Unlocking Languages & Fun: My Adventure with Duolingo

I just watched a really cool talk and wanted to write down my thoughts and plans about it. The speaker, Luis von Ahn from Guatemala, shared how his app, Duolingo, makes learning fun and helps everyone get a chance to learn, no matter if they’re rich or poor. Here’s what stood out to me and what I want to do about it:

Big Ideas:

1. Learning isn’t Fair for Everyone. Some people can afford to learn a lot because they have more money. Others can’t learn as much because they don’t have enough money. This isn’t fair, and we should try to fix it.
2. Why Languages are Awesome to Learn? Learning English or other languages can help people get better jobs and earn more money. That’s why Duolingo focuses on teaching languages.
3. Smartphones are Key. Almost everyone has a smartphone these days. Apps like Duolingo use smartphones to teach without needing a lot of money for big schools or books.
4. How Duolingo Works? It’s free, so anyone can start learning without paying. If you don’t like ads, you can pay to remove them. The cool part is, the money from people who pay helps keep it free for others.

What I Want to Do:

Balance My Screen Time:

Choose Learning Over Scrolling. Spend some time on learning instead of just looking at photos or videos online.

Gamification: Making Learning as Fun as Games

Duolingo uses gaming tricks to make learning more fun, like:

1. Streaks:  Keeping up with daily lessons to build a long streak, making you not want to miss a day.
2. XP Points:  Earning points for completing lessons to unlock new challenges.
3. Duo the Owl:  The app’s mascot who sends funny and motivating reminders to keep you on track.

This approach makes learning addictive in a good way, similar to playing your favorite game.

Why Sharing This Matters:

1. Talking about Duolingo shows that learning can be easy, free, and fun for everyone.
2. Everyone should know you can learn new languages and more without spending a lot of money.
3. The gamification part of Duolingo, turning learning into a game, not only promises to make the process enjoyable but also keeps me coming back for more.
4. It’s not just about the knowledge; it’s about having a great time gaining it.

Difree, an app to write, helped me writing this text