The International Day of Education is still relatively young: It was only launched in 2018 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. In 2022, the day’s motto is “Changing Course, Transforming Education”. If you are past school age but don’t want to stop learning, you should take a look at these digital offers.
learn languages
It doesn’t matter whether users want to learn a language from scratch or just want to refresh old knowledge: there is a wide range of language learning offers on the Internet. Apps such as “Mondly”, “Duolingo”, “Babbel” or “Rosetta Stone” are designed for mobile devices and promise rapid progress with little expenditure of time. Users should note that there are different versions depending on the language output: For example, the German-language version of “Duolingo” only has English, Spanish and French on board, while the English-language version comes with 36 target languages. In addition, not all apps explain grammar equally well: “Rosetta Stone” and “Duolingo”, for example, do not address this topic at all, while “Babbel” and “Mondly” have grammar lessons as part of the concept.
If you want to learn a language and not just communicate with an app, but with people, you will also find what you are looking for on the Internet: At “Lingoda”, course participants can meet up online and via zoom video call, and those interested can book a free trial week to get started. At “Lingoda” participants can also acquire official English certificates: either a GER certificate (“Common European Framework of Reference for Languages”) or a Cambridge certificate, which certifies very good knowledge of English. At “Preply”, the teacher-student relationship is even more direct: here the language lessons take place exclusively with a private teacher.
Browsing and borrowing books
Was the New Year’s resolution to read more, but the libraries are closed due to the corona pandemic? If you have a valid library card, you can still browse the library catalogs thanks to the “Libby” app. Bookworms can even borrow e-books or audio books directly via the app, but it is important to note: Due to the legal situation in Germany, the digital items on loan cannot be copied infinitely often. In other words, if a book is currently on loan, you have to wait for it to be returned – even with digital copies.
If the aim is instead to discover new books or to find the right book on a topic, bookworms exchange ideas on “Goodreads”. The community has existed since 2007, 650,000 users and more than ten million works made it onto the site in the first year. In 2013, the shipping giant Amazon took over the portal and has operated it ever since. In addition, many of the e-book readers such as “Aldiko” or “Amazon Kindle” for mobile devices are linked directly to a shop. Users will also find a huge pool of classics in “Project Gutenberg”, which has been freely accessible from Germany again since October 2021 and offers classic works by authors who died at least 70 years ago – when copyright expires by law.
Don’t forget anything
Several apps are preparing to train the memory of their users. One of the most popular is “Neuronation” – despite its relatively high price: The application is free in its basic version, but in order to be able to use its full scope, you have to pay 13.99 euros per month or 84.99 euros for a whole year. In return, however, users get good training for their brain muscles: logic puzzles and IQ tasks of different levels of difficulty train mental fitness and increase the ability to concentrate.
One of the most popular brain training apps is only available in English: “Lumosity: Brain Training” offers more than games and workouts that train memory and concentration skills. The results are collected and analyzed in statistics to document the progress. In terms of price, the monthly subscription is slightly more expensive than “Neuronation” (11.99 euros), but the annual subscription costs significantly less (59.99 euros). “Peak” is even cheaper: The memory trainer costs EUR 4.99 per month or EUR 34.99 per year and is designed to increase mental flexibility, language skills and problem-solving skills. “Neuronation”, “Lumosity” and “Peak” work because they were all developed and implemented under scientific standards.