Widget Wednesday!

This is a better name I think.

This week I have started to learn dutch. As I am, and plan to continue, spending a lot of time in the Netherlands I feel that I should have a least a marginally functional competency in the language. It is also helpful that Marc speaks it so I have a personal tutor at hand to answer all my questions.

I have been using the website www.livemocha.com. For those unfamiliar with Livemocha it is a free language service and community. Essentially you sign up for a profile and enroll in the course of your choice. I am currently enrolled in Dutch 101. In this particular course there are three units each comprised of around five lessons. There are four courses but the number of units per course lessens in the higher courses so there are ten units all in all. I can take each lesson at my own pace. They are structured into required exercises and practice exercises. The interactive page will speak the words for the user and give challenges by matching pictures with words or arranging sentences.

In each unit there is a writing and a speaking component users submit. These are both corrected by fellow language learners. In my case a native dutch speaker will correct and review my submissions. After I have submitted LIvemocha asks me to review another user's English submission. In this way the whole community benifits.

For about 100 USD a year users can subscribe to professional reviewing plus special course features and exercises that are not availible to us cheapskates. Also for every review a user does of another user's work they are given "tokens" which can be exchanged for professional review of his or her submissions.

Thus far (I am half way through unit 2) I have been very impressed. While this is not the way I have been traditionally instructed in other languages, I am finding it to be effective and the feedback I have gotten from my dutch reviewrs has been extremely useful. One kind woman even recordered herself repeating my submission to help me with my pronunciations and inflections. Awesome.

My favorite thing about Livemocha is the idea and principal it exists upon. Users are rewarded for helping other users. People of the world are reaching out to help one another communicate. This is so important and amazingly cool I would consider getting the yearly membership. If I am a good little dutch student and stick with it maybe I will reward myself by subscribing. If nothing else you should all check it out. It goes at YOUR pace so as long as you can devote a little time every now and then you too could be preparing for that trip to Paris you've always dreamed of.