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Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set
by Rosetta Stone
Software SummaryManufacturer: Rosetta Stone
Brand: Rosetta Stone
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD-ROM
Release Date: 2010-09-14
Platform: Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
Model: 27767
Product features: - Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology
- Develop your command of the language--read, write, speak, and understand
- Build vocabulary; negotiate complex situations; share ideas and opinions
- Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device
- Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone
Software Reviews of Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 SetCustomer Review: A report from a Korean non-English speaker
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I gave this to a friend. He is American and speaks English fluently. He also speaks Chinese and Korean. His wife, however, speaks only Korean. So this product was to help her learn English. What follows is the review of my friend after they had used this for about three weeks.
There a number of different products available in the market to teach foreign languages to the casual learner (i.e., someone who wants to learn a new language at his or her own pace in the comfort of his or her house as opposed to someone who takes a course for academic credits at an educational institution or online). Some of these products come in a single format (e.g., a book, a set of audio tapes or CDs, a podcast); other products combine two or more formats (e.g., a book and a set of CDs).
Rosetta Stone TOTALe language learning application attempts to go several steps further by utilizing the awesome capabilities of a computer with Internet access to present an integrated platform of learning formats that engages all of the primary cognitive skills and senses of the language learner, including sight, hearing, speech, visual and word recognition, writing/typing, and simulated and live conversation.
Rosetta Stone's TOTALe English (American) program has five levels, each of which contain different lessons covering a range of topics. You can purchase Level 1 as a stand alone unit (perhaps on a try-out basis if you are unsure if you want to plop down the money for the complete set that contains Levels 1 through 5), Level 1 & 2 as a set, Levels 1 through 3 as a set, or Levels 1 through 5 as a complete set.
Having tested out the trial version of one of Rosetta Stone's products previously, I decide to get the complete set of Rosetta Stone TOTALe (Version 4) English (American) (Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 Set) for my wife who is an English language learner.
Contents
Because the Rosetta Stone TOTALe language learning program is not inexpensive, I want to describe exactly what you will find in the box:
(1) One set of CD-ROMs containing five compact discs (one for each of the five Levels)
(2) Five sets of audio CDs (each set contains four CDs, one CD for each lesson unit contained in each Level)
(3) Headset and microphone
(4) Activation card for access to online tutorial and language learning games
(5) Quick Start booklet
Initial Set up
The process of installing the software is fairly easy. After choosing the native language for the installation instructions, you can install all five CD-ROMs sequentially when you first start the program or each CD-ROM as you progress through the program. After the software installation process, the user creates a user account.
CD-ROMs & Headset
The complete set contains five Levels presented in the form of a CD-ROM for each Level. Each Level contains four units, each filled with a series of topics and exercises that engages the learner to learn the English language through developing pronunciation and vocabulary skills, learning phrases and sentences, and engaging in speech and conversation. Most of the topics are those that you would expect to find in a language learning program: basics words and phrases, such as age and family relations; questions, greetings, introductions; telling time, calendar terms, the weather; directions, locations, dining out; emotions, opinions, ideas; political, media, business terms; arranging home repairs; planning to move abroad; discussing the arts and tourism; careers and conducting interviews; and problem-solving and commercial transactions.
Many of the exercises require the learner to recognize and analyze relationships between the words displayed and spoken, on one hand, and the pictures displayed on the screen, on the other hand. Other exercises require the learner to repeat words, phrases, and sentences using the headset and microphone that is provided by Rosetta Stone and utilizing Rosetta Stone's speech recognition technology, which I found to be fairly accurate. Lastly, there are other exercises that require the learner to type the words, phrases, and sentences that the learner is learning using a computer keyboard or the virtual keyboard on the screen.
Because the learner's responses are tracked by the software, the learner can view his or her progress through each of these exercise. Furthermore, the learner can also go back to any exercise in any lesson at any time to review and redo that exercise, which should greatly aid the learner in the overall learning experience.
There are three key aspects of the software program that I found lacking. First, the absence of any instructions (let alone instructions in the learners native language) about what the learner is supposed to do in each of the exercises (e.g., whether the learner is supposed to click on the picture that matches the phrase or repeat the phrase that the learner hears) can be frustrating, especially if the learner is not computer-savvy. But after going through the first unit in Level 1, the learner should be able to navigate through the rest of the software program with relative ease.
Second, the software program does not provide a dictionary (whether as feature integrated into the lessons or as a separate feature that the learner can consult to look up the definition of words that he or she is learning.) I suppose that somebody who is learning a new language will probably have a dictionary on his or her shelf, but having access to a dictionary in the Rosetta Stone software program could come in handy.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, the absence of instructions on formal grammar rules may tend to hinder the process of learning a new language. The exercises contained in the software program require the learner to actively think and to a large extent figure out the grammatical relationship between the words in a sentence. Having had the experience of studying a foreign language to a level of basic proficiency myself, I believe that understanding the grammatical structure of sentence not only help the learner learn a new language better. I suggest that Rosetta Stone produce basic grammar lessons that purchasers of the software program can download as a document from the company's website as a way to improve what is already a pretty comprehensive platform for learning a new language.
Other Features: Online tutorial and Mobile Companion
At the end of each Level, the learner is prompted to access the online tutorial and engage in further learning with a live tutor. While I have not had the opportunity to test out this feature, I would agree that the ability to engage in live conversation with another person can only help you learn a new language better.
One last feature that is offered by Rosetta Stone is the Mobile Companion, which is a learning application that the learner can download to an iPhone or iPod Tough to continue the learning process. After installing and logging into the Mobile Companion application on my iPhone 3GS, I received a message stating the "[t]here are no Languages available." I will provide an update for this review after I have the opportunity to contact Rosetta Stone to figure out a solution to this problem.
Description of Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 SetDevelop your command of the language. From the simple to the complex, gain the confidence to share your ideas and opinions. Develop conversational skills to plan adventures, care for your health, and move abroad. Talk about government, work, movies, and citizenship. Discuss family and traditions, and celebrate success.
Develop your command of the language. From the simple to the complex, gain the confidence to share your ideas and opinions in your new language. Develop the conversational skills to plan adventures, care for your health and move abroad. Talk about government, work, movies, family, and more. Includes everything you need to learn at home and on the go. What Will I Learn This level will help you: - Build your vocabulary and language abilities
- Read, write, speak and understand your new language
- Speak without a script
- Retain what you've learned
- Practice unscripted conversations in your new language
- Negotiate complex situations with confidence and accuracy
Sample topics include: - The basics, such as age and family relations
- Questions, greetings, introductions
- Telling time, calendar terms, the weather
- Directions, locations, dining out
- Emotions, opinions, ideas
- Political, media, business terms
- Arranging home repairs
- Planning to move abroad
- Discussing the arts and tourism
- Careers and conducting interviews
- Problem-solving and commercial transactions
What Do I Get? Interactive Software Our award-wining version, complete with proprietary speech recognition technology. Audio Companion For your CD or MP3 player so you can review while on the go. Headset with Microphone For use with our state-of- the-art speech-recognition software. Live Online Lessons  Practice sessions led by native speaking tutors. Games & Community Language-enhancing games move you towards real-world proficiency. Mobile Companion Learning application for your iPhone or iPod Touch device. Our Method Recreate the natural way you learned your first language and reveal skills that you already have using Dynamic Immersion. This award-winning method has been adopted by countless organizations, schools and millions of users around the world. Learn Naturally: Discover how to speak, read, write, and understand--all without translating or memorizing. Our award-winning solution recreates how you learned your first language, unlocking your natural abilities. Speak Confidently: Perfect your pronunciation with speech-recognition technology. Gain the confidence in your new voice as you practice with other learners in our exclusive online community and participate in online sessions coached by native tutors. Immerse Yourself: Be surrounded by your new language. From core lessons to online sessions, Rosetta Stone gets you engaged and interacting with others. Stay Motivated: Experience accomplishment with each moment of achievement; with dedicated success agents you will never lose sight of your language-learning goals. Your Natural Ability. Awakened. Natural Discovery Learning your first language is as natural as smiling. Effortless. Rewarding. Every step in Rosetta Stone feels like that. Clear, compelling images appear precisely, in juxtaposition, conveying meaning. Intuitively, you just know what it means. - Our puzzle-like environments--a systematic presentation of sounds, images, and text--help learners absorb meaning intuitively.
 Rosetta Stone's award-winning software, where you will interact by speaking, clicking, selecting phrases and writing. Speech Activation  Rosetta Stone's proprietary speech-recognition technology provides immediate and ongoing feedback. Build your confidence and polish your pronunciation skills with state-of-the-art speech-recognition technologies and success-filled dialogues. - Our software provides immediate and ongoing assessments of your speech through Actionable Feedback, which helps you pronounce syllables, words and sentences correctly and easily.
- Based on a collection of literally millions of speech samples, our proprietary speech-recognition algorithms and speech models were engineered with a singular purpose--to help you communicate with accuracy, confidence and ease.
Native Socialization  Language-learning games will keep you motivated along the way. Practice with native speakers in our live interactive sessions and our online community. Every conversation gives you the confidence to communicate in your new language. - For many, traditional language-learning fails because it lacks real conversation. With Rosetta Stone you'll play games and chat with native speakers and other learners in our online language community.
- Hundreds of native-speaking tutors trained in the Rosetta Stone method are ready to help reinforce the language you're learning through live, online conversations. From Day One you'll be speaking your new language with confidence and ease.
Education & Reference Software
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