Centro Internacional de Posgrados

Maestría en Educación con Énfasis en la Enseñanza del Inglés

Curso: Evaluación de Recursos Didácticos
MEI 2402 - 2019

MOBILE APPS´ RESEARCH AND PRACTICE REPORT

“DUOLINGO App AS A PEDAGOGICAL TOOL

IN ENGLISH TEACHING.”

Written Report by: Patricia Mauricio Vásquez.

 “MOBILE Apps´ RESEARCH AND PRACTICE REPORT”

“DUOLINGO App AS A PEDAGOGICAL TOOL IN ENGLISH TEACHING.”

Introduction.

Since 2016, The Ministry of Education authorized and support the use of Duolingo
App as a teaching resource in the English Teaching lesson in all the Elementary and High
Schools in Costa Rica. That year 350 EFL Teachers were trained by the creators of the
App, with the objective of getting knowledge about the tool as a pedagogical resource.

The note, that was published in the platform of MEP, says that the objective of the
training was to enable teachers to use Duolingo App in the English Lessons, taking
advantage on the fact that most of the students have Mobiles Phones.

The National English Advisor, Ana Isabel Campos Centeno, pointed out the
importance of Duolingo App for the teachers and the students.

This Official Note can be found in the Official MEP website in this Link:
https://www.mep.go.cr/noticias/docentes-ingles-se-capacitan-para-utilizar-plataforma-duolingo

I. Presentation of the App and its LOGO.

This is Duolingo Official Logo.

Duolingo App was created by professor Luis Von

Ahn (creator of reCAPTCHA) and his graduate
student Severin Hacker, and then developed along with
Antonio Navas, Vicki Cheung, Marcel Uekermann, Brendan
Meeder, Hector Villafuerte, and Jose Fuentes.

The main idea was to create a virtual resource that can be accessed by all those
people that do not have enough money to pay a second language education. This is a free
downloading application. It is compatible with most iPhone, iPod and iPad devices and
since 2013, Duolingo has its Android App version.

The language-learning features in Duolingo are free of charge, but it uses periodic
advertising in both its mobile and web browser applications.
II. Description and Features.

The following information about the content and features of Duolingo as an App was
recovered from different websites. They have been summarized to be presented in this
research. The websites consulted were:

1. Duolingo.com https://es.duolingo.com/
2. Duolingo Home Page: : https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/14931995/Duolingo-Home-
Page ,
3 Google Play Website; https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.duolingo&hl=en
4. Wikipedia Website https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duolingo
5. Duolingo Help Center: https://support.duolingo.com/hc/en-us
6. Duolingo About Us: https://www.duolingo.com/info

A. Content and Language Learning Offers.

The App offers in the “Complete Version” for English and Spanish speakers, 27
different languages to the users for learning. In the “Beta version”, which is not available to
mobile users, it offers the Kingon, Hawaiian, Hungarian, Indonesian, and Navajo
Languages. There is also an “Alpha Version”, which is being developed by Duolingo
Company, this version has the Latin, Arabic, Yiddish, Haitian Creole and Finnish languages.
There are also two more options. The version of Catalan and Guaraní are presented only
for Spanish speakers. The second option offers language learning platforms for speakers in
other languages that are not English or Spanish; for example, a Chinese speaker can access
platforms to learn English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese. The same to speakers of
Bengali, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian,
Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog,
Tamil, Telegu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

B. Requirements.

Trying to research about the support that any user can have about Duolingo, it is
possible to find a website page that is called “Duolingo Help Center” which link is
https://support.duolingo.com/hc/en-us . In this site there are many different questions that
users can be addressed to solve different type of problems and inquiries.

Duolingo App has three basic requirements: The First one is a Mobile Phone. The
second one is to have at least 200 Megabytes free to allow Duolingo App run properly. The
Third technical requirement is to have an internet connection. This for the FREE
SUSCRIPTION. If a user wants to use Duolingo without an internet connection this user
needs to have a Duolingo Plus Subscription, so this way the user can have and offline
lesson.In the case of most users all over the world, including Costa Rican users, it is
applicable the three technical conditions mentioned.
C. General Procedures to Download, Install, Setting, and Starting using and Doulingo
App.

Summarizing the process to use this App has 4 stages, and comprise in total 9 steps,
that are the following:

STAGE 1: Downloading:
Step 1: open Google Play Store
Step 2: Typing the App name

STAGE 2: Installing:
Step 3: Click on “Installar”
Step 4: Click on “Abrir”

STAGE 3: Setting
Step 5: Click on “ Empezar”
Step 6: Select the Language to learn
Step 7: Select YOUR time
Step 8: Select you “POINT OF DEPARTURE”
Step 9: Announcement

STAGE 4: Start using Duolingo App

Step 10: Start Using the App!

D. Specific Features of the App.

Duolingo simulates Video Games logical and uses similar ways to “engage the users.
Every Level that is concluded satisfactory by the user has a specific rewards. These rewards
are called “lingots” These lingots are the game “currency” and the user can buy different
types of bonus that allow him/ her to customize the App.

There are different public spaces where the users can compete or simply chat about
their experiences with duolingo.
The level system that Duolingo uses is XP or what is called “Experience Points”, a numerical
system that represents a user's skill level.
III. Functioning and Operability.

A. How to download it, install and set it up.

The simplicity of downloading, installing, setting and starting using the App was
amazing. It was designed to be use for all type of users at different age and different virtual
management formation. This section of the research will present STEP BY STEP the
process followed to download, install, operating and starting the use of Duolingo. The
process followed is going to be illustrated by the taken SCREENSHOTS about it.

Step One : Opening Google Play Store. Step 2: Typing the App name
Step 3: Click on “Installar” Step 4: Click on “Abrir”

Step 5: Click on “ Empezar” Step 6: Select the Language to learn

In my case
I selected
“Italian”.
To see how it
Works in
other
language
than English.
Step 7: Select YOUR time Step 8: Select you “POINT OF DEPARTURE”

IN THE CASE THE

USER DOES NOT
WANT TO START
AS A VERY
BEGINNER AND
KNOWS
SOMETHING
ABOUT THE
LANGUAGE… THE
USER TAKES THE
PLACEMENT TEST
GIVEN BY THE
APP.

B. Access or Start.

Step 9: Announcement. Step 10: Start Using the App!

 Downloading, Installing, Opening and Starting using Duolingo App took no more than
5 minutes. This time depends on the speed of the internet service the user has.
According to the research done, the procedure of Downloading, Installing, Opening, Setting
and Starting using Duolingo App is exactly THE SAME with any other language the user
wants to learn.

C. Sections or Operating and Functional Components.

To describe the possibilities of Duolingo as a pedagogical resource not only in

English Language teaching and Learning but also in many other languages, this research
dedicated a lot of effort in capture by screenshots the content it offers, how this content is
presented to the user and how the user goes through the app, to learn his/her second
language.

The Following Screenshots are going to illustrate the route and options given by the
App when a learner is using it.

C.1. Cognitive Process.

Duolingo takes the learner/user along a set of pictures that offer vocabulary from
single utterances to complex sentences. The following screenshots are both examples:
 According to the user´s answers the App scores it and the user can continue until
he/she ends the lesson # 1.
When the lesson # 1 is successfully ended, the App congrats the user and elicits the
user to continue, giving the user two visual elements:

It also gives rewards in a form of bonus, as the user goes completing the difficulties
and achieving the expected answers:
 Once the user completes the Lesson # 1, the App tells the user that it is time to create
his/her personal profile. The Objective of this step is to prepare the user to participate in
public spaces to compete or share with other Duolingo users.
 After creating the Profile, the App gives you a Map about all the contents the user is
going to be covering during his learning time. The App allows the user to go to any of the
topics at certain points of the program by the phrase “Toma un atajo”. Here are 3
screenshots about how the contents are presented to the user:

As there are many groups of contents, the learner/user can have an ample contact
with different vocabulary and also different grammatical or lexical elements.

IV. Users or Target Population.

As it was said before, the simplicity of downloading, installing, setting and starting
using the App was amazing. It was designed to be use for all type of users at different age
and different virtual management formation.
According to statistics given by the online magazine “Pulso Social” which link is
https://pulsosocial.com/2017/07/26/duolingo-levanta-us25-m-y-supera-los-200-m-de-usuarios/
the App by 2017 counted with more than 200 million of people using the App.
It is considered the educative App with the most impressive record of downloading
and the most elevate records of satisfaction among the users.
V. Utility in the workplace.

The Ministry of Education in 2016 authorized and support the use of Duolingo App
as a pedagogical resource for English Lessons in Elementary and also in High Schools. This
decision implies that it is possible for the teachers two things: include and accept the use of
mobile phones in class as a resource for learning process with our students and the inclusion
of the App in our plans and lessons. It is supposed that the EFL teachers who work at MEP
encourage the students to download the App and use it to improve their English domain.

My personal experience as an EFL Elementary teacher, make me express that it is

a great resource to support my students learning and to help me as a teacher to engage the
kids in a language learning process that fulfills children expectations: fun and challenging
experiences.

VI. Advantages and Disadvantages.

A. Advantages.

1. Duolingo App has a platform very easy to manipulate. It does not need any special
knowledge or training. This makes Duolingo a “Friendly App” for any type of user, no matter
the age or academic level.

2. It is FREE. It cost nothing to the user. This is a social advantage that makes the English
learning accessible for any person who has a Mobile Phone.

3. The App giver the user the opportunity to learn at least to turn into a A2 - B1 minus level
user.

4. It is a great support to develop vocabulary knowledge and encourages children to start

mixing and creating their own meaningful expressions.

B. Disadvantages.

1. Checking some expressions and phrases that Duolingo includes in its platform, some of
them does not fit with the real expressions as the real English environment.

2. Cultural aspects are not given at any point of Duolingo Platform and this is part of learning
another language, because Language is Culture.

3. The grammar given is very simple and it goes to a certain level.

4. In most of the cases the adaptation between Duolingo contents and English Syllabus at
MEP is only concerned to learning vocabulary.
5. It is kind of difficult to match the sequence of the contents in Duolingo Platform with the
sequence of the contents in the English Syllabus.

VII. Example of one Implementation activity.

The Following example is a real adaptation that was implemented with elementary students.
It is the summary of one of my planning instruments and it presents the section where
Duolingo App is used by the students to practice the clothes and colors.

Level: 3rd Grade.

Study Block: My Preferences
Cognitive Target: Identification and description of different articles of clothing

Contents:
Colors
Clothes
Numbers

Language Functions:
Describing different types of items

Speaking Objectives:
Expressing preferences about clothes and colors
Describing the clothes people is wearing

Mediation Strategies.

Warm – Up : Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFQxBCvgx70

Presentation: 1. The teacher reviews with students the colors using the
Video Song presented in the warm-up stage-
2. The teacher introduces the target vocabulary by using
flash-cards where people are wearing nice or ugly clothes.
3. The teacher elicits students to express what they like or
Do not like by using their fingers in two ways:

If they like, they have to say: “Nice” and

If they do not like they have to say: “ugly” and

Practice 1: - DUOLINGO PRACTICE.
Kids are going to go to the Clothes and Colors contents and play
With both contents

Practice 2.
1. Students receive a handout that have to color according to the
Teacher instructions. This handout combines the target vocabulary
About clothes and colors and test how useful was Duolingo session
To the students.

Results of the Implementation:

The implementation was incredible and successfully. The learning experience for students
was fun and challenging. Most of the students could color correctly the clothes and could
say in an acceptable pronunciation features the name of the clothes and colors.
CONCLUSIONS.

1. Duolingo App is a great virtual resource for English learners. I do recommend this App to
all those who want to have a free-cost second language learning.

2. It can be adapted to the formal content of the English Syllabus, even the matching is
sometimes a little bit difficult.

3. As an elementary EFL tacher I can say, because I am working with this App with my
students, that It can be used by students from 2nd grade to 6th grade in Elementary School.

4. Also, it can be used by any person who wants to learn English and has a Mobile Phone,
no matter age, academic level or virtual management formation.

5. It has to be completed with some teacher´s lessons about cultural and grammar aspects
of English Language.

6. If children are well stimulated, this App can replace some video games that are taking
children time with no pedagogical or spiritual benefits.