I have to admit that it took me awhile to sift through my Google Alerts to find an article that actually pertained to ESL and digital learning/technology. I had to adjust the alerts that I had previously set in hopes that next week, it will be easier to find articles to read. However, with that being said, I was able to stumble upon a very interesting article relating to Rosetta Stone and Augmented Reality titled, “How To Leverage Augmented Reality To Drive Digital Innovation.” This was written by the President of Language at Rosetta Stone Inc. and a pioneer in Seattle's technology startup community, Matt Hulett.
The article began with the thought that AR was overwhelming to tech startups when it first began due to all of its possibilities. It states how much technology has changed over the years, including with its own company, Rosetta Stone. The last CD for Rosetta Stone was sold in 2017, moving the company to a complete SaaS platform, while integrating AR into the language learning app. The author suggests taking small steps in making things like this possible, and lists Pokemon Go and Snapchat as other examples of newer platforms that include AR. Eventually, the “Seek & Speak” feature became a part of Rosetta Stone. This is not something I have ever heard of before, and I felt I needed more information on it. A quick Google Search later, and I found from the Rosetta Stone website that “Seek & Speak” is an app that uses AR to allow its user to actually scan something right in front of them, and be able to have it translated in real time. I thought this was pretty impressive, and could see how it could be beneficial for my ESL students. I had a student last year who was transferred into my class from Puerto Rico due to the hurricane. He spoke no English and really struggled with communicating when he first arrived. If we had this app for him, it would’ve made things a lot easier in trying to understand and help each other. Augmented Reality is pretty incredible and according to Hulett, “the AR market is expected to reach $209 billion by 2022.” I’m already amazed by what it can do and can’t wait to see what else will come of it and how we can use it to better help our students!
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