Learning a language has gone high-tech,
writes
Rachel Kenney
.
G
etting to grips with
Mandarin can be a highly
rewarding but time-
consuming and laborious
task. For an English (or European
language) speaker, the challenge of
deciphering characters and perfecting
pronunciation of a language that is
completely unfamiliar – and tonal,
to boot – can be tough. But the
good news is that with every passing
minute, more and more technological
innovations are popping up to help
make the Mandarin language not only
far more accessible, but also to make
the learning process much more fun.
Screening programme
Technology is now a staple in most
modern classrooms. From interactive
whiteboards to laptops, our children
are used to seeing and using screens all
around them. One of the most useful
ways that this technology can be put
to work for Mandarin teaching is the
rise of lessons via video conferencing.
Finding a qualified Mandarin teacher
can be impossible for schools in some
areas as there are just too few teachers
to go around, but with the rise of video
conferencing, students now have the
chance to be taught by an experienced
teacher via a two-way link, wherever
they live. If a real, live teacher can’t
be found to stand in front of the class,
a televisual teacher is certainly an
innovative way of plugging the gap for
our tech-savvy kids.
Schools that are twinned with
Chinese schools can also put video-
conferencing technology to good
use by organising webchats with
students in Chinese classrooms – all
that language you have learnt in class
suddenly seems far more relevant
when you actually have to use it in
real life. Location need no longer be a
barrier to learning.
Many individual learners also rely
on video conferencing for language
lessons. All you need is a webcam, a
window of time, and a tutor from one
of the countless Mandarin e-learning
companies that have sprung up in
recent years – you don’t even need
to leave the house! But, as with all
tutors, it may take time to find one
who fits your bill. One dissatisfied
customer tells of a tutor who spent
the whole lesson writing characters
on a whiteboard behind her – which,
with the blurry Skype connection,
were unreadable – and dealing with
her crying baby. For others, video
conferencing lessons have helped them
kick-start their studies and allowed
them to learn at their leisure – with
no wasted hours travelling to and
from lessons, and some flexibility with
scheduling (international time zones
permitting), it can be an attractive
package for the time-poor.
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