Alicia64 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I'd love to hear your thoughts before I purchase. Thanks! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Don't do it. I'm not impressed to much with Rosetta Stone and for that money you could do a lot more for alot less. What age range/skill level is this for? I suggest signing up to one of those sites that are similar to RS. Look into LiveMocha, Busuu or DuoLingo. All of them are similar to Rosetta Stone but have many free options. I think DuoLingo might be the best because they don't have ads or anything to disrupt you. There are plenty of programs on book, CD and computer to try if you give more info about who it is for and what the goal is, then I know that the Hive will dig up some more meaningful feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I totally agree. Check out Tell Me More too, if you don't like the free options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 We like it but I'm a French speaker. I don't think RS could be used as effectively without the context that comes from knowing the language. There have been many times when dc asks me why is such and such this way and I'm only able to answer because of my knowledge of the language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathmarm Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Not a fan of Rosetta Stone and glad that I got to go over to someone elses house to see and evaluate the product before shelling out the $$$ needed to get it. I don't like Rosetta Stone and wouldn't recommend buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowRoadMom Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 We've had great success with Rosetta Stone French....my daughter took level 3 after using 2 years of BJU Press distance learning and really enjoyed it. The interactive element was awesome and the headset mic allowed her to practice getting the French accent right. I would definitely purchase again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Many public libraries have free online programs. Ours lets us use Mango from home for free with our library card. May be worth checking out. My son has used Rosetta Stone Spanish for a couple of years. It lets him hear the language and get some familiarity with it, but I would only count it for basic exposure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowRoadMom Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 That's a great idea Dana....local libraries typically have many resources. I did want to point out that I used Rosetta Stone Homeschool version....which comes with lesson plans and workbook pages on a CD. When you complete ALL the material, most states allow you to count each level as a high school credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 That's a great idea Dana....local libraries typically have many resources. I did want to point out that I used Rosetta Stone Homeschool version....which comes with lesson plans and workbook pages on a CD. When you complete ALL the material, most states allow you to count each level as a high school credit. I have that version :) On the high school board, there have been people who regret using RS for high school language. It absolutely could count for high school credit, but it didn't lead to long term learning. I see it as good for exposure...which is what we're using it for...but it's pretty pricey for just exposure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlby Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 My library doesn't have Mango and my son didn't get that into Duolingo but he absolutely loves Rosetta Stone Homeschool French. I figure that he loves it, and he's learning, so it's working. Though I was a good student in almost everything, my almost is foreign language. My auditory processing isn't as high as the norm, which is easy to work around in most subjects, but not with foreign language. So it was important to me that it was something he could do without my help - and something that he enjoyed. However, he's in 5th grade. I have heard that it's not the best program to use as high school credit, but we're not there yet. My child loves doing Rosetta Stone and is learning. After my experience with foreign language, I definitely count that as a success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 1st year - My ds took French 1 through a ps school program. It was book-based and he learned a lot of intro grammar and vocabulary, but the class did not do a good job with pronunciation and speaking. 2nd year - Same school program, but they switched to Rosetta Stone. I really felt he did not learn a thing... but in a way I was wrong - sort of. 3rd year- took the test to enter Potter's School French and barely made it into French 2. The teacher even suggested that he might want to start with French 1 again, but I could not handle the fact that we had wasted two years for nothing. He worked hard and got and "A" out of the class, but it was not easy for him at all. 4th year- Potter's School French 3 (current) The ONE thing that I think ds gained from his year with Rosetta Stone was his pronunciation which is very, very good compared to a lot of the other kids. He is always hanging onto an "A" in the class by the skin on his teeth when it comes to grammar and the written part, but orally, he does extremely well even though he does not live with or near native speakers. Other than that, it was as if he wasted a year when it came to the grammar by doing the Rosetta Stone. That was just our experience and it looks as if you are starting earlier than we did. It does seem to help if you have an auditory (and even visual with the pictures) learner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 I went back and forth on foreign language... I did decide on RS after much angst. One reason is our kids need to learn Japanese as we'll be living there sometime in the future. There are less options for Japanese than French though. Basically, RS has been okay for everyone but my very concrete child who HATES having to figure out what they are trying to say. He would do better with a strictly gramatical approach. I think it has been good for the exposure of the sound of the language and my kids have actually picked up some words and use little phrases here and there. I woudn't say we LOVE it, but it does a fair job of an intro. Obviously if you're looking for mastery of a language you really need someone who knows the language to teach and the child needs to use it a lot. You might want to figure out what your FL goals are. Are you really looking for mastery of a language or just a taste and some experience with a foreign language. If the first, then I think you really need the services of someone who knows the language well. If the 2nd... RS might be fine for you. It's easy to use independently and is something we can just check off as having done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I went back and forth on foreign language... I did decide on RS after much angst. One reason is our kids need to learn Japanese as we'll be living there sometime in the future. There are less options for Japanese than French though. Have you looked at Irrashai for Japanese? My son is really enjoying it. I knew RS wouldn't work for him because it's a more discovery-oriented approach. My dd is using RS Spanish though--couldn't beat the price as a friend had 3 years to loan to me. Overall I'm fairly satisfied. She's learned a lot of vocabulary and it does a good job of having them work on pronunciation. I think it's weak in grammar--expects the student to just pick it up naturally and the tests that you can print out often use words the kids don't know yet in sentences. I've had to teach my daughter how to really study the grammar sections and I wish that part was more explicit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I can't recommend Rosetta Stone for anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna A. Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Our experience with RS was not good, either, although we were using it for Spanish. After several months of disappointment while my oldest continued to force herself to do the lessons, we discovered a live class nearby being taught by a college Spanish teacher, so we jumped into that and gave up RS. This is a class of 13 homeschooled kids at the high school level, and MOST of them had also tried (and gave up) RS. They all said they didn't learn much, some of the technical side of it was frustrating, and they realized too late that they'd been wasting their time because you basically have to do two years of RS to equal one year of an INTRO class anywhere else... without the grammar. Now *I* might be fine with RS French because I did four years of it in junior high and high school, loved it, and still remember a good bit whenever I hear French being spoken. What I don't remember, I can usually figure out if I bother to think about it much. But unless you or someone you know has a background in the language and can help, forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna A. Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Oh, and my dh's theory is that because the government uses RS (often with instructors who already know the language), it became popularized through marketing as an easy way to learn foreign languages, so many people -- including homeschoolers -- jumped on the bandwagon. Now tons of us have wasted our money on a product that's too expensive and doesn't live up to the standard for truly independent, and proficient, learning. Not without buying all five levels, anyway. :glare: I think our first clue should've been the fact that the government uses it. :huh: :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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