Mom2Five Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I've heard about this for a while and since it is easier for my kids to do things independently on the computer with my crazy 1 and 2 year old I would like to set then up on it. I've been searching for reviews on content and found a couple threads on here, but I dont have time to sort through every comment. Could anyone that has used it tell me if it is safe/appropriate for older elementary age? I saw a few comments about a profile being public and users typing inappropriate things that show up at the bottom of the screen. Has anyone had any of these problems? Are they able to talk to other users etc. Are the things they are asked to translate appropriate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 We have had trouble using it recently because it got too data intense for our dial-up computer connection in the country. But my son started using it in upper elementary and it was fine as regards your concerns. We used a false name as the user name, and don't put anything down on profile you don't want others to see--which seems to be what nearly everyone except the people who run it do. Messages can be sent and seen by all users, yes, but it was sometimes helpful learning, especially when he got to the translating stage and someone would explain why some translation was better than another, or discuss what a word might mean in context, things like that. We talked about not putting any too personal details online and other internet safety issues. Possibly users at different times or for different languages are more or less polite, and trolls are always a problem on internet, but inappropriate things can be reported to moderators. My ds usually did not bother with the comments that others had written anyway. And I think you had to go out of your way to see them, rather than just the main sentence or photo or whatever that was up on the screen. Mostly they were fine, like asking why something would be usted vs. tu for Spanish, or similar language relevant issues. Translations were appropriate, IMO. Some were a little odd, like, "I have a cow," which of course some people do have, but not us. It turned out helpful though because that simple sentence can then be changed to "I have a ______ (dog, cat, book)" any noun the child knows and knows the correct article for if the article changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2Five Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Thank you for that review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 My profile is not public. I mean, it is and it isn't. I have friends on there, people I know in real life that I exchanged user names with and I can talk to them. I can see how my kids are doing and how much they've practiced by looking at their score for the week (10 points earned for every lesson on the app). I can see which languages are being used. Duolingo is honestly the best program I have found outside of a classroom. Rosetta Stone pales in comparison, Live Mocha was eh, Berlitz was tedious, Mango was okay, but I had to rely on a library for it..the list goes on. I have used or discarded about 20 programs, preferring a classroom experience. Duolingo is fun. It's easy. It's self-correcting. My 6yo can use it with no problem, though he may forget an accent aigu or how to spell certain things. He spent about 3 months with Song School Spanish before choosing Duolingo exclusively. And honestly, I'll continue to use it until I have to decide to pay for it. Since it's free I'm going to use it as much as I can! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2Five Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 Thank you! We started German today and the kids are loving it. I am doing it myself and was having way too much fun. Could you tell me how I can make sure our profiles aren't public? I looked at the settings and didn't see anything that was public or private etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 We are using it along with GSWS. Retention is high and DS doesn't complain at all when it is Spanish time. We have no complaints. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 (edited) You can use thé iPad version, or thé Android version, if so there is less typing. It also means you don't have access to the chat board. This means you can't have any conversations with anyone, so no risk of anything inappropriate. My boys like it, okay eldest likes it and youngest doesn't dislike it. Edited February 6, 2016 by Julie Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Duolingo gave my son a great foundation before he started a formal German class in 7th grade. He is the best student in his class. My younger kids are using it every day, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyandmolly Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Can you use Duolingo without the internet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Can you use Duolingo without the internet? Not really. At least with the app, if you connect to the Internet, it will download the next couple lessons for you to do offline, but that's not much - maybe 10-15 minutes worth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I think it works well for upper elementary/middle school grades. My 7th grader has been using it for German and is doing well. He likes it enough that he sneaks on it when he's supposed to be doing other work on the computer. He has started saying German phrases in public and last week a college student overheard him and had a simple conversation with him in German. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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