I had a chance to explore some useful software for L2 learners from Engl 518 this semester and found byki. I thought this software was really interesting and effective for L2 learners, so I would like to share some benefits of byki.
First of all, it provides lessons for learners to develop all four aspects of language: speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
It is also interactive by giving a variety of feedback and it even includes pronunciation feedback. This could reduce a significant amount of time from teachers’ feedback. Teachers would just have to make learners’ courses with appropriate schedules. Learners can explore and add more learning courses in byki. They can spend as much time as they want in byki at home which gives flexibility in terms of designated class hours. They do not have to be restricted in any specific time. They can study until they fully understand the lesson.
Besides, byki has great features in its speaking section. It provides sound waves to evaluate learners’ pronunciation, so learners compare sound waves from native speakers and even receive feedback. Again, this could significantly decrease teachers’ feedback on students’ pronunciation. Giving sufficient feedback on pronunciation especially takes a lot of time and is very challenging for teachers. Thus, this will be a great tool for assisting both teachers and students to work on pronunciation.
However, there are some potential challenges.
Obviously, there could be technology issues. Learners who do not have microphone features on their laptops, even though they want to work on further on pronunciation at their places, won’t get any access to speaking & pronunciation exercises.
Also, for the grammar lessons, it will be better to add more in class mini-lectures by teachers. I don’t think those byki grammarexercises will be enough for students to fully understand the rules.