Overview of 4th Digital Tool Busuu:

For this week’s blog post, the new digital learning tool I discovered is titled, busuu. This is a free-to-use software application that enables individuals to learn a new language. The above-mentioned software application accomplishes this goal as it revolves more so around the significance of communication and socialization skills, interactive lessons, as well as applied learning. For a more information regarding the busuu online digital learning tool, please do kindly take a look at the attached hyperlink.

Learning Spanish on Busuu:

Immediately when I logged onto busuu, I was greeted through its welcome home page. Thereafter, I selected the language I strived to learn, Spanish, as it is the targeted skill for this learning project. Next, I delved into busuu’s prep tests page where it invited me to true or false questions regarding basic terminology I was already aware of. Some of these terms can be found in previous blog posts that will be attached with a hyperlink here. At the end of my first few Spanish terminology drills, I received an award of 10 stars on my busuu account. This is quite beneficial as individuals learning on the above-mentioned software application will gain motivation. Thereafter, I engaged in a training section that consisted of filling in the blanks. Here, I mastered the previous greeting vocabulary terms as I did in last week’s blog post. This was quite useful for me because now I feel a bit more confident with correlation to basic greetings as opposed to last week. Next, I participated in the “elementary A2” learning module. This is the category in which I had the opportunity to learn how to pronounce beginner conversation terms. 

Comparison Between Busuu and Duolingo:

When comparing duolingo with busuu, there are multiple setbacks. For example, duolingo does not offer a rewards system for users who strive to learn languages. As mentioned above, a rewards system is quite beneficial as it paves the way for motivation. Secondly, duolingo revolves more so around repetition. This is quite impactful because constant repetition can withdraw applied learning. 

Questions:

Some of the questions I would like to ask to in order to open room for discussion consist of the following:

• Are there any other tools than learning a language through instructional videos, practical learning (e.g., examinations and timed quizzes)?

• Other than online digital learning tools, memorization, repetition, and constant practice, what are effective ways of learning and mastering a new language?

How to Navigate Through Busuu:

Mastering Spanish Greeting Terms on Busuu:

Applied Learning on Busuu:

References

Johansen, M. (n.d.). Busuu Review 2025 (Is This Language App Worth It?). Guide2Fluency. Retrieved June 7, 2025, from https://guide2fluency.com/languages/spanish/busuu-review/.

What is Digital Citizenship?

Digital citizenship is the concept of having the ability to aid individuals with regards to exploring the various digital environments that exist in today’s day-and-age (MediaSmarts, n.d.). The concept of digital citizenship is important to grasp as technology constantly changes and updates daily.

Reflection on 9 Elements + How to Implement the Elements Within The Classroom:

 I uphold that digital citizenship is of great use towards the youth. The very first element of the above concept is digital access. This element is significant in various ways. It teaches us that there should be a fair and equal distribution of technology. During my pre-internship placement, there was not a lot of technology used within the classroom. The only time students had the opportunity to gain access to technology was by working in pairs for a group project or a class presentation. A second element that piqued my interest was digital law. After reading this element’s definition, it did impact me. Digital law is a concept that fights against acts such as cyberbullying and other forms of online bullying. Furthermore, the element, digital law, tells us that with these harmful acts that are taking place online, rules and policies should be put in place in order to gradually prevent those acts from happening. This element piqued my interest as it related to an experience I went through during my pre-internship placement. At the school I was transferred to, all of the teachers had a safety box in order for their students to place their cellphones inside. This was quite beneficial for everyone because it does not only gradually prevent the above-mentioned acts from occurring, but, this method of a safety box also prevents classroom disturbance. These are some of the methods I strive to teach digital citizenship. As previously mentioned, implementing classroom policies for technology use is of great impact as individuals will feel welcome and learn in a safe environment.

Below are some educational YouTube videos that inform viewers regarding digital citizenship. Please do kindly take a look at them for further knowledge.

Videos for Further Knowledge:

References

MediaSmarts. (n.d.). What is Digital Citizenship? Retrieved June 1, 2025, from

https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/what-digital-citizenship#:~:text=Digital%20citizenship%20is%20the%20ability,mindful%20of%20our%20actions%20online. 

Overview of Memrise:

For this week’s blog post, I will be utilizing Memrise. This free-to-use software application is a digital tool for those striving to learn languages. Memrise provides its users with various features that consist of: instructional videos, scenarios, as well as conversations. These features are quite beneficial because they revolve more so around applied learning. For more information regarding Memrise, please do kindly take a look at the PCMag reference link provided below. 

Learning:

Immediately when I logged into Memrise, I started navigating through its various features. The first learning mode I clicked on was titled “scenarios.” Within this channel of learning, there were numerous recommended paths for learning Spanish such as: basic greetings, days of the week, and more. When I delved into the basic greetings category, I learned how to initiate a conversation by asking how an individual’s day is going, and so and so forth. Afterwards, I participated in the education category in which I learnt how to pronounce school and exams in Spanish. Finally, I engaged in the food category. Here, I gained the opportunity to understand restaurant basics, how to order a menu item, as well as how to ask a waiter/waitress for the menu. Overall, these categories are essential, because as mentioned in a previous blog post, understanding these concepts will truly benefit me with regards to basic skills if I ever strived to enroll in a study abroad trip to Spain or Mexico.

How To Navigate Through Memrise:

Spanish Greetings Part I:

Spanish Greetings Part II:

Learning Education Terminology in Spanish:

Learning About Restaurant Basics in Spanish:

References

Duffy, J. (n.d.). Memrise Review. PCMag. Retrieved, June 1, 2025, from

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/memrise?test_uuid=02LlF0iWKsilxYTJVF8uH5y&test

_variant=A#:~:text=Pros%20%26%20Cons&text=Memrise%20could%20be%20a%20decent,Pro%20account%20is%20insultingly%20pricey.

Overview of New Digital Tool Quizlet:

For this week’s new online resource, I will be using Quizlet. This free-to-download software application is widely used by students. The reason being is because Quizlet provides users with the ability to produce their own flashcards in order to prepare and memorize course material, lecture slides and notes, and more. This digital tool is useful as it provides a variety of studying modes, that is, true or false testing, multiple choice testing, as well as short-answer testing. Alongside these modes, Quizlet provides users with a variety of features to study that include audio, diagrams, and images. As previously mentioned, Quizlet is a free-to-download digital tool. However, if individuals strive to study online or remove pop-up advertisements during their studying sessions, they are required to pay an annual fee of $36. Alongside this, the paid version of Quizlet has the ability to grade your self-created exams. This information is necessary to underline if readers request to learn more about this digital tool. For more information regarding Quizlet, please do kindly visit the PCMag link attached here as well as down below. 

Implementing Quizlet to Learn the Targeted Skill: 

With respect to my targeted skill, I will implement the above-mentioned modes in order to aid my journey of gradually learning Spanish. Quite recently, I have created personal flashcards on Quizlet. These cue cards include definitions regarding Spanish terminology. On the front page of the flashcard, I wrote the Spanish terminology of what I want to learn. On the backside of the cue card, I translated the Spanish terminology into English. This method is useful because after memorizing the translated answer several times, the Spanish term will gradually become engraved within my brain. 

A good example of this is memorizing the following Spanish terms: mother, father, and sisters. I have placed the Spanish translation of these terms on the front page of three separate flashcards, and the English translation on the backside of the cue cards. When learning any new language, I find that memorizing is a critical part during this process as it allows me to retain the information (e.g., both Spanish and English translations of terminology as well as the definitions).

Getting Used to Quizlet:

Learning Family Names in Spanish Through Quizlet:

Testing the Audio Tool in Quizlet:

Please do kindly see the instructional video of this learning journey pasted below:

Please feel free to view the reference provided below that provides a brief overview of the above-mentioned software application:

References

Duffy, J., and Vatu, G. (n.d.). Quizlet Review. PCMag. Retrieved May 23, 2025, from 

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/quizlet?test_uuid=02LlF0iWKsilxYTJVF8uH5y&test_

variant=A#:~:text=Quizlet%20is%20a%20powerful%20study,find%20sets%20from%20

others%2C%20too.

The first 20 minutes of the YouTube video presented by Michael Wesch that we viewed during the class lecture broadened my lens not only for YouTube, but the social media world as a collective. In the first half of the video, Michael Wesch provided great insight towards the timeline of YouTube. First, Wesch provided historical dates for the first few videos that were ever uploaded to YouTube and which country the videos were uploaded from. Afterwards, Wesch delves into the term, trends. He does this by not only explaining the definition of the term, but more importantly, the function this term serves as well as how it is used within the social media world. 

What piques my interest the most is the fact that back when YouTube was first launched, individuals back then produced videos similar to how influencers are currently are. In other terms, back when YouTube first began, the above-mentioned term, trends, still existed. In his video, Wesch displayed videos that resemble various trends consisting of funny dances and singing. These videos alongside the method of following a trend are widely uploaded on numerous social media applications in order for users to gain publicity.

This can mean multiple things for schools. Specifically, for students, social media and technology as a whole is quite distracting. This is evident as Radcliffe states, “children who reported more than two hours a day of screen time got low scores” (2018). This insight is significant to underline because it indicates the downfall that technology serves with respect to its balance between entertainment and individuals using it as a resource for studying. 

Below are some resourceful videos for further knowledge regarding social media platforms in general.

Videos for Further Knowledge:

References

Augenthaler, T. (2018). How to Get Your Video to Trend on YouTube. The Influence Marketer. Retrieved May 25, 2025, from https://theinfluencemarketer.com/blog/how-to-video-youtube-trending/

Radcliffe, S. (2018, December 19). How Does Screen Time Affect Kids’ Brains? Healthline. Retrieved May 24, 2025, from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-does-screen-time-affect-kids-brains. 

For a portion of my learning project, I will be using Duolingo. This is a free to use software application that is able to be downloaded on any form of technology (e.g., Apple, Android, Windows, and Mac). The purpose of this software application is for users to learn languages through a game-based platform. Some of the game-based activities provided on the app consist of: translating sentencing, correctly matching the image with the terminology, and more.

Although the above-mentioned software application is quite user-friendly, I would recommend using Duolingo on a wide screen device such as a computer or tablet, as opposed to a phone. From my experience, I find that doing any task whether it may be school work or for entertainment, using a wide screen device is beneficial as the screen is easier to visualize which gradually prevents me from making simple mistakes. A second tip I recommend implementing while using Duolingo, is to always turn the volume on. This is primarily due to the fact that if not all, but most, of the game-based activities require auditory learning. 

There are several ways an individual can implement the Duolingo software application in a variety of ways within the classroom. For example, if an individual plans to deliver and teach the subject, French, he/she is able to as French is an option to learn on Duolingo. Another way that Duolingo can be implemented within the classroom is through the projector. The teacher has the ability to present Duolingo lessons on the projector. This way, if the students receive individual laptops or work in pairs, the students are still learning collectively as a whole. These are some of the methods I would implement Duolingo within the classroom. 

Please do kindly take a look at some of the Spanish training videos through the Duolingo software application below.

Starting Spanish from Scratch:

Sentence Translation Activity:

In my first blog post, I mentioned that I plan to use Duolingo for this project. Last week, I only used Duolingo in order to get used to its advanced features. Because the previously mentioned software application is still new to me as I never tested myself speaking Spanish during the first week, I will implement Duolingo training within this post.  

As soon as I logged onto the software application, I scrolled down to the “start from scratch” tab. This is because I wanted to take the easiest training modules as I am new to learning Spanish. In my first training module, I was assigned a series of tasks including the following: select the correct image that aligns with the image’s correct Spanish terminology, translating sentence, and more. The first task of aligning the image is quite beneficial to me as I learn best through pictures, images, and videos. The second activity is useful as it revolves not only around understanding and applications, but more importantly, before translating the sentences, there is an audio button that I have the opportunity to hear Spanish more vividly. Through this, I am confident that I will be able to perfect the language as the audio feature enables me to make fewer mistakes during the pronunciation process of this learning journey. 

Prior to the upcoming lecture on Wednesday May 21st, I plan on using a new online platform, Quizlet. This digital tool enables users to produce flashcards in order to learn their course material. This software application can be downloaded on any device. What I strive to accomplish while implementing the digital tool, Quizlet, is to not only obtain the selected targeted skill for this learning project, but more importantly, to gradually and efficiently memorize the Spanish language.

Please see the unlisted YouTube video links (anyone with the link can view) Below.

Starting Spanish From Scratch on Duolingo: 

Spanish Translation Testing Activity:

Some of the websites I use consist of: The Canadian Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, and the Government of Canada. I utilize these websites not only for research projects, assignments, and school work, but more importantly within my spare time, I enjoy learning about Canadian history and facts.  

As for my favorite software applications, I consider myself as an individual who loves social media. Therefore, I constantly binge watch videos on YouTube. The reason being is not only for entertainment, but more importantly, if I am having a rough day, I tend to use YouTube to aid in brightening up my spirit. As for messaging and communicating with friends, I use apps such as Instagram or Snapchat. 

I use several digital tools that help me manage my coursework and study schedule. With respect to daily studying, I keep a four to five hour alarm on. This is because I tend to put in a minimum of four to five hours for every individual course. Whether I am memorizing my flashcards, working on an assignment or project, this timer supports me in knowing when to stop and taking a break, as well as to transition into studying material for a different course. Because I also have other daily commitments including volunteering, working multiple part-time jobs, and being involved in student clubs, I create a schedule on google spreadsheet in the beginning of the semester in order to prioritize and manage my semester. I have been implementing these resources since my first semester of university, and I can most definitely say that it goes a long way in managing time. One of the most profound resources that enable me to stay productive outside of school, include both the MyFitCoach and the Health app. MyFitCoach is a software application that not only has filtered exercises, but users can also design their own exercise routines while working out at the gym. This is one of, if not, my most favorite feature of the software application. It is highly beneficial towards my workouts because I have the opportunity to organize each exercise for every day of the week. As for the Health software application, I strictly use this digital tool for the sole purpose of monitoring my daily steps. 

In order to prevent distractions, I turn on the, do not disturb, feature and place my phone in my drawer while I am studying. This way I am not distracted by any notifications at all. Secondly, I found that if I place my phone not only in a drawer, but in a location far away from me such as a closet, I forget where my phone is while I am studying. By forgetting where my phone is, I do not worry about picking it up or scrolling through social media apps. These methods do not only prevent me from distractions, but more importantly, they aid in striking a balance between studying and technology. This is because I will only use technology for entertainment after I have accomplished and completed all of my studying for the day. 

During the first week of this semester, I had difficulties figuring out what skill I wanted to take the initiative in learning. Initially, I was debating on learning a new language as I had several in mind: American Sign Language (ASL), Spanish, and Turkish. Thus, I went along with selecting Spanish. One of the main reasons as to why I strive to learn this skill for my learning project, is due to the fact that in the future, I strive to do a study abroad trip in Spain. This way, if I ever do potentially enroll within a study abroad trip in Spain, I will have less difficulties with communicating and socializing. Another reason as to why I selected Spanish is because one of my previous employers is fluent in speaking this language. Therefore, learning this targeted skill would be great to communicate with her as well. 

Duolingo is a software application that any individual can download on any smartphone, tablet, or electronic device in general. This software application has numerous languages an individual can learn. Not only this, but, more importantly, Duolingo has several features such as tests, exams, quizzes, and timed notifications to remind the individual regarding whichever language they want to learn. Therefore, this notable language learning tool will support me in obtaining the above-mentioned targeted skill. These are one of many resources I plan on using to help me learn Spanish. I hope to find new tools and resources throughout this journey.