subject: Hebrew in a Virtual Classroom Setting [print this page] Hebrew in a Virtual Classroom Setting Hebrew in a Virtual Classroom Setting
Once almost impossible, learning Hebrew online is now a given and viable choice of many students for a foreign language, even though most desire different methods of learning. These are put into common categories such as:
Immersion - Surrounded by the language and increasing the ability to use the language on a daily basis, this promotes not only use but retention as well, since the student not only is forced to use it but to translate frequently.
Face-to-Face Sitting in a classroom with a teacher that is well versed on the language is another option. Vocabulary is memorized, tests are given, and passages translated in many different forms.
Online Through use of electronics, aided by software or applications that promote translation, the student learns in the privacy of their own home or "on the go", taking lessons with an instructor that may well be from or even in another country.
Self-Directed This is the hardest type of learning for a foreign language, and should be chosen with care. With no help, the student endeavors to master another language in a self-paced learning environment.
The reasons that one may choose to take Hebrew online are many and varied, from the fact that though it is spoken in the Jewish community, few schools outside of that community offer Hebrew instruction in any area, online or otherwise. Students wishing to learn this language were once left with few options, most choosing to wait until college or university level to begin their instruction.
However, in the advent of the technological age, taking Hebrew online via lessons can be as simple as logging on and learning via distance. Though not face-to-face with a teacher, in using the aids of software that helps with pronunciation and translation, students can often learn Hebrew online at a rapid and self-directed pace.
Hebrew, once a difficult language to learn for some given any circumstances, has been aided in online instruction by the following:
Software while once it was only possible to receive correct pronunciation of Hebrew online only from a Rabbi or other teacher, software now mimics voice inflection and nuances almost flawlessly.
Internet No longer only available to some, this advantage allows teachers even in the countries such as Israel, which speak Hebrew as a primary language, to offer Hebrew online to students anywhere in the world.
Computers Though they have been around for a number of years, improvements to the basic home computer, as well as lowering of cost, have enabled many to have a computer that once could not.
While learning Hebrew online is not a viable option for some, it is more apt to be a choice due to learning difficulties than availability of components and software. Still, learning Hebrew online is not for everyone. Being flexible, ready to change to a different method, and having patience to work out errors and issues will be required, no matter if it is Hebrew online, or any other foreign language.
