-edited from my forum post-

I have been a  user of Duolingo since 2016.  I have been using the app to maintain a language rather than learn a new one.  For the purposes of this assignment, I added a new language of which I have no previous knowledge so I could evaluate it without bias, using the CSAM criteria.

Duolingo does not have a forum or other general way for students to communicate with other students.  I do not know if this is a feature in Pro or once the higher levels are reached.  ‘Native’ speakers of the language for listening exercises.  The phrases and stories used for practice are realistic.  While the exercises can become repetitive, you are listening, speaking, translating into the language or from it.  The learning is not passive unless you make it so.  The app can be downloaded to any device, so the program can be completed anywhere at anytime.

C – x          S – √          A – √          M – √

In reference to SECTIONS, any student can use this app, so long as they have access to a device.  The app is easy to use and does not require specialized knowledge.  The cost only comes in with Pro.  This app can used used as a supplement to the language classroom and allows students a degree of agency over their own learning.  Users can opt to share their progress with their teacher.  As stated above, there is no way to communicate with other users of the app.  Security and privacy are a bit of a sticking point, as there is an option to “track and personalize” for ads.  Students are able to follow each others progress, but there is no chat option within the app.

I remember there being a sort of forum in an older version, but I do not know if that is only for higher levels, Pro or both.  This is a key part of the interaction portion of the SECTIONS criteria and could make the app more active.

Schrock Android App Evaluation

Bates, A. W. (2015). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. Vancouver, BC: Tony Bates Associates. ISBN-13: 978-0-9952692-1-7

Power, R. (2013). Collaborative Situated Active Mobile (CSAM) learning strategies: A new perspective on effective mobile learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives, 10 (2), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.18538/lthe.v10.n2.137 (CC BY 3.0)

Schrock, K. (2018). Critical evaluation of information. Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything. Retrieved from http://www.schrockguide.net/critical-evaluation.html