional classes during a busy week.

Similarly, I can learn on my own schedule with Duolingo. If I am unable or unwilling to learn or practice French on a given day, that is not a problem as it would be if I were taking a typical college class. The only two consequences are that my learning streak resets and Duolingo recognizes that my skill decays. This style of learning avoids the resentment to education that often comes with a college class as students must do homework and go to class even on days when they are sick, busy, or simply tired; on the other hand, I am free to take a break from Duolingo if I so need. Likewise, I can practice with Duolingo on the go. Whenever I am traveling, I prefer to use that time more productively than tuning out from the world by reviewing a lesson through Duolingo’s mobile internet app.

Finally, the Duolingo community both fits and accepts me. The community exists in the Duolingo discussion forums and for the most part is friendly, helpful, and excited about language learning. Not too often do students in a college foreign language class share those same qualities. The Duolingo community answers each other’s questions about a particular lesson. In addition, they provide great recommendations for supplemental material such as the best books to read or tv shows to watch in a particular language. Ultimately, they share the common goal of free language learning for all which they express through congratulations to each other for finishing language skills or excitedly noting updates to Duolingo’s language offerings.

Disadvantages

While the laid-back style of language learning on Duolingo certainly has its benefits, it also lacks some of the advantages inherent in class-based foreign language learning. First off, the program lacks some of the characteristics of a good, fluent, college professor. Professors frequently will work closely with you, the student, especially to pronounce words, stress syllables, and write in a way which sounds more natural. This is especially the case if you have disabilities or difficulties with some specific aspect of the language. In addition, professors can harshly grade details such as incorrectly written accents or improperly words translated from English. While the extra pressure of a final grade may stir some resentment towards the professor, it often means that students put in a marginally higher effort to obtain the necessary grade.

The second principle disadvantage of learning via the internet is its tendency to overload the user with information. Unfortunately, this can prove to be problematic for internet-based learning in two ways: First, not all information on the internet is correct. Especially on a site like Duolingo with so many people inexperienced with the language, there are likely more than a few users who share their opinions under the guise of fact. Furthermore, it is very easy to get bogged down by the quantity of information available on the internet. One can easily spend hours trying to figure out the minute differences between two words rather than spend that time understanding that those words mean nearly the same thing.

Perhaps most importantly, internet learning misses out on the human element. In a college class, professors often prove to be invaluable resources for the future whether in regards to writing letters of recommendation, suggesting study abroad programs, or even pointing out possible career paths. Duolingo, so far, and the internet in general miss out on much of the human element critical to one’s development and growth in life.

Reaping the Benefits, Avoiding the Pitfalls

To gain as much as possible from learning French online and avoid some of the pitfalls of internet-learning, the best thing I can do for my education is to diversify the sources from which I learn. In this way, I can both focus on the main ideas of what I am learning while simultaneously cross-checking them for validity. I do not simply use Duolingo in my efforts with French but rather survey as much of the internet as possible: To cite some examples, About.com has excellent lessons on beginners’ mistakes, Memrise is a great foreign vocabulary study resource, and even BBC news online offers foreign language lessons via the news. Of course, I plan to learn and practice French beyond the confines of the internet. When my academic schedule frees up in the following two years, I intend to take traditional college level classes. Ultimately though, I plan to practice French at the best but most challenging source: a French-speaking country itself.

Overall, I believe that in using Duolingo, I will give myself a solid foundation in French which will give me an advantage at my university, in my career, and in my life’s travels.