jibaker103 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 My 9th grade ds is taking Spanish 1 through Connections Academy ps online. He is having a hard time because there is no conversation built in with a live person for practice and he is confused with the conjugations. Can you lovely ladies give me your opinion on My Personal Language Tutor, Live Mocha, Spanish Luna, and 121 Speech? I just want him to speak with someone once or twice per week and be able to ask questions or get help on where he is confused with his lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jibaker103 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 :001_unsure: Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 :bigear: Would love to know the same options about French. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I have experience with SpanishLuna and 121Spanish (which used to be 121Speech). I also dabbled in LiveMocha. We did SpanishLuna for a year. Initially we were really excited--the program and the use of Skype really has potential. However, we ended up disappointed with the abysmally slow pace of the program, lack of Spanish conversation (it was more of an extended vocabulary quiz--instruction and everything was in English), and propensity of the teacher to cheerfully supply the answers to the students with no real accountability for memorizing. My kids unfortunately regressed in their conversation skills, and I ended up quite disappointed. LiveMocha will work as well as YOU make it work. It takes an extraordinarily motivated student to progress well with their free services. Also instruction is not provided by teachers, but by other regular people like yourself. Paired with an instructional program with a real teacher, LiveMocha could be a decent option. I knew I would not be as disciplined as needed with this program, so we moved on. My favorite, by far, is 121Spanish. We hooked up with them when we visited Guatemala last year. Our entire family took lessons in the mornings while we were there in Antigua, and came away with a high opinion. After leaving Guatemala we continued with internet instruction with them and have been very pleased. The instructors are teachers--not just nice people who speak Spanish. They have a curriculum, but tend to respond to the student organically in whatever direction the conversation takes them. I requested that my dd be required to do homework, and they were happy to oblige, but homework is not required unless you want it. It's a great program that emphasizes conversation skills. My kids are currently taking a local co-op class to make sure they cover grammar drill and vocab, while the 121Spanish teachers converse with them. For my dd this means she converses for the entire session in Spanish; for ds this means his sessions are a hybrid of English and Spanish but mostly Spanish. Cost is reasonable too--$15 per hour, and their sign-up system is wonderfully easy to use. We intend to stay with the service for the foreseeable future and recommend them highly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jibaker103 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Thank you so much Strider, this is exactly what I needed to know!!!! Any other opinions out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 La Clase Divertida has an online high school option this year. We would have used it, except the class is "after school" hours because the teacher still teaches Spanish in a school bldg. during the day. I don't see it on their website right now, so you'd have to email them. https://funclase.com/welcome.html Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 My favorite, by far, is 121Spanish. We hooked up with them when we visited Guatemala last year. Our entire family took lessons in the mornings while we were there in Antigua, and came away with a high opinion. After leaving Guatemala we continued with internet instruction with them and have been very pleased. The instructors are teachers--not just nice people who speak Spanish. They have a curriculum, but tend to respond to the student organically in whatever direction the conversation takes them. I requested that my dd be required to do homework, and they were happy to oblige, but homework is not required unless you want it. It's a great program that emphasizes conversation skills. My kids are currently taking a local co-op class to make sure they cover grammar drill and vocab, while the 121Spanish teachers converse with them. For my dd this means she converses for the entire session in Spanish; for ds this means his sessions are a hybrid of English and Spanish but mostly Spanish. Cost is reasonable too--$15 per hour, and their sign-up system is wonderfully easy to use. We intend to stay with the service for the foreseeable future and recommend them highly. This sounds very interesting. We're using BtB2 this year for the grammar and vocab, but I'd love them to have more conversational experience. How is this class set up? Is it one-on-one, or more? If I had two kids, could they take it together (actually, I have a third at a lower level - do your kids have separate classes?) Does it use Skype, or how are the converstions run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 This sounds very interesting. We're using BtB2 this year for the grammar and vocab, but I'd love them to have more conversational experience. How is this class set up? Is it one-on-one, or more? If I had two kids, could they take it together (actually, I have a third at a lower level - do your kids have separate classes?) Does it use Skype, or how are the converstions run? You need to download Skype (free) and buy a webcam. We bought a webcam for $35 at Target. This is done one-on-one. I have never asked if two kids can take a class together, because my two are four years apart in age and my dd is light years ahead of ds. The student meets via Skype webcam with the instructor, but also keeps a Skype chat box open--the student and teacher talk, using the chat box to quickly type anything that needs further clarification. The simplicity of talking + chat box is the real beauty of this system as it keeps the conversation moving quickly. The staff at 121Speech are great, and quite responsive. Don't feel shy about asking questions, or asking for more or less homework, because they do try hard to accommodate the student's goals. Another thought to consider for the future is actually visiting Antigua, Guatemala, for immersion instruction. There is almost nothing nicer than learning Spanish in a pretty courtyard and tooling around picturesque Antigua during breaks. The 121Speech staff will never pressure you to do this, but I mention it because it was a positive experience for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Another thought to consider for the future is actually visiting Antigua, Guatemala, for immersion instruction. There is almost nothing nicer than learning Spanish in a pretty courtyard and tooling around picturesque Antigua during breaks. The 121Speech staff will never pressure you to do this, but I mention it because it was a positive experience for us. I think I remember you or someone else talking about something like this. Did you do it through 121Spanish? Was this the place that you can go as a family? I do think real immersion is the best way to learn a langauge. For Spanish, I spent a summer in Mexico and a semester in Spain - I've been wondering how I could replicate that for my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I think I remember you or someone else talking about something like this. Did you do it through 121Spanish? Was this the place that you can go as a family? I do think real immersion is the best way to learn a langauge. For Spanish, I spent a summer in Mexico and a semester in Spain - I've been wondering how I could replicate that for my kids. Actually we visited Dayle in Guatemala for a family missions trip. We rented a house near her. Our mornings were spent in language instruction, and our afternoons were spent volunteering at various places (malnutrition center for infants and similar). We enjoyed sightseeing as well. We hooked up with 121Spanish through Dayle and have been sooooo glad of it ever since. I think 121Spanish does offer a formal immersion course with host families but am not sure--just ask and see. If they do not for some reason, there are other language schools in Antigua that offer this option. Antigua is a good place to do this. For various reasons the town is historically significant, so the Guatemalan government has taken pains to preserve it and there is also a special police force there specifically to keep it safe for tourists. (It's even called the Tourist Police.:)) Guatemala is not "safe" like the US, but we felt good about being in Antigua and had an absolutely marvelous trip. If you do want to pursue this option, talk to Dayle and talk to me. I'd be happy to tell you more about the places we volunteered and about the lovely tourist spots there as well as the language school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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