Let's try: HelloTalk!

What is Hello talk?

HelloTalk is a cooperative language learning application that allows people to connect with native speakers around the world. The interface offers a broad variety of selected languages that satisfy the learning necessities of users, and connects them with an equally interested partner to induce pair working and immediate feedback. In addition, the application not only permits users to put into practice their writing skills, but also gives the opportunity of sending oral messages. 

  Why should teachers use this particular technology for teaching speaking purposes? 

    Well,  HelloTalk allows users direct contact with native speakers whom equally desire learning accomplishment from the outcome of collaborative work.  According to Biloro et al (2018) “Pair, work is an important component of the communicative approach and is also a form of collaborative learning.'' Thus, the different uses of this technology permit students to individualize their learning while cooperating with the individualization of others as well. This permits the development of a safe environment where students can interact with native speakers which, in return, allows  a greater level of language acquisition. It can be used to practice for a speech, a presentation, a job interview, or any other situation where you need to speak in front of a group of people in a friendly way. 

    One of the most remarkable features to highlight in this application regarding the speaking skill, is the immediate feedback. As speaking is the process of building and sharing meaning in a variety of contexts, the concepts of fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, speech intelligibility and comprehensibility arise as means necessary to master for appropriate language delivery. The perfect way to accomplish all of these concepts is practice, practice and more practice, being feedback essential to improvement. With this application, the connection with serious learning speakers who are willing to correct errors, listen and share is the most fruitful feature. Students while speaking with a partner will be able to check intonation, word stress, vowel and consonant sounds, and how comprehensible their message is by the listener's reaction and correction.

    Currently, HelloTalk is being used to facilitate language learning in a variety of settings such as classrooms and clinical settings. For example, it has been used to enhance classroom lectures by allowing students to directly ask questions of a native speaker and receive feedback in real-time modality. This has been shown to increase the amount of language being acquired by the students.

  Why might teachers use it to foster language learning?

Encouraging students to individualize their learning is essential in any educational area, especially while attempting to learn a new language. Apps such as HelloTalk are a great way to gain a sense of confidence when speaking in a new language, providing useful feedback and targeted exercises to improve the speaking ability. Students seek individualism and the same allows them to reach the desired goal in learning when setting with a previous agreement with the class teacher and with the guide of the corresponding units. Allowing an action of learning inside and outside the classroom permits the students to manage their possible anxiety at the moment of speaking English, Han et al (2016) refer to this in their research, where a group of students showcased a significant impact when implementing WhatsApp to their study sessions, an application similar to HelloTalk.

Idea for the classroom 

What about the limitations of this technology regarding language learning?  

    The limitations of this application collide with the different implications of the use of social media. As the app suggested (HelloTalk) replicates the same media of communication that WhatsApp provides, the language used while chatting and speaking remains inside the parameters of casual and informal conversations. The application does manage to achieve a broad goal in communicating effectively and efficiently. Its method of operation, however, does not succeed in distributing grammatical and lexical language use but instead relies on the interpersonal communication skills of its users to select the right words. By extension, this method fails to assure that its users are using language in accordance with the conversational norms of their community or society.

References:

Biloro, Fadhlan & Bugis, Riki & Hanapi, Hanapi. (2018). THE USE OF PAIR WORK TECHNIQUE IN INCREASING THE STUDENTS' SPEAKING COMPREHENSION AT EIGHTH GRADE OF SMPN 17 BURU. 6. 76. 

Han, Turgay & Keskin, Fırat. (2016). Using a Mobile Application (WhatsApp) to Reduce EFL Speaking Anxiety 1 Uso de la Aplicación Móvil (WhatsApp) para Reducir la Ansiedad al Hablar en Inglés como Lengua Extranjera. Gist Education and Learning Research Journal. 12. 29-50. 10.26817/16925777.243.