This is the final week of classes, exams will be over before we know it, and you will soon be free. Then comes the end of semester hangover. Maybe this doesn’t happen to you, however, following the end of term, I find myself to be out of sorts. I will be going about my day when suddenly I will stop what I am doing and panic about non-existent school work. Only to remember that I have finished the semester, received my grades, and have nothing to worry about.
In the absence of assignments and exams I often find myself in need of an educational distraction. To take the edge off I like to occupy my mind. One of my favourite ways to do this is with the language learning app Duolingo.
Duolingo is a free app that allows you to learn or practice any one (or ten) languages you may be interested in. The best part is, it hardly feels like learning as the app is set up as a game.
Duolingo tests your reading, listening, and speaking skills while allowing you to earn points and track your progress. When you make a mistake, Duolingo will provide you with the correct answer. You can set a daily challenge goal for yourself of 10, 20, 30, or 40XP. As you progress and complete lessons you receive lingots, tokens that you can spend in the store, on fun extra lessons, as well as the steak freeze, which allows you to take a day off without ruining your progress streak. Speaking as someone who is currently on an 80-day streak, losing that progress would be heartbreaking.
The first time you select a new language Duolingo will allow you to start as a beginner, or you can take a quick ‘quiz’ to determine your level. This allows you to start out a little further along. You can also connect with your friends, checking up on their progress to add an element of friendly competition. It is also great for holding yourself accountable. I cannot stress how much fun this app is, and it only takes up about 10 minutes of your day.
Duolingo is available for iOS, Android, and Windows phones, and you can choose from languages like Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, French, or Greek, Hebrew, and Ukrainian, just to name a few. For more options, you can download the app, or head to their website duolingo.com.
Republished from The Quill print edition, Volume 107, Issue 28, April 4th, 2017.