Education for the Aughts - American School Issues and Analysis » Foreign Languages http://www.matthewktabor.com In Education for the Aughts, Matthew K. Tabor discusses issues in K-12 and higher education. He examines: college, law school & medical school admissions; NCLB & testing; teaching; teacher certification; parent & community relations; school law; school boards; & national education trends. Matthew is an admissions consultant and private educator. He writes out of Cooperstown, New York. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:58:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 A New Tool to Learn Languages – Transparent http://www.matthewktabor.com/a-new-tool-to-learn-languages-transparent/ http://www.matthewktabor.com/a-new-tool-to-learn-languages-transparent/#comments Wed, 31 Dec 2008 04:33:34 +0000 Matthew K. Tabor http://www.matthewktabor.com/2008/12/31/a-new-tool-to-learn-languages-transparent/ I don’t have any of those classic Ellis Island immigrant stories in my family. We’ve been here for centuries, literally – and we were Mayflower types to start. It’s interesting to process American history in such a consistent, linear way relative to others’ jutting, surprise-filled family trees.

But, as with all things, there are negatives to that lineage. One is that the richness of languages that pervade so many American families largely bypassed my clan. No Italian grandparents muttering Old Countryisms in the kitchen, etc.

So, language acquisition/training was never my strength – partly due to little exposure, partly because I pick it up at a slower pace than most. I’m still trying, and I’m always interested in new software and new services that have the potential to introduce languages to the willing.

Transparent.com has all sorts of features for individuals, businesses and teachers. Their language suites include audio and video, while their website appears to include blogs to help learn 8 different languages. Check out a few of their common programs – the default tab is for that language’s blog:

Does anyone know how Transparent compares with other popular suites/programs? Any success stories, any criticism? Any indications of its effectiveness from a quick glimpse at the site?

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