Online Conference Platforms for German Language Learning

Learning German online is an adventure that should feel the same way as if you were physically in a classroom. The learning, the interactions, the results, and the feedback all feel the same. Having an online tutor poses no major disadvantage to being in a physical classroom with the teacher. In fact, learning German online has some advantages such as flexibility and convenience.

If you are getting into Learning German Online, then maybe you want to know about the online platforms that you and your tutor could be using. The best thing about it is that most of them are free.

• Skype. Skype has been widely used for learning German online, with great success. This application is very well known worldwide and allows free calls between users. The amount of protocol to run is not that much which allows fluent communication between parties. Of course, this is directly related to internet bandwidth on both sides of the line. It allows a written chat for those terms that you need pronunciation of, for instance.
• Oovoo. A free video chat that used to be the alternative of Skype for more than two participants in a video conversation. This status changed a bit when Skype decided to release the more than two participants’ video conferencing feature for free. It is still widely used and it can hold a conversation for a long time.
• Google+ Hangouts. When G+Hangouts first came out into the market, it was a major sensation. For those who are used to Google, they found it like a breeze due to all the amazing features it has, very similar to Google. It runs more smoothly than Skype and allowed up to ten participants at the time where Skype only allowed those services for a paid subscription. Other special features contained in the app make it one of the best choices for learning German online. It allows for screen sharing.
• Blackboard Collaborate. This is basically a webinar or conference platform. It is not completely free, but the non-paid version allows for a two-person interaction which is pretty much what you need to practice your German with a native speaker. This platform is specifically designed to meet the needs of a presenter and audience. It contains some great features to moderate your participants. It also has a chat room where the student can pose their questions or write their comments. It allows participants to doodle on an interactive board which is pretty great for learning and practicing.
• GoToWebinar. This is another conference platform that could be taken into consideration. It allows a pretty versatile and customizable moderation by the presenter. This one has certain interesting features such as polls, private chat, ability to hand over controls to another person, etc.

Regardless of the application you or your tutor decide to use, take the above recommendations into account and consider which one better adapts to your need. It is recommended for you to go ahead and try them all. Blackboard Collaborate and GoToWebinar by Citrix online allow for several trial days for you to "taste the waters".