The home page of this website has a comprehensive discussion of the reasons for and advantages of learning a second language. People decide to study Spanish or another second tongue for a multitude of motives that range from recreation to business. If you have made the decision that learning to speak Spanish will be useful or enjoyable for you, your next step is to choose between several possible methods of language learning.

Traditional Language Learning

In years past, a preferred method of learning a language was to enroll in a class offered at a community college or other traditional educational venue. Alternately, folks would hire a tutor for private lessons in another tongue. While both of these techniques are still available in the 21st century, they pose several problems that make them unattractive for many would-be Spanish speakers.

1)      Classes and tutoring sessions both require the student to keep a strict schedule of attendance at lessons.

2)      These methods normally follow a set pattern of instruction and are not tailored for an individual learner

3)      Both classes and tutors can be very expensive, especially when a student is committed to becoming truly skilled in a second language, which often requires years of lessons.

For all of these reasons, large numbers of people are turning to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) to provide a flexible, reasonably priced, and effective way to learn a foreign language. As stated in the Journal of Interactive Media in Education, ?More and more knowledge, especially specialized knowledge, is acquired well past the age of formal schooling, and in many situations through educational processes that do not center on traditional schooling.?

Benefits of Computer Assisted Language Learning

CALL puts an emphasis on student-centered learning, and requires learners to participate actively in their acquisition of language rather than sitting back and have someone else do the teaching. According to experts in the field of education, there are several reasons that Computer Assisted Language Learning is becoming so widely used (even within traditional classroom settings) and gaining a reputation from critics as a valuable way to acquire a second language.

1)      Computers and digital technology allow high-quality audio lessons to be accessed easily.

2)      Interactive lessons with real-time feedback are made possible through CALL.

3)      Computer-based social networking tools can create a community of learners from many locations and cultures that will enhance the education of all members.

4)      Many CALL materials are available instantly through download, and are portable in the form of files loaded into an MP3 player.

Rocket Spanish Follows Educational Principles

Rocket Spanish utilizes all of these techniques in its lessons, and students are benefiting as a result. The top notch audio tracks, computer games with instant feedback, online members? forum, and downloadable lessons all give users the flexibility, portability and accuracy that even the best night school instructor or private tutor could never match. Sound, text, and images are all used within the Rocket Spanish system to engage all of the students? five senses and help him or her retain the learned material. Rocket?s computer-based program successfully combines writing, reading, listening and speaking, the four basic skills needed for becoming truly fluent in a second language.

Rocket Spanish provides for self-directed learning by allowing students to access quizzes, games, and an online bulletin board at any point during their study. They are also given the option of repeating any lesson as often as necessary to feel confident about the material, or skipping a lesson entirely if it seems appropriate.

The Rocket Languages Company believes that the best way to learn a language is to actually speak it. That?s why you will find lessons that contain context-based dialogues. As a student, you will not practice pronunciation just for pronunciation?s sake. Instead, you will be asked to respond to questions with appropriate words and phrases, as opposed to merely repeating what you hear.

In addition, each of the 31 Rocket Spanish audio lessons has a corresponding component that explores the grammar and culture behind the words and phrases. These are always web-based, interactive, multimedia lessons that have illustrations, photos, and embedded audio clips. They ask for a response from the student and provide instant feedback.

As part of its commitment to customer service, Rocket Spanish maintains an active user?s forum where students can ask questions and chat with their peers in their target language. The instructor of the course is available to answer questions as well. These are two more ways that the principles of CALL are being applied with good results.

As you can see, the Rocket Spanish course was developed within established, proven, educational methodologies that strive to make the most of modern technologies and computer-based learning. If you decide to use this course, you will be giving yourself the very best chance to succeed at reaching a worthwhile personal or professional goal.

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