To conclude this introduction to my thoughts on the topic of “Digital Learning,” I’d like to summarize the key points:
If you were choosing a restaurant to eat sushi: Which would you prefer? One that serves only sushi, or one that also offers pizza, burgers, and pasta?
A third way to learn a foreign language using a program is through specialized apps or web apps. These are characterized by their use of modern web technologies.
A free alternative to the Langenscheidt vocabulary trainer that is available on multiple operating systems is the flashcard program Anki.
For French or Italian, there is sufficient demand. It makes financial sense for publishers to produce linear learning materials for these foreign languages. That is no longer the case for Slavic languages.
Vocabulary learning works especially well when it is interactive and synesthetic — that is, when it engages multiple forms of perception. That’s why learning with a vocabulary notebook during school was particularly dreadful.
The first positive experience I had with an online learning program was while preparing for the theoretical part of my driving test.
Workbooks are initially a wonderful complement to textbooks. Textbooks convey the theoretical material. Workbooks contain ready-made exercises to apply and internalize that theory.
Another disadvantage that books have compared to digital learning materials is their limited nature. As already mentioned, information in books can only be arranged and printed („stored”) linearly, and a textbook can only have a limited number of pages.
In 2020, I began designing a web app intended to support Russian language learners. The idea arose from my own experience as a Slavic studies student. I always found it tedious to gather suitable learning materials for Russian.
