What is Duolingo

Hablas Español? Exposure to new languages at an early age can be beneficial in language acquisition later in life. For those that weren’t lucky enough to have that exposure at home and are learning a language in school, it’s sometimes difficult to practice those language skills out of the classroom. This is where Duolingo comes in! The Duolingo app is a great way to continue your foreign language studies on your own time. It’s a free instructional program available on mobile/handheld devices and your computer. The application is very simple to set up and easy to work with. Let’s take a look!

Using Duolingo

The Duolingo app is simple to set up and easy to work with. First, you’ll choose the language you want to learn. Then, you can either start with the basics or take a placement test. Play against friends or alone, but make sure your microphone is on, since the app allows you to listen and speak during your lesson.

The activities are set up in phases, and once you complete a topic (like “Alphabet”), a new topic is unlocked. Once a level is complete, a checkpoint tracks your achievements and details the skills you’ve learned in the previous section. There’s also a fun gameplay element, where users earn gems and crowns to level up with each topic completed. In conjunction with what students learn in the classroom, Duolingo is a great support to reinforce new language skills.

Duolingo Classroom

Duolingo also offers a free program for classroom use as well, known as Duolingo Classroom. This program was made for educators, and helps them track and monitor student progress, assign students different tasks to reinforce what was covered in class, and more!

If you enjoy the features of Duolingo, but do not want the interruptions of having ads you can also subscribe to Duolingo Plus. Duolingo Plus is subscription-based with either a monthly or annual fee, and it offers all the features of the free version without the ad interruption.

To learn more about edtech tools, tips, and tricks, check out the Teq Talk blog, and visit our online PD platform OTIS for educators!