Bonjour!
In this entry, I will talk on peer review evaluation done by course mates.
After weeks of using Duolingo and French Dictionary app, it is now the moment of truth.
This evaluation is just a simple rating system. I asked my friends; Syafiqa, Hanun and Asiah (three of them are intermediate French learner as well) to rate my pronunciation. I read out an extract from our French novel "Verte" and they had to rate my pronunciation based on three criterias:
1. Clarity
2. Is it understandable?
3. Accuracy of pronunciation
Here are the rating:
Syafiqa: 6/10
Hanun: 6/10
Asiah: 7/10
Based on the scores, I believe that I have improved. However, it is not a significant improvement as I would rate myself 4-5 before I started this experiment. Nevertheless, it is good enough for me and I know learning is a journey and a process that will takes time. These two application do help me to improve my pronunciation but I would like it more if I do not limit myself and explore more option available out there.
Ps: I really wanted to get a feedback from native speaker. I have one French friend but he was really busy at that time that he would not able to assess my performance.
That's all for now. I do recommend everyone to try out this application, but again I would like to emphasize here, don't focus only on these two application, EXPLORE MORE!
Au revoir!
Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Week 7-8
Bonjour!
In this blog post, I will describe more on the pronunciation test that I had gone through. I used two medium which are Duolingo and Youtube to test my pronunciation. I was not really clear on how to test my pronunciation before, thus, I just stick to the test on Duolingo. It was not really focusing on one aspect of learning due to the affordances of Duolingo that provides variety of exercises testing multiple learning areas. Unfortunately, I forgot to collect the data by keeping an eye on my test scores. I do notice that every time I did the exercise, my scores getting better and better. This is due to the repetitive nature of Duolingo features. I got familiar with the concept, thus, it is quite easy to get it right and remember.
I wanted to do more of self evaluation pronunciation test. This is when Youtube came in the picture. It was not in my plan before. I found this video on Youtube for pronunciation test. However, Youtube is not an interactive application with feedback such as the Duolingo. I had to make it work for me. I decided to carry out my own method of "guessing and pausing" with the video. What I did is that I paused the video, pronounce the word out loud and record my voice, then I resume the video to listen to the correct pronunciation and compared it with mine. I have to say that I do improve from the first week. However, there are still few pronunciation that are confusing and needing more practice. I would score myself 6/10 for my performance in this test.
Before I end this entry, below is the video I used. You could make use of the video as well. It is just a simple test for an intermediate learner like me.
In this blog post, I will describe more on the pronunciation test that I had gone through. I used two medium which are Duolingo and Youtube to test my pronunciation. I was not really clear on how to test my pronunciation before, thus, I just stick to the test on Duolingo. It was not really focusing on one aspect of learning due to the affordances of Duolingo that provides variety of exercises testing multiple learning areas. Unfortunately, I forgot to collect the data by keeping an eye on my test scores. I do notice that every time I did the exercise, my scores getting better and better. This is due to the repetitive nature of Duolingo features. I got familiar with the concept, thus, it is quite easy to get it right and remember.
I wanted to do more of self evaluation pronunciation test. This is when Youtube came in the picture. It was not in my plan before. I found this video on Youtube for pronunciation test. However, Youtube is not an interactive application with feedback such as the Duolingo. I had to make it work for me. I decided to carry out my own method of "guessing and pausing" with the video. What I did is that I paused the video, pronounce the word out loud and record my voice, then I resume the video to listen to the correct pronunciation and compared it with mine. I have to say that I do improve from the first week. However, there are still few pronunciation that are confusing and needing more practice. I would score myself 6/10 for my performance in this test.
Before I end this entry, below is the video I used. You could make use of the video as well. It is just a simple test for an intermediate learner like me.
Week 5-6
Bonjour!!!
Based on my outline, this entry should be the fun part; video recording!
I like to make use of technology in my learning. One of the way is to use video recording feature on my phone to evaluate my pronunciation of the words. I have been experimenting with two apps which are Duolingo and French English Dictionary from week 1-4 and now is the time to see if it does give an impact to my learning.
Based on my outline, this entry should be the fun part; video recording!
I like to make use of technology in my learning. One of the way is to use video recording feature on my phone to evaluate my pronunciation of the words. I have been experimenting with two apps which are Duolingo and French English Dictionary from week 1-4 and now is the time to see if it does give an impact to my learning.
After recording the video, I rewatch it about five times and compared it with the pronunciation from google translate and French Dictionary app. Based on my self-evaluation, it was not as bad as before. I managed to pronounce the words almost similarly to the guide. However, it was not 100 percent accurate as some word still does not seem to be pronounce exactly like the native speaker. It does not bother me much as my aim again, is to improve to the extend that it is understandable. Not to the point I sounded like a native speaker as that is impossible to achieve with the time limit.
week 3-4
Bonjour tout le monde,
In this entry, I will update more on my experiences of using Duolingo and French English Dictionary to ease my language learning challenge. Different student struggling with different aspect of language learning. For me, the hardest would be pronunciation. I have zero basic in French and it is not very helpful that my first language is Malay. My pronunciation is needing a lot of improvement and this is where the application comes handy.
Duolingo
I have completed the daily exercises provided by this application. From my observation, the application helps users to improve more than one aspect of language learning. It focuses on many skill such as listening, grammar, writing, spelling, vocabulary and also pronunciation. This is based on the variety categories of exercise given. Not only the features make it more interesting and less boring for user to keep doing the exercises, it also improves all aspect of language learning challenge. It comes with correction and brief explanation of the correct answer to help the users get better understanding of their preferred language.
Below are the example of exercises provided:
It is also motivating that user will be able to unlock award based on their achievement.The interface is very user friendly. It is a fun way of learning language compared to traditional non-CALL type of learning. Plus, it keeping track of your progress in learning language.
In this entry, I will update more on my experiences of using Duolingo and French English Dictionary to ease my language learning challenge. Different student struggling with different aspect of language learning. For me, the hardest would be pronunciation. I have zero basic in French and it is not very helpful that my first language is Malay. My pronunciation is needing a lot of improvement and this is where the application comes handy.
Duolingo
I have completed the daily exercises provided by this application. From my observation, the application helps users to improve more than one aspect of language learning. It focuses on many skill such as listening, grammar, writing, spelling, vocabulary and also pronunciation. This is based on the variety categories of exercise given. Not only the features make it more interesting and less boring for user to keep doing the exercises, it also improves all aspect of language learning challenge. It comes with correction and brief explanation of the correct answer to help the users get better understanding of their preferred language.
Below are the example of exercises provided:
 |
| Testing different skills (Image from google) |
French English Dictionary
This application is my new best friend! Whenever I need to translate something, this is my on-the-go application. My savior. The application is really easy to use. I just need to type in the word and TADAAAA the meaning is there for me to see. Conjugation is really important in learning French; with this application, you just need to click on the "conjugate" on top corner and you will be provided with the conjugation for the chosen word. It also states the gender for the word as this is another important aspect in French, thus, giving every information needed on the chosen word. I really like that this application is also available offline though it is limited to certain features when it is offline.
Below is the example search of word using the application:
 |
| List of the word plus the conjugation (Image from google) |
There are more features on this application. However, in order to focus on improving my pronunciation which is my aim, I maximize the function for searching word's meaning and the way to correctly pronounce it. There is a speaker/audio symbol on the top corner of the application which will tell you the way to pronounce the word when you click on it. This is my favorite feature of the application. It also improves my confidence when I need to speak in French as I am able to check on the correct pronunciation first and practice it before speaking out.
That is all for this entry. See you on the next one. I hope it gives every learner out there some ideas on making full use of these two application.
week 1-2
Bonjour!
As promised, here is my update for the duration of week 1-2. As stated in my plan, I would like to outline my strategy and plan, also, getting to know the content of Duolingo and French dictionary app that have been downloaded on my smartphone. I will first elaborate on Duolingo and followed by the second app which is the French dictionary app. I am using Iphone and these apps can be downloaded from apple store for free.
Duolingo
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| Duolingo's icon |
Duolingo is voted as app of the year on apple store. This application is very useful for learning new languages. The interface is user-friendly and interesting for any kind of language learner. When you launch the app for the first time, you are given two categories to choose from, the first category is for beginners and the second one is for those who already have some basic knowledge on the language. Those who choose the second option will be provided with placement test to ensure effective learning experience based on the learners' abilities. The application test every aspect of language learning skills such as listening, reading, oral and writing. It will also provide user with grammatical explanation while giving the correct answer. When you sign up, you will get constant remail to remind you on your practice progress. In case anyone else interested to download the application, here is the link
French English dictionary
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| French English dictionary's icon |
The second application is called French English dictionary. I have downloaded a few French dictionaries from apple store and by far, this is my utmost favourite. The interface is simple and easy to use. The content is comprehensive with phrasebook, verb conjugator, vocabulary quizzes and offline audio pronunciation. This application is very helpful with improving my pronunciation. Every time I look up for new word, I can just use the audio function to know the right way to pronounce it. I will listen to pronunciation repeatedly and then practise my own pronunciation. I hugely recommend this application and you can download it here . For this application, you are given an option to buy the extended version: $7.99 for extended dictionary, $4.49 for extended phrase book and $4.49 for extended verb conjugation. I did purchase the extended dictionary to enhance my learning experience by using the application.
EARLY THOUGHT?
I definitely liking the features offered by both application. Duolingo is really good to keep you going in your language learning journey. As you improves, the exercises will be harder and harder which suit your level of understanding. For the second application, it is the best and most useful in my opinion as it assists my language learning anytime I need to translate a word, find out the pronunciation or to see the context of how to use the word. I believe that this is a must have application if you are language learner.
EARLY THOUGHT?
I definitely liking the features offered by both application. Duolingo is really good to keep you going in your language learning journey. As you improves, the exercises will be harder and harder which suit your level of understanding. For the second application, it is the best and most useful in my opinion as it assists my language learning anytime I need to translate a word, find out the pronunciation or to see the context of how to use the word. I believe that this is a must have application if you are language learner.
Chapter one: the beginning of the journey...
Bonjour!
Je m'appelle Fida and this is the documentation of my learning journey for SLAT2002.
Throughout the weeks, I will update on my learning progress using some method recommended in the course. For the first blog entry, I will focus on outlining my draft to provide a clearer idea on what I will be doing. Below is my plan/proposal to learning French.
Your
title: My journey of learning French as my second language ( actually, it is my third language :D )
My
challenge:
In my opinion, the hardest part in learning French is to ensure my pronunciation is correct. This has been super difficult to me because my native language is Bahasa Melayu and I speak English most of the time. English and Malay pronunciation of the alphabets and syllables are totally different from French. I am not familiar with the use of accent in the spelling as we do not have it in Bahasa. It is so alien to me! However, I am pretty sure with a lot of practice I would be able to speak "understandable" French. Maybe not as good as the native speaker but good enough for people to understand me.
For my learning style, I like learning through exercises provided on online website or mobile application. The reason my preferred learning style is that most of the exercises online are nicely illustrated with interesting method of learning. This makes my learning experience more exciting, thus, motivates me to keep going and incites my passion in learning different language. Besides that, when learning is made easier and exciting, I find that it is easier for me to memorize the things that I have learned.
Analyzing from my preferred learning test, I decided to test some mobile application in order to enhance my French learning journey. I have downloaded Duolingo and also a French dictionary on my smartphone.
Below are my plan:
Week 1-2- Download the application and familiarize with the content.
Week 3-4- Proceed with exercises on Duolingo and browsing through French dictionary app.
Week 5-6- Record a video of myself speaking French and compare the pronunciation.
Week 7-8- Do a pronunciation test
Week 9-10- Try speaking to another course mate or French native speaker
My indicator to check on my progression is based on the feedback from my course mate/French native speaker and self evaluation. My goal is to improve my pronunciation so that my French is understandable by the public. I will ask them to rate my pronunciation and provide me with some useful recommendation on what should be improved.
In my opinion, the hardest part in learning French is to ensure my pronunciation is correct. This has been super difficult to me because my native language is Bahasa Melayu and I speak English most of the time. English and Malay pronunciation of the alphabets and syllables are totally different from French. I am not familiar with the use of accent in the spelling as we do not have it in Bahasa. It is so alien to me! However, I am pretty sure with a lot of practice I would be able to speak "understandable" French. Maybe not as good as the native speaker but good enough for people to understand me.
For my learning style, I like learning through exercises provided on online website or mobile application. The reason my preferred learning style is that most of the exercises online are nicely illustrated with interesting method of learning. This makes my learning experience more exciting, thus, motivates me to keep going and incites my passion in learning different language. Besides that, when learning is made easier and exciting, I find that it is easier for me to memorize the things that I have learned.
Analyzing from my preferred learning test, I decided to test some mobile application in order to enhance my French learning journey. I have downloaded Duolingo and also a French dictionary on my smartphone.
Below are my plan:
Week 1-2- Download the application and familiarize with the content.
Week 3-4- Proceed with exercises on Duolingo and browsing through French dictionary app.
Week 5-6- Record a video of myself speaking French and compare the pronunciation.
Week 7-8- Do a pronunciation test
Week 9-10- Try speaking to another course mate or French native speaker
My indicator to check on my progression is based on the feedback from my course mate/French native speaker and self evaluation. My goal is to improve my pronunciation so that my French is understandable by the public. I will ask them to rate my pronunciation and provide me with some useful recommendation on what should be improved.
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