8 A Day is an application for iPhone & iPad that aims to facilitate the process of learning a foreign language. Eight is an optimal number of words that according to research a language learner should memorise a day to ensure progress. Vocabulary extension is one of the most important aspects of learning a new language. This application helps to create a personal vocabulary and learn new words every day. You will be your own resource, as the words to be learned will come from your daily activity. With 8 A Day app you can translate and add new words instantly when you need them.
8 A Day incorporates a user’s visual memory in order to facilitate vocabulary learning. Scholars argue that we best memorise the information that is meaningful for us and related to our personal experience. The more extensive is the experience - the more efficient is the retention of vocabulary. The application provides a variety of activities to facilitate new words memorisation.
The unique aspect of the app is that apart from all necessary data about the word (e.g. translation, pronunciation, usage in context, synonyms) it provides a variety of unusual activities with new words thus ensuring useful and enjoyable user experience in order to facilitate words memorization. It allows users to illustrate their unique perception of the words for the vocabulary and to assign the associated shape, colour and size to the word in order to modify the words look into something unique and meaningful for a user. Also app allows stretching and deconstructing the words in order to help memorizing the spelling.
The user will pass all the stages necessary according to the scolars in order to learn a new word. Adding a new word by one of 4 methods (say, photograph, type or pick a word from gallery), taking an associated picture to illustrate the word, getting the translation of the word, seeing the word in context relevant to a user and words synonyms. Also user will see the word usage by native speakers. Then user will spend some time in the play section by choosing the associated colour of the word in order to enhance the memorization effect. Then a user will set the typeface for the words and size in order to illustrate his/her perception of the new word for the vocabulary. In the motion section a user will deconstruct the words in order to learn the spelling. In the dialogue section a user will use the new word in a dialogue with the other app users. The user will also have a constant access to the vocabulary and will have an opportunity to review the added words for the day, week, month or all time as well as to do the tests with them.
Add the words by saying it in your native or foreigh language. Also take an associated photo to illustrate this word.
The 'motion' section allows a user to de-consturct the words in order to enhance the spelling memorization
The vocabulary can be also seen as a photostream.
The users are motivated by the opportunity to get a physical copy of their unique vocabulary. After adding 50 new words users will order the printed pages for their vocabulary. Thus a user can constantly collect and update his personal vocabulary. The design of the vocabulary will be automatically generated from the user word stream of the app. The cards are bound with the elastic band, which gives a user an opportunity to order the cards regularly and to join them together in a single vocabulary. The words that you feel least confident about will appear in a bigger size on the cards in order to facilitate memorization. The user can use the pages of the vocabulary separately as flash cards. The cards can also form a bigger connected image, for sticking them on the wall.
The flexible binding allows a user to order and add the cards with the words regularly.
