In terms of general effect, do you think modern technology has improved vocabulary building or left it the same?
A friend of mine who’s learning Spanish asked me precisely that question. I had to pause for my answer, of course, since technology’s benefits to learning has always been something I’ve taken for granted. When faced with having to justify a “yes” answer, though, it took me aback.
Despite our modern methods, are our vocabulary software games and desktop flash cards really that much more sophisticated to old-school mnemonics and words written on index cards? As of now, I can’t find data that studied two similarly active groups of learners, one who used modern technology and another who used old-school, pen and paper methods. What I do have are first-hand accounts from many language learning friends, each of whom came to their current skill levels using varying approaches. From what I can tell, both new and old techniques remain effective.
So, why do we continue to push software-based language learning? For me, personally, I feel it’s a much more complete approach. Using software, you can engage students on different levels (e.g. visual, auditory) — a process that has proven to improve learning in many areas time and again. Plus, the progress we can make in software is tenfold, compared to the rather stale predicament most old-school techniques find themselves in.
Is using modern technology the best way to study vocabulary now? It can be argued. Will it be the best way to study vocabulary in the future? I’ll bet my bottom dollar on that.