The Tablet Textbook &
Language Graph
Jenny Zhu
jenny.zhu@openlanguage.com
@jennyzq
October 23, 2012
Hank Horkoff
hank.horkoff@openlanguage.com
@hankfdh
• Founded 2005
• World’s leading Chinese
training site
• 800,000 users
• 10,000+ students
• 2500 lessons
• Sold in January 2012
On Language
Acquisition
• Globalization
• Time
• Motivations
• How to learn
• No magic solution
Shanghai, China
Key Problems for Language Students
Hard to Find
Appropriate
Appropriate
Hard to Find
Input
Input
Appropriate
•• Level
Level Input
•• Subject
Subject
•• Style
Style
Shortage of
Practice
Opportunities
Limited Time
& Access
Motivation
Conclusion
The Tablet Textbook
The Tablet Textbook
Structured Courses
Lesson Review
Study Tools
Platforms
The Tablet Textbook is available for the iPad, iPhone and
Android 4.0 devices.
‘Edutainment’
• Level-appropriate,
natural input
• Engaging delivery
• Student empathy
• Medium is the
message
Speech Validation
Dragon Mobile SDK
Intelligible?
Yes/No
Validate
• Tell student
• Store event data
Grammar
Spaced Repitition
Offline Mode
The “Offline Mode” of the Tablet Textbook allows students
to study previously downloaded materials in places where
there is no Internet access (e.g. on an airplane).
Green dots indicate if
content is available
offline for:
• Course data
• Lesson data
• Media files
• Term audio
Old & New Compared
Traditional Textbook
Tablet Textbook
Lesson Input
√
√
Multimedia
With tape, CDROM or
language lab
√
√
√
Review Activities (dialogue, vocabulary, expansion,
grammar, exercises)
Re-mixable Courses
√
Sentence Review Features
(translate, breakdown, native speaker audio, audio
recording, audio playback, speaking validation)
√
Ability to Save Vocabulary & Integrated Flashcards
√
‘Intelligent Features’
(cloud vocabulary, SRS flashcards, smart lesson
recommendation engine)
√
The Flipped Classroom
Source: Knewton
A Convenient Student Experience
1. Listen to a lecture on the morning commute.
3. Practice in class or over Skype (OPTIONAL).
2. Study the lesson for a few minutes at work.
4. Review vocabulary on the way home.
An Effective Way to Cut Costs
Lecture: Vocab Intro
5 min
Warm-up
10 min
Review: Workbook Activities
Lecture: Grammar & Structures
10 min
Practice with a Teacher
15 min
10 min
10 min
Review: Comprehension Questions
Client
Customization
• Course materials
• White-labeling
• Case study
Language Learning Channels
The Language Graph
Lot’s of learning gets no credit
Tests - Static Snapshot, Pervert Motivations
The Language Graph
+
Mozilla Open Badges
Language Acquisition Event Tracking
Similar to Google Analytics various language acquisition
events can be tracked.
Sample Google Analytics Event Tracking Code:c
<a href=“x” onclick=“_gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’, ‘Videos’, ‘Play’, ‘First Birthday’]);”>Play</a>
activity
category
action
label
value
Students Control Their ‘Backpack’
Learning
Platforms
(websites &
mobile apps)
API
Event Data
Backpack
Event Data
API
Event Data
Displayers
(websites,
blogs,
Facebook,
etc.)
Study Data Can Solve Problems
Alternative to Proficiency Exams?
‘Lean’ Language Acquisition?
4 Key Takeaways
1
Industrial-era models for publishers and
academic institutions will change.
2
Digital media is redefining the classroom
experience enabling ‘flipped classroom’ models.
3
Mobile is eliminating the ‘online’ &
‘offline’ differentiation.
4
Study data opens up the possibility of solving
student problems in new ways.
Questions?
Jenny Zhu
jenny.zhu@openlanguage.com
@jennyzq
Hank Horkoff
hank.horkoff@openlanguage.com
@hankfdh