It seems as though 2013 has seen an uptick in political upheaval around the world.
The 24-hour news cycle is riddled with one outbreak, followed by another, in consent succession.
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But, just how much unrest is there around the world, and how does it compare to other times in history? To find out all we need to do is to click over to John Beieler’s map of global protests.
Beieler, a PhD student studying political science at Penn State, has created a visualization of data to track all of the protests around the world since 1979. Sourcing his information from the Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone (GDELT), Beieler’s map reflects a broad range of political protests and subversive activities.
Although the map contains a few some shortcomings, related to media bias and geo-tagging, this timeline can be uses to study history, identify patterns of protest, and monitor activity in real time.
Learning a new language is no easy feat. While a language instructor is irreplaceable, language learning apps have come to revolutionize a lot of things and it has made language learning much easier. Compared to language learning websites, apps offer a more interactive experience to learn a new language.
The following language learning apps are the top recommended apps for your language learning needs:
1. Duolingo
Duolingo is a very successful app that merged gamification and language learning. According to Expanded Ramblings, the app now counts with 300 million users.
Duolingo offers a unique concept, an easy-to-use app and is a great app to accompany your language acquisition journey. The courses are created by native speakers, so this is not data or algorithm-based.
The app is free and has the upgrade options with Duolingo Plus for $9.99, which are add free lessons. The mobile app offers 25 languages and is popular for English-speaking learners learning other languages.
HelloTalk aims to facilitate speaking practice and eliminate the stresses of a real-time and life conversation. The app allows users to connect to native speakers and has a WhatsApp like chat that imitates its interface.
There is a perk to this app. The same native speakers available also want to make an even exchange and learn your target language, so engagement is the name of the game.
What’s more, the app has integrated translation function that bypasses the difficulties of sending a message with a missing word and instead fills in the gap.
Remember that Duolingo has integrated gamification in language learning? Well, Mindsnacks takes the concept to another level. There is an extensive list of languages available within the app comes with eight to nine games designed to learn grammar, vocabulary listening.
You will also be able to visualize your progress since the app integrates monitoring capabilities. The layout and interface is nothing short of enjoyable, cheerful and charming.
Bussu is a social language learning app. It is available on the web, Android, and iOS. It currently supports 12 languages and is free.
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The functionality allows users to learn words, simple dialogues and questions related to the conversations. In addition, the dialogues are recorded by native speakers, which brings you close to the language learning experience.
When you upgrade, you unlock important features including course materials. The subscription is $17 a month.
Babbel is a subscription-based service founded in 2008. According to LinguaLift, it is a paid cousing of Duolingo. The free version comes with 40 classes, and does not require you to invest any money.
Each of the classes starts with with a sequential teaching of vocabulary with the help of pictures. The courses are tailor made and adapted to the students’ level, allowing the learning to be adjusted accordingly.
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If you started learning a language and stopped, Babbel will help you pick up where you started.
All the apps recommended are tailored for different needs, whether you’re beginning to learn a language or trying to pick back up one. All of them are designed by real-life native speakers and so provide you with a more concrete learning experience.
Since these apps are designed to adapt to different kinds of learning styles, do check out which one is the most suitable for you.
