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Rethinking Language Learning from the Learner's Position

Introduction

Language learning applications are available since decades and you can find hundreds of them all over the Internet. Even in KDE Edu, we have a multitude of those applications. Parley, KWordQuiz, KLettres, Artikulate, Kiten, are the most recent examples. But there are also (now deprecated) applications like KLatin or KVocTrainer. Our goal is to revisit and refresh them with a new spirit.

Unlike most previous approaches, we want to look from the perspective of an integrated language learning process. We ask, what do those processes look like, where could the existing applications work better together, should applications be broken apart to provide better solutions?

In a nutshell, our main goals are:

Set the focus on the learner and the language learning process.
Create an environment that supports learning by positive feedback.
Enable the learner to create learning-flows with easiness that focus on achievements and not on applications.

This is an umbrella project for some smaller projects for the individual applications. We will provide pointers to each of them here when they start.

Project Planning

This project will affect several of the applications of KDE Edu and maybe even create new ones. We will therefore do some planning beforehand so that we use our time in the best way possible and don't get into dead ends.

This section contains the plan for our project planning (no, it's not as bad as it sounds - this will be a short period).

A Persona Specification

We use the established approach of defining Personas to characterize the target audience for our language learning applications. The list of Personas is available here (still in discussion):

Personas List

Status: Personas have been reviewed and are mostly done.

B Workflow Specifications

We define workflows for all primary and secondary Personas. These workflows have the purpose to help in the interaction design by providing examples of important use cases and to ease a later review. The currently defined workflows are available here (still in discussion):

Workflows

Status: Most of the workflows are done. We still need to finalize them.

C Planning of Application Scopes and Integration

This work package consists of the following two subtasks

C1: discuss the scope of all existing language learning applications and if all required features are present/applications could be split, early ideas are for example
- create a box-learning library
- use kvtml format for Artikulate
- split the kvtml file editor out of Parley and create a general purpose editor (available for Parley, Artikulate and KLettres)
C2: how do all applications integrate with each other, are typical learning workflows easily possible?
- use a shared learner profile for all applications (learner sets his/her goal once and it is set in all applications?)
- create a "learning lab" umbrella application (like Kontact acts for KMail, KOrganizer, KAddressbook...)

Status: We had a meeting about this. See the minutes here.

D Revisiting of Actual Applications

This work package is mainly a revisiting of all existing applications (at least primary ones, here "primary" is meant as in "primary for this project"), applying the main goals, implementing results from C.

Primary Applications
- Parley
- Artikulate
- KWordQuiz
Secondary Applications
- KLettres
- Kiten

Status: Not started but some applications (mainly Parley) have started planning mini-projects that will be done even outside of this umbrella project.

E Learning Data Creation and Distribution

how can quality of language courses be improved?
how can it be made easier to create language courses?
how can we reach out for more contributors?

Status: Not started, but there is an idea of a GSoC project for this: http://community.kde.org/GSoC/2014/Ideas#Project:_Semi-Automatic_Generation_of_Language_Lessons_for_Parley

Project Execution

This part will be filled in when the planning is done.