Learning a Second Language with DiLL (Thanks to HEF!)

by Colleen Worrell, Secondary Technology Integration Coordinator

In the Spring of 2012 HHS received a generous grant (2nd largest in the history of the foundation) from the Hopkinton Education Foundation. This level of support indicated the excitement they shared about DiLL, the Digital Language Lab for Macs, and the potential it had for boosting student engagement and learning in the World Language Program at HHS.

 Heading into 2015, with a year or so of learning with DiLL behind us, we took some time to survey students and reflect upon the impact this digital tool and lab environment has had.

Image credit: Swift Education.com

Here is some recent feedback from teachers:

“DiLL makes speaking Spanish fun for my students. The wide variety of ways that students can be connected to each other and interact with each other while immersing themselves in the target language make it a wonderful tool. My students are always excited for Lab Day!”

"DiLL provides a user-friendly environment for students to speak and listen in authentic ways, while also serving as an efficient tool for teachers to track (record) student progress and help students practice and master a second language in engaging ways."
 
"Shifting into the lab to practice speaking Spanish with DiLL is a much anticipated part of my students’ week!”

Here's some feedback from a recent student survey:

• “It involves a fun way to talk to many people and is productive because you aren't walking around getting distracted.”
• “I like the way you are partnered with a random person and then you can talk with them through the headphones.”
• “One reason I like Dill because you get to practice hablar with a partner, and do not have to speak to the whole class. I also like it because it makes speaking in Spanish more efficient.”

Of course, not all students enjoy their DiLL experience. Here’s some of their feedback:

• “I would like to have some kind of tab or notification that says like Host has entered chat. I don't like to be spied on….”
• “The fact that it doesn't let you do anything else on the computer while it's active--It gets annoying.”
• “I don't like when we do the recordings because it can get boring listening to yourself speak.”

Ironically, some of the things that bother students are what make DiLL a great teaching tool. And while a handful of students respond that they don’t like learning with DiLL (12% out of the 154 students surveyed), the overwhelming majority (88%) indicated they do (see chart below).

December 2014 HHS Student Survey (154 replies)

One final note on the survey: one student shared this reponse to the question, “Are there things you don’t like about DiLL?”

“The name. Kids these days need to stop naming their software after food.”

Hmm.... Good point. I will be sure to share this feedback with the Swift Education Team who developed this product:).

Now that the whole school is 1:1, we have started the process of going wireless with DiLL for the 2015-16 SY, which will make all of HHS a DiLL "lab."

We will update you on "liberating" learning with DiLL from the four walls of a language lab sometime over the next school year. We are also talking to educators other schools in the district about ways they can benefit from using DiLL (including ways to build reading proficiency in younger students, speech therapy, and more).

Thanks again to HEF for the organization's generous support of the Hopkinton Public Schools!