Narges' Genius Hour Blog

Hi again everyone!      After some more research, I have narrowed down the two apps I will be focusing on Memrise and Duolingo. I chose these two apps because they are both free (you have the option to pay for premium features) and they are available on both a desktop computer as a website or as an app at the Apple App Store and Android's Play Store. I think it's important to make sure the apps would be accessible to both teachers and students who may be on a budget. (www.duolingo.com) Duolingo is an app I've heard of before. Most people are familiar with the little green bird logo. Some of my fellow language learners at the university level have recommended the app because it gives daily short 10-30 minute lessons at a level of your choosing. This makes it easy to incorporate the app use into your daily routine. I have also heard there was some negative feedback from users because the app would send too many reminder notifications if the user did not use th...

Hello everyone!      One of the projects I will be starting this term is my Genius Hour project. At this time I am still trying to narrow down the focus of my study. As a language student in need of a tech update, I really want to take the opportunity to study different online apps that advertise language teaching. If they prove to be valuable I would like to possibly present them to colleagues and future students. As of now, I am familiar with Rosetta Stone and Duolingo but I have not personally used any of the apps. [Image retrieved from  https://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-support-my-tech-challenged-loved-ones-without-5884612 ]      One of my main concerns is how I am going to measure the quality of these apps. Initially, I thought perhaps I should study a new language so I could get a sense of what a first-time learner feels like when using the app and then test my knowledge at the end of my study. But after some chatting with my program i...

Welcome to my blog. My name is Narges Mohsin and I am a first-year teacher candidate at Brock University from Hamilton, ON. I previously completed a Master of Arts from McMaster University in French and have always been a lover of languages and travel. I actually spent a portion of my undergrad program living in France to better my French and have backpacked through Europe multiple times since then. I believe the more languages you learn, the more cultures you are able to experience and the more you learn about yourself. Please follow this blog for updates as I navigate through my Genius Hour Project. [Photo of myself taken at Dublin's National Wax Museum Plus (August 2019)]