Greatest Apps? - It Depends..

Well, honestly, my answer is almost always the same when someone asks about this and my answer is..  it depends.   As a language teacher, are you looking to improve your vocabulary?  Go to spanishdict.org or babble.com.  Are you looking for grammar? – there are a lot of sites but I love Maestro Kaplan – he’s succinct, kind of messy and plays around with words.  Are you looking to listen to Spanish with authentic speakers?  Go to spanishlistening.org.  Are you looking to get some speaking skills in?  Go to Duolingo.  But if you are striving for an all-around answer to the best apps, I think you have to distill this question out and the answer lies in ensuring that you have solid teaching ingredients and you are willing to experiment. It is critical that the teacher is a listener.  What is the student really asking for – an answer to the question or for deeper understanding of the concept?  Veteran teachers know that authentic listening will give you clues to help your student.  As a long-time teacher of both K-12 and Higher Ed., I find that giving the right portions of information at the right time to maximize the learning knowing that there is only so much time I have with those students. It is also being humble – and giving students what they need vs. always saying things that I might be interested in.  I have to listen deeply and listen for understanding.  However, I know that I do need to look for methods that give information and ideas with a new twist that help students see, process and apply their skills. I also know that sometimes I need to give them ‘less’ vs ‘more’ – and reducing the excess helps us get cracking to get to the heart of helping a student progress in the learning process. Of course, a good app can give them a new twist on it, a different or innovative approach.  However, the basic ingredients need to be solid to ensure that the app is rounding out the learning process and giving more texture to the ideas vs. simply being a distraction. It's like a poem or a song. Poets and song writers break grammar rules all the time, but you have to know the basics and double meanings before going all innovative and twisty.:) But it is fun to experiment. ¡Suerte!