Rosetta Stone Language Programs
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Rosetta Stone Language Programs
Sept 2010
My 15 yo son wants to learn Hebrew. He knows a little.
Rather then hire a tutor he told me about a computer program
called Rosetta Stone language programs. Does anyone know
about these? He saw it advertised on TV. It's not cheap, so
I'd like to get more info before investing. Thanks for any
info. june
As someone who never studied French before, I borrowed a
friend's French language Rosetta stone before I visited
Paris last year. I found the program creative and helpful.
It uses repetition of matching pictures and sounds which, at
times, you repeat back and it breaks down the learning into
small chunks. It requires a computer with microphone to
allow you to hear whether you are pronouncing the words
correctly. All in all I found that my recall of knowledge
and pronunciation was better than just taking a formal
class, and I only had time to use it for a couple weeks. The
down side is that it is self directed like any other
computer language programs and thus it requires a motivated
student. On the other hand, a 15 yr old might like the game
like feel. Hope that helps Jeanne
My husband has been using the Rosetta Stone (for Spanish)
for the past year. He started from knowing no Spanish at
all to being able to read and converse now. He spends
probably 5 hrs/wk using the Rosetta Stone software.
Sometimes more, sometimes less. He absolutely LOVES it.
Recommends it to everyone. It teaches language the way a
child would learn it and is fun as well as educational.
When my husband started using R.S., he didn't know how he
would like it, so he's just been buying each level
individually. And yes, it's pretty expensive. He's on
level 4 now and really regrets not buying a package deal.
If you buy all the disks at the beginning, you save a ton of
money. But, of course, you need to be pretty committed to
learning the language. Amy
my daughter used the rosetta stone three years ago to learn
a new language. the program was boring, she learned very
little, and we were not impressed. at the time she was at
hickman charter school in berkeley so we didn't have to pay
for the software. if we did, we would have been very
disappointed. here's a review
http://language101.com/reviews/rosetta-stone/ anon
I've been using Rosetta Stone for Spanish for the past few
weeks, and I've been happy with it. You learn by looking at
photos while listening to one of several native speakers
talk. You also practice speaking and writing. There seems
to be a lot of review built in, which I like. Jennifer
April 2008
Hello - both my kids and I are interested in learning a new
language (for my daughter, Latin, for my son and I, French) and
we're wondering if anyone has used the Rosetta Stone DVDs and,
if so, what your experience has been with the program. It is
quite expensive and we're wondering if this is a good way to go.
The kids are 15 and 13 and foreign language is not available
where they currently attend school. If anyone is interested in
sharing one of these language programs, that might be a good way
to reduce the expense (The first level is $300, second level is
$400, and all three levels in one package sell for $500).
Merci!
Future polyglots
Rosetta Stone doesn't advertise it, but you can buy a trial CD
for $25 - or at least this was the case in the past. Call them
and ask about it- it includes the first 20 or so lessons, which
should give you a sense of whether this learning approach will
work for you.
Their approach is definitely not for every one - it's very
experiential, supposedly mimicking the way a child learns, and
if you need to have grammar structure and rules laid out for
you to understand it better, it may drive you crazy. And if
you decide you like it, you may be able to get a better deal on
eBay or Craigslist.
I LOVE Rosetta Stone, and feel it's a wonderful way to learn a
language. Kids especially should enjoy it, because it turns
learning into a game. The downside is the expense - I bought
an Italian level for a friend as a gift for hosting us for a
week in Boston; it was a huge chunk of change, but a terrific
gift for an opera buff.
As long as the language being learned is written in an alphabet
that can be understood by the learner, Rosetta Stone is
fantastic. If you're learning hebrew, arabic or chinese from
scratch, don't expect to learn how to read the language - I
think the instruction isn't set up to teach how the characters
are read. If you DO have a basic knowledge of the
pronunciation of characters, you can even practice your
spelling with Rosetta Stone.
Here's the unbelievably wonderful news for language learners:
as members of the Berkeley Public Library, you have FREE access
to most languages courses taught by Rosetta Stone, but only
till July 31, 2008. Go to the Berkeley Public Library website
and
Select ''Online resources'', and see ''Language Learning''.
Another reason to love our wonderful city -the Berkeley Public
Library takes such terrific care of us!!
Kate S
To those interested in language learning with Rosetta Stone:
sadly the Berkeley Public Library will no longer provide access
to this after June 30th, because the Rosetta Stone company will no
longer sell to libraries. Also, the website for your other BPL
needs is www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org
a librarian
Aug 2006
Has anyone tried one of the Rosetta Stone software programs that
you can use to learn a foreign language? I've seen ads in
magazines, but would love to hear from people that have actually
tried it. I'd love to learn Spanish (in my ''free time''), and my
son is interested in learning Japanese
Diane
If you're a Berkeley Public Library cardholder, you can access
Rosetta Stone Software online, for free! As I recall it's not
immediately obvious, but it's under online resources, or
electronic resources. There are lots of other cool things that
the library is licensed to provide access to for cardholders,
like full text article retrieval from many publications, so it's
fun to browse while you're looking for language learning
resources. I haven't used the system myself, but as you've
discovered Rosetta Stone is highly regarded as a self study
method (and very pricey to boot). Good luck in your quest!
Public Library Enthusiast
We've been using Rosetta Stone Software for about 6 months. I'm sprucing
up my
high school French and my homeschooled son is learning it for the first
time. He's
ten years old and finds it fun and easy to learn. We use the
''Homeschool'' version. It
comes with extra workbooks for reinforcement, a suggested schedule and a
way for
you to keep track of how your son is improving. And when I had some
questions
about setting up the program, I received great support over the phone. I
would
recommend that you check out the website www.rosettastone.com. It has a
great
demo version that will really show you what it's like. Good luck
Ruth
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