App Alert! The Top 3 Apps for Learning a Language

By Gilmarie Brioso on October 16, 2012

Image by Sean MacEntee

The world of technology is exploding fast. And unlike before, where I would ignore the perks offered by the latest smartphone, I’m tapped in and genuinely intrigued by the latest technological device, even if it doesn’t particularly pertain to me.

One gizmo that’s extremely hard to avoid: the app.

I quickly learned that apps are very addicting. I have over 100 apps on my Kindle, over 50 on my Windows Phone, and am planning on buying the new IPod Touch partly to gain access to even more apps. Part of their appeal is their easy access. In an instant, one can download a new game, organizational tool, magazine, or social network. Furthermore, many apps are surprisingly free. And free is a college student’s favorite word.

Apps have truly become both needed and useful tools for this generation’s pursuers of knowledge. Which is why I have created this series, to spotlight apps that make a college student’s life a little easier.

This installment of App Alert! is especially useful for all you Foreign Language majors and minors. But maybe you are an international business student or an homme (or femme) de letters, quite literally, and simply enjoy learning languages. These apps are great companions to your language courses. They fit in your pocket and you can take them with you wherever you go. So, if a friend calls and says he/she is going to be 30 minutes late, pull out one of these apps to keep the studying going.

 

Flipping through the pages of Wired Magazine’s October issue brought my attention to these three language-learning apps.

24/7 Tutor

 Image taken from Amazon.com

24/7 Tutor has it all: flash cards, multiple-choice quizzes and puzzle drills for vocabulary and phrases. A more traditional app for those who prefer the traditional method of study.

MindSnacks

 Image taken from MindSnacks’ Tumblr

MindSnacks operates more like a game, with speed-based lessons that tests your mastery of increasingly complex levels. Its 90-second sessions are perfect for studying on the train or just before class.

Babbel

 Image taken from Babbel’s blog

The Babbel app offers clear pronunciation from a native speaker so that you’ll sound less like an imitator and more like the real deal, which will surely score you points with your professor or boss. Plus, the experts at Wired deemed this app to be the best at helping with the memorization of vocabulary.

All of the above apps are free, but certain languages and levels do require a paid upgrade. So test out the free versions and see if it’s truly worth it.

This generation of students has so much available. Let’s grasp every possible outlet we can in order to show our true prowess.

 

 

Stay tuned for more App Alerts!, weekly articles on the latest and most useful applications for college students. Soon to come: excersise apps and apps for taking notes! Is there’s an app that you absolutely CANNOT live without? Let me know about it in the comments below. I would love to cover it.

Also, check out the other two series, Music Note and The Trend, on The New School’s Uloop blog.

 

 

 

 

Featured image by ronicadesign

 

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