Hi everybody reading this!
My name is Darian Zadorozniak, and this is my introductory blog post for EDTC 300, where I will be frequently updating readers on the progress I have made in my learning project assignment throughout the semester. Before we get into the thick of it, I figured I should start with a little bit about myself!
I am from Weyburn Saskatchewan, where I am also currently located. I currently am taking my fourth year of studies, pursuing a secondary education degree with a major in social studies, and a minor in english. For hobbies, I generally enjoy watching football, playing some video games, or just hanging out with my grey tabby named Taco. Going into this course, I would have to categorize my general knowledge and experiences with educational technology as limited, and with that, I am excited to learn many new things this semester!
Moving onto the subject of my learning project, the goal which I have decided to set for myself is to “re-learn” and enhance my skills in the French language. Back in high school, I stopped taking French classes as soon as it stopped being mandatory. I can remember that French was pretty much always one of my least favourite classes, however in the ten or so years that it has been since I have taken any additional language classes, I have begun to recognize the importance of bilingualism/multilingualism, particularly as Canadians, one of the most notable officially bilingual countries in the world. Being located in Canada is also the reason why of all languages, I have chosen French to be the one I will attempt to learn.
My knowledge of French is severely limited. I could probably give you the names of colours, fruits, and tell you that my name is Darian in French. That is pretty much where my knowledge ends, so this should be an interesting goal for me to take on.
I am thinking the best way to tackle this goal will be through the use of the internet. I have heard of programs such as Babbel (babbel.com), which are not fully free to use, however I am willing to pay for a subscription to achieve this goal if I find that free-to-use softwares are not really clicking with me. Another one I have fiddled around with is a website called busuu (busuu.com), which allowed me to take a test before showing me a paywall. FYI, the test told me that I was a level 1 beginner in the French language.
At this point, I get the feeling that I am going to have to fork over a few dollars if I really want to progress in this goal, which again, is completely fine with me. Overall, these websites all seem very intriguing and are going to be the direction I likely head in, as they engage the user in real tests and will likely provide me with more tangible methods in terms of actually tracking my progress in achieving this goal.
Other resources out there that I explored are YouTube videos. There are tons of resources on YouTube when it comes to learning languages! So many, in fact, that I found myself a little bit overwhelmed when looking at all of the options. One thing I find with these videos, is that they were not as engaging for me as my earlier experiences with websites like babbel.com and busuu.com. I think this is because these video resources do not provide viewers with a chance for practical application of their skills like some of the other softwares do, so I find myself zoning out and not really getting as much out of it.
Long story short, I found that websites like Busuu and Babbel allow for the users to plan out how much time they would like to spend daily on learning their skills, and help the users plan out when and how far they would like to take their language studies. Therefore, I am going to go with one of these. So, before I start my subscription to one of these, if anybody has any experience with either of these apps I am certainly open to any feedback, recommendations or suggestions that people have!
Thank you for reading my first blog post!
Darian Zadorozniak
French is a beautiful language. As someone who was in French Immersion for 12 years, I rarely thought this during my education. It was more like I had to endure learning all this content in French every year. Until high school, I didn’t care much about appreciating the language. We had to write speeches, do math, and read in French, and it all became monotonous. I started enjoying French when I noticed my proficiencies in both English and French were equally outstanding. I remember my teacher once asked me to solve all of these grammar problems in front of the class, and it was fun. It’s been three years since I’ve had to speak or use French regularly. I really miss it.
Darian, I’m beyond supportive of your learning project this semester, as it hits close to my heart too. I like your spirit, and I hope you relearn and love the language. I believe there are free programs and apps like Duolingo, but if you are dedicated and willing to use paid ones, I won’t stop you!
Hi Darian! I feel similar to you. I used to take German lessons, I was there for 4 semesters and the only thing I know is how to introduce myself. I don’t know what happened to my brain those 4 semesters because I learned nothing. I´ve wanted to learn by myself but I never start doing so. I hope you can be consistent, that’s the key. And maybe you would like to learn a lot of vocabulary while you learn grammar structures. Flashcards would be helpful, there are some online so you can play and reinforce your knowledge.