App review: uSpeak Ingles

 

Warning: This app is to teach native Spanish-speakers how to speak English.  

I teach ESL, you guys know this.  All of my kids are Hispanic, and all of them speak Spanish at home.  I saw a review for the uSpeak Espanol, and thought, "Hey, if they have one to teach people Spanish, I wonder if I could use the English one to help my kids with English!" 

None of my students are newcomers.  They have all attended school in the United States since kindergarten.  However, they are at varied English literacy levels.  I thought that this app might be good to help with vocabulary comprehension.

I did notice that you should be able to read Spanish to be able to fully access this app.  This is for native Spanish speakers who are trying to learn English.  So, possibly a little high for my kids, as they don't read Spanish, but would possibly be good for their parents.

But, what you do is, first let the app know how much English you speak (none, a little, or I can express myself) and it starts you playing games.  The first game is matching the English word to its Spanish counterpart.  The second game is writing the translated word (but you have the letters, they are all mixed up).

Then it creates your Spanish language map and you have to register, but it documents your progress and creates a personalized learning experience.

To be honest, this app kind of reminds me of Rosetta Stone, Light.  

In high school, you learn traditional (Spain) Spanish, but over the years, I've gone to use more Mexican vocabulary words (much like traditional British English vs. American or Australian).  This app features the more traditional Spain Spanish vocabulary, not the Mexican Spanish that I'm accustomed. 

All in all, it was a good app, but I don't think I can use it for what I wanted to.