Nowadays, language learning, that is, the ability to handle one or more foreign languages beyond our mother tongue, is an urgent need. The globalization, the opening of the borders of the states, the elimination of distances and the global economic activities are bringing people closer and making language learning necessary.

It seems that with the technological advances learning and practicing a new language is easier, more effective and the augmenting tools and the channels for achieving that, become more and more popular, especially to young people.

The most effective way to learn languages includes except for theory, also practice and there are online tools that everyone can use and adapt to their needs and time.

Except for the most famous website about learning new language Duolingo, there are also other websites and apps in order to:

• Learn new vocabulary and phrases through dialogues, exercises and audio text (e.g. BUSUU)
• Learn new words (e.g. Drops)
• Develop language skills, as the ability to read and write texts and produce audio and oral speech (e.g. Livemocha)
• Watch foreign shows with authentic dialogue, cultural insights, and a visual context that makes language learning more engaging. (e.g Lingopie)
• Practice speaking a language (e.g. Tandem)
• Listen to another language (e.g. Speechling)
• Help you read and write the language (e.g. Clozemaster)
• Schedule and track your study sessions (e.g. Streaks)
• Find educational material produced by linguists (e.g. Foreign Services Institute)
• Be familiar with the “mem” technique (e.g. Memrise)

Moreover, you can find available Moocs and e-books, with a variety of techniques, tools, and links to various media for exercising or understanding how the language is applicable in different cases, how to pronounce correctly, or how to build an online community for expressing yourselves in other languages.

Furthermore, if you are an educator and you want to make more effective and fun your teaching procedure you can build the courses in a classroom-based on activities and teaching content by using the interactive whiteboard.

Finally, the most interesting and interactive way to practice and learn a language, and which is really common in Europe, is the Language meetings, in cafeterias, bars, or excursions. The people, who want to speak a foreign language meet the others and exchange ideas and cultural characteristics while practicing the language.

In this context, in iED, currently, we implement the Erasmus+ project “IRENE – Increase the empowerment of adults and migrants with specific learning disorders”, which primarily seeks to support and help adults in the process of learning and acquiring a foreign language by using virtual reality and interactive technology.

Learn more about the project on its official website: http://irenelearning.eu/