The app is available through the App Store for $ 39.00.  Installation is fast, and immediately after opening the app, the user is presented with two options―to start a new recording, or to download a file.  Starting a new recording allows the user to record their voice and listen to it.  The interesting function was downloading a file via FTP or HTTP.  For my review, I accessed the existing sample files on the TEDINC FTP server, and selected a German video.  Learning to operate the app’s control buttons did take a bit of effort, but after studying the included one-page help file, I was ready to start.

The app delivers on its promises.  I was able to record at any point during the video playback, using the aptly named “Insert Voice” button.  During playback, the video pauses where recordings have been inserted and plays the recorded audio.  This innovative function is something we have never seen in an iPad app.  The user can also use the “Insert Voice” function with an audio file as well.

More traditional language lab functions, such as bookmarks, recap and repeat, are also included.  The user can also share their recordings via FTP or email.  It would be easy for students to send their recordings to their teacher, who, using the same app, could add oral comments and corrections, then return the file to the student.  Importantly, the sent file includes only the audio of both the video and any inserted recordings; the video footage itself is not included.

In conclusion, I applaud this technology savvy company’s work. That said, I do have suggestions that would improve the app for use in education.  First (and somewhat obviously), it needs to be developed into versions for iPhone, Android, and Windows 8.  Secondly (and much more complex than the first suggestion), it needs the ability to integrate with school student information systems, making it a potentially attractive option for broad use in language curricula.

Until next time for ReLANpro…..

Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO

In this blog, I want to tell you about the significant responsibilities that ReLANpro has in Russia and Finland. When Russian applicants apply for a residence permit or future citizenship in Finland through a service called Migri, they have to pass an exam that tests their ability to read, write, speak, and listen to the Finnish language. Those computerized exams, in a special version of ReLANpro software called DIPAKI, have been taken since 2004 in either St. Petersburg or Petrozavodsk.

ReLANpro is involved at every step of the testing process. First, we are part of the team that visits the Russian schools that eventually sign a contract with the Finnish government to rent the schools’ computer classrooms for the tests.

Second, several weeks before the exam is taken, we make sure that all the participant information is entered correctly into the database.

Third, during the weeks that the exams are administered, usually in June and October, we are present as technical experts, making certain that everything goes smoothly. Due to the importance of this test in the lives of the participants, the ReLANpro team arrives a day early to test that all the software is working properly.

Fourth, after the exam, we securely transfer all the digital data, including audio, video, and textual information, to Helsinki.

Fifth, our evaluation package helps to grade the participants.

Sixth, we check the results for possible errors and send the grades to the participants and the Finnish government.

According to Marianne Laine, the Senior Advisor at the Finnish Immigration Service in Helsinki, the participants like the user-friendliness of this digital examination, and the Finnish government is highly satisfied with ReLANpro’s service and professionalism.

A similar service in the Netherlands called NT2 (Dutch as a second language) has been using our ReLANpro NT2 software since 1999—a topic for a blog in the near future.

Until next time for ReLANpro…

Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO

The trouble is that many teachers today are somewhat intimidated by this development because they tend to use modern technical devices less than their students do.

The one thing that all educators seem to agree on is that they want to engage their students in the learning process. In other words, they want their students to be enthusiastic.

My question to the decision-makers and teachers is this: Why, in all the years I have been presenting my software products to you, have I never seen students at the presentation to contribute their input?

You will gain from listening to your students because they look at the world in a different way than you do—and that includes how you teach them. With their unique perspective, they will provide you with valuable information when you are considering which software products to buy.

Of course, the students’ opinions can only be one of the factors that you take into account, but not listening to them at all suggests that you do not value their judgment. Just by hearing what they have to say, you will have taken the first step in engaging them in their own education.

At ReLANpro, we let our products be tested by students of all ages—often beginning with our own children.

If we follow our children, as Maria Montessori so beautifully described, we cannot fail.

Until next time for ReLANpro…

Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO

Although your initial answer to this question may be “I couldn’t care less,” let me give you some reasons to reconsider that position.

In my opinion, browser-based learning, either Flash or HTML5, has too many limitations to meet the heavy multimedia demands in today’s educational learning setting, and is not future-proof.

While everyone thought that Android’s strength lay in Flash compatibility, unlike Apple’s products, Adobe just recently shut down its Mobile Flash Department. Even the latest Google Chrome web browser does not support the most recent version of Flash, and the about-to-be released Windows 8 won’t support Flash, either. I guess Steve Jobs had a point all along when he openly criticized and rejected Flash for the iPhone and the iPad.

Many websites still rely on Flash, which is fine for e-commerce and web searches, but Flash doesn’t work nearly so well for educational purposes. Nevertheless, I still see many educational software developers only creating a Flash-based plug-in for all of their products. This is most likely to save them money, since it is easier to create a browser-based tool for PCs, Macs, and Android tablets, and just ignore smart phones. But if browser-based learning comes at the expense of user-friendliness and, most importantly, limits you in the way you teach, that is not a real option.

What is forgotten is that most students have and use smart phones wherever they go, but browsing for educational purposes on the small screens of smart phones is nearly impossible.

To free yourself and your students from these limitations is why educational software developers should be creating apps for the most frequently used platforms—namely, Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, and Windows 8. Apps can be used on any screen size, are wonderfully user-friendly, and are designed specifically for each device on which they operate.

That is the way development should lead, and that is the path ReLANpro is on.

Until next time for ReLANpro…

Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO

ReLANpro has a long history of innovation, which began with our providing the first all-digital language lab in the world. We were also the first to implement sign language as a basic feature of the lab, and we are still the only software-based language lab that can both pair students visually and offer teachers a way to video-record those interactions. Most importantly, we are the only software-based language lab that has embedded a fully wireless system in its program.

In 2010, we were the only software-based language lab that adapted mobile technology by making any of our language labs accessible via iPhone, iTouch, or iPad. (By the end of this month, our labs will also be accessible via most Android devices.)

Since 2011, we have been the only cross-curricular software company that has seamlessly integrated LAN or wireless-based labs with cloud services.

What’s next? First of all, many of our products will soon be compatible with Macintosh computers. Also, we will be focusing on collaborative learning online, which will give teachers and students easy-to-use tools to work together on audio and video materials by using our cloud services and other teleconferencing software applications. Furthermore, we will be making our Apps even more versatile than they are now.

So, what excuse will students have in the future for not doing their homework? “The dog ate my smart phone”?

Until next time for ReLANpro…
Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO

The key word for using our software has always been simplicity, because we understand that not all teachers are software experts. I am particularly proud of my training staff, especially how they make teachers feel comfortable with our software—as you can see from the letter below:

Dear ReLANpro staff,

On behalf of the entire LOTE [Languages Other Than English] Department at DeBakey High School for Health Professions, may I send out a HUGE thank you!! We so appreciate your willingness to come and spend four days with us, allowing us to have one-on-one instruction on the new computer lab system as well as small group and actual class interaction with the new system. You accommodated our needs beautifully, and that was no easy task. You are a natural at what you do, and that is a huge advantage in working with a varied group of stressed out teachers and excited high school students. You have remarkable patience and ease, and your directions are clear and concise, so it feels like learning is a cinch. Of course we know that’s the result of excellent teaching!

Again, thank you so very much for making the training on our much-anticipated ReLANPro system a positive, pleasant experience. We are all impressed with the capacity of the software and are only beginning to realize the breadth and depth of possibilities for all levels of language learning. I personally had focused almost exclusively on applications for the AP classes, but realize how easily and seamlessly we can engage students at every level…immediately! I had no idea that I would be able to bring in a class and “make it happen” with only an hour of training.

We know now without any doubt that we made the right choice in updating our language lab. We, teachers AND students, are reenergized by the potential, and we shall look forward to going to the lab.

Again, my sincerest thanks to all who have made this happen, but particularly to you, David [Witt], for your excellent instruction, patience, energy, and upbeat approach!

Kindest regards,

Marilyn Hartley

Professional Team Leader

Department of Languages Other Than English

Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions

3100 Shenandoah Street

Houston, Texas 77021

713 741-2410

mhartley@houstonisd.org

Ms. Hartley’s commendation proves that the ReLANpro software is capable of delivering twenty-first century technology to every teacher.

Until next time for ReLANpro…..

Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO

That motivated me to share with my readers why ReLANpro is in the
educational software business.

For the past fifteen years, it has been ReLANpro’s ultimate mission to
change the face of education by creating software that helps teachers to
achieve their goals. Therefore, we are long-term job creators, too.

We believe in challenging teachers and students by using technology as
much as possible. We dare ourselves to think outside the box, and invite
various governments to do the same.

Most of all, as Ludwig Wittgenstein said, “The limits of my language
mean the limits of my world.” That says it all for our language program.

How do we earn your trust?

We try to keep reforming education by creating user-friendly,
simple-to-use educational software that can truly make a difference.

We not only stimulate teachers and students, but also our own staff
members, by requiring every decision-maker and programmer at ReLANpro to be
fluent in three or more languages.

We are proactive, early adopters and even innovators, who implement
special tests based on our own ReLANpro software, which is currently being used
by the Dutch and Finnish governments to test more than 50,000 students each
year.

Last but not least, we offer multiplatform cloud services so every
student in the world, young and old, can communicate in more than one language
with anyone else on the planet with awareness on both sides of the other’s
cultural background.

Until next time for ReLANpro…,

Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO

ReLANpro has been testing a lot of the  tablets that use Android software,
including the cheaper ones, and we will be releasing the Mobile for Android app
later this month.

Although not as perfect as an iPad, the cheaper devices certainly have many
educational uses.

Because most apps are available on both Android and Apple platforms,
that is not a significant factor in choosing between the two.

To determine what you need in a tablet, youshould focus on a few important
features. If audio is important to you, bear in mind that some tablets do
not have a microphone built in, and if they do, the recording quality may
not be what you would like. Also think about (1) screen size (around 10″ is best);
(2) whether you would prefer to use your finger or a stylus (the cheaper ones may
require a stylus); and (3) if you are choosing an Android tablet, which version of
software your desired tablet will have. In this third point lies the weakness of
the cheaper Android tablets. Once you start with a certain software version, you most
likely will not be able to easily upgrade to an up-to-date version, which will
make certain apps unavailable to you. After weighing all these factors, think
about memory size and battery life.

The challenge in choosing the right tablet is pre-defining how you will use it for
the first year, taking your budget into account. Then test-drive one device fully
with your desired apps.

Unfortunately, we often see educational institutions buying tablets in quantity
without making any of these decisions, leaving the teachers to wonder how to use
the devices most productively. That is why ReLANpro’s goal is to provide the same
user interface and functionality on all platforms, even when you use a mixture of
devices in your classroom, sothe learning experience will be exactly the same on each of them.

Until next time for Relanpro…….

Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO

Most language labs nowadays use out-of-date hardware and
software, are not multifunctional, and do not provide fun learning experiences
for students. Obviously, the place to begin is with hardware and software that
are fun to use.

First of all, your hardware should be no more than three or
four years old, and your software should be no more than a year old.

The computers should also provide nearly unlimited access to
the Internet, including YouTube.

The lab should offer wireless access, and students should be
allowed to bring their own tablets, smart phones, or whatever other devices can
be useful for instructional purposes.

Make sure you use software that the students can take with
them outside the lab to continue their learning.

Aside from using state-of-the-art software, assign tasks and
homework that can make use of numerous apps, hopefully fascinating ones.

Use flipped classroom technology (see my previous blog about
this topic), so you can provide proof to your administrators that the new
language lab will be a popular haven for question-and-answer learning and for
collaborative work.

If your students love coming to the lab, word will quickly
spread, and you will have no problems convincing your decision-makers to keep
it—or better yet, to invest even more in this island of unlimited multimedia
learning.

Until next time for ReLANpro…

Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO

But I also heard some good news at the show. A few schools
are solving the problem of smaller staffs by adding technology to the classroom
and demanding more from the students, both on campus and off, rather than from
the teachers.

Why would anyone hesitate to go in this technological direction?

While I was reading the recent biography of Steve Jobs, I
noted that, in one of his last conversations with Bill Gates, they both
regretted that computers had had so little impact on school classrooms in the
past two decades. The reason for this, I believe, is that when computers are
brought into schools, access to the internet is often limited, some software is
unavailable, or the current operating system does not support the full
potential of the computers or the students.

A good example of how computers should be used in schools can be found in the Yes Prep Public
School system in Houston, Texas. Yes Prep has a “lean staff” running its ten
current locations. When I asked Troy Neal, Yes Prep’s Director of Information
Technology and Support, how that was possible, he told me that the return on
investment is easier to achieve with a small staff if one uses the latest
hardware and operating system software. Troy is convinced that this blueprint
can work at virtually any school.

Yes Prep allows its instructors to teach in any way they see
fit, and supports them with all the technology they need. As a result, Yes Prep
has been in the Top 100 Public Schools List several times and voted “best place
to work” by the Houston Business Journal.

ReLANpro is proud to announce that Yes Prep is now running
our software on all ten of its campuses. We are delighted to support Yes Prep’s
stated goal to “Transform Houston, 10,000 Students College Ready.”

Until next time, for ReLANpro…

Ralf Porankiewicz, CEO