Launch of ENACT - an app for learning languages through culture
Helping people to learn languages through cultural activities around the world.
8 July 2019
ENACT is a free web app, released on 1 February 2021.
With the ENACT interactive player https://enacteuropa.com/ you can learn a foreign language through the foreign culture by carrying out a cultural activity – our app shows you how. Learn Japanese while you’re making an origami boat or Turkish while you’re making a shadow puppet! Your smartphone or tablet will talk you through the stages of doing the activity, with photos, text, audio and video to help. In this way you can learn something about a country’s language and culture before you visit it, understand more about the languages and cultures of the world and produce something beautiful! Learning by physically engaging in an activity brings the language and culture to life and helps cross-cultural understanding. The learning experience is memorable as it involves touch and all your senses. Some activities have 360° videos and images which offer you an immersive experience. You’ll watch a video introducing you to the activity and culture, then learn the most important words. A video will show you in detail how you can carry out the activity yourself in your own home, then you can assess how much you’ve learnt, evaluate what you’ve produced and send messages to others in our online community.
You can also tell others about your own language and culture! With ENACT author, the ENACT materials you produce will enable users to learn aspects of your language and culture by carrying out the cultural task which you show them. Maybe you can teach people some English by showing them how to carve a pumpkin for Hallowe’en? So people all round the world can watch your materials and learn from you about your culture, language and activity. This can be a good way of making your culture and language known to foreigners, but also to younger members of your own community, who may not be learning the traditions you did as a child. Help people all over the world learn about your own language and culture and learn yourself about other countries.
Why not join our online community of people interested in learning and teaching about cultures and languages? Simply go to https://enacteuropa.com/ and create an account to send messages, leave comments, and create your own activity!
Contact us at: enacteuropa@newcastle.ac.uk
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