LDomparison of Platiquemos and Rosetta Stone/title> <meta name="resource-type" content="document"> <meta name="generator" content="Microsoft FrontPage 4.0"> <meta http-equiv="pragma" content="no-cache"> <meta name="revisit-after" content="15 days"> <meta name="classification" content="Education"> <meta name="description" content="Platiquemos is the classic FSI Basic Course in Spanish updated and revised to help students learn to speak Spanish, learn to read Spanish and the structure of the Spanish language."> <meta name="MSSmartTagsPreventParsing" content="TRUE"> <meta name="keywords" content="Rosetta Stone, Rosetta Stone Spanish, learn Spanish, speak Spanish, Spanish classes, Spanish music, Spanish grammar, free Spanish lessons, download Spanish lessons"> <meta name="robots" content="ALL"> <meta name="distribution" content="Global"> <meta name="rating" content="Safe For Kids"> <meta name="copyright" content="copyright Donald D. Casteel"> <meta name="author" content="Donald D. Casteel"> <meta http-equiv="reply-to" content="webmaster@platiquemos-letstalk.com"> <meta name="language" content="English"> <meta name="doc-type" content=" "> <meta name="doc-class" content="Completed"> <meta name="doc-rights" content="Copywritten Work"> <script src="../../menuscript.js" language="javascript" type="text/javascript"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../menustyle.css" media="screen, print" /> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFDEAD"> <table border="1" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="750" bgcolor="#FFFAF0" bordercolor="#DEB887" bordercolorlight="#DEB887" bordercolordark="#DEB887"> <tr> <td width="149" bgcolor="#FFDAB9" bordercolor="#FFDAB9" bordercolorlight="#FFDAB9" bordercolordark="#FFDAB9"><img border="0" src="../../PlaticandoLeft.gif" width="145" height="91"></td> <td width="1" bordercolor="#FFDAB9" bordercolorlight="#FFDAB9" bordercolordark="#FFDAB9" bgcolor="#FFDAB9"></td> <td nowrap width="448" bgcolor="#FFDAB9" bordercolor="#FFDAB9" bordercolorlight="#FFDAB9" bordercolordark="#FFDAB9"> <p align="center"><font face="Benguiat Bk BT" size="5" color="#8B4513"><a name="Rosetta">Rosetta</a> Stone and Platiquemos</font> </p> </td> <td width="1" bgcolor="#FFDAB9" bordercolor="#FFDAB9" bordercolorlight="#FFDAB9" bordercolordark="#FFDAB9"></td> <td width="150" bgcolor="#FFDAB9" bordercolor="#FFDAB9" bordercolorlight="#FFDAB9" bordercolordark="#FFDAB9"><img border="0" src="../../PlaticandoRight.gif" width="150" height="93" alt="Platicando - Talking"></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="131" bgcolor="#FFDAB9" width="145" valign="top"> <table border="0" width="150"> <tr> <td></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" width="148"> <tr> <td width="100%"><a href="../../index.htm"><img src="../../zz99MiscButtons/homepage.png" alt="homepage.png (616 bytes)" align="right" border="0" width="116" height="20"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%"><a href="../QandAmain.htm"><img border="0" src="http://www.platiquemos-letstalk.com/FAQ-Q&A/faq-q&a.png" align="right" width="135" height="20"></a></td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="1" valign="top" bgcolor="#FAF0E6" bordercolor="#DEB887" bordercolorlight="#DEB887" bordercolordark="#DEB887"></td> <td valign="top" width="449" bgcolor="#FFFAF0"> <p align="left" style="margin-left: 5"> <font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513"><br> Rosetta Stone´s motto is "Imagine learning a new language. Now imagine it being easy!"</font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Don Casteel the cynic´s comment: One of the biggest reasons the vast majority of Americans have so disastrously failed, despite taking classes and spending money on programs, to gain any real proficiency in another language is the belief, reinforced by almost every purveyor of language learning materials (not just Rosetta Stone) that it should be both quick and easy. In fact, learning a language isn´t intellectually difficult (few five- or six-year olds are intellectual giants, yet most of them can communicate in at least their mother tongue); but it does take time–those five- and six-year olds have done little else in their lives beside learn to walk and talk. By the way, we don´t have a motto, but I´m thinking about it. Maybe something like "It will take time, and it won´t always be unadulterated fun, but if you stick with it you will learn".</font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">"The Rosetta Stone's Dynamic Immersion method works by simulating the natural language learning process we all experienced as children." [from Rosetta Stone´s website]</font><font FACE="Arial" SIZE="3"></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"></font><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Don´s comment: The problem is that we´re not children with a practically full-time tutor (usually called "mom" or "mommy").</font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Also, how many of us learned English sitting in front of a computer looking at pictures and doing written exercises? Not only can the experience of a child born into a family speaking the target language not be emulated, it is also inefficient for adult learners who already have a language and need help in bridging to another. An adult trying to learn like a child is to my way of thinking.................well, childish.</font><font FACE="Arial" SIZE="3"></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"></font><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Okay, now some serious comparison:</font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513"><b>Composition and Scope of Programs</b></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Rosetta Stone comes in two levels, each on one CD-ROM. The first one promises "up to 250 hours of instruction" to take you to the intermediate level. The second, "up to 300 hours" of accelerated study for the intermediate learner. It is totally unclear to me what they mean by "hours of instruction"–as best I can figure out they´re talking about total hours you´d spend with each CD-ROM. Also, while they don´t specify, I´m assuming that they´re talking about the language proficiency scale of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). This level of proficiency is only sufficient for "survival" needs, and "limited" social interaction. (For details of language proficiency levels and what they mean, go <a href="http://www.platiquemos-letstalk.com/rating.html">here</a>.)</font><font FACE="Arial" SIZE="3"></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"></font><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Platiquemos, in the "hard copy" version consist of eight textbooks totalling over 1,500 pages, and 54 audio compact disks with about 55 hours of audio. The "digital" version consists of the exact same content, but in "digital" format (text in Adobe Acrobat, audio in mp3), and comes on eight CD-ROM´s (one for each level). The Platiquemos program is designed to take a student who thoroughly masters its content to the "advanced"–and in some cases "superior" level. These are significant levels of proficiency, levels at which serious conversations can be held and business can be conducted.</font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513"><b>Flexibility</b></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Rosetta Stone can only be used on a computer. To me, this seriously limits its usefulness–spending the kindof time in front of a computer that serious language learning demands would be, to say the least, tiring.</font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Platiquemos, in contrast, can be used (in the "digital" version) on a computer. It can also be successfully used in a car, while jogging, sitting at an airport waiting for a delayed flight, etc., etc. This kind of flexibility, and the ability to use even little bits of otherwise wasted time, is in my opinion very important to adult learners. Most adults simply don´t have the time (even if they have the motivation) to spend hours in front of a computer.</font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513"><b>Record</b></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">While Rosetta Stone has sold millions of copies, it is unclear how much actual follow-up and testing has been done to determine what actual results can be expected. Platiquemos (in its original FSI Basic Course format) has been followed up by multiple testing of thousands of students, and the results that can be expected from Platiquemos are not based on speculation or guesstimation, but on actual students´accomplishments as measured by the U.S. Government´s oral proficiency test.</font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513"><b>Cost</b></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Rosetta Stone´s 2 CD-ROM´s can be bought directly from the source for $329. The entire Platiquemos program in digital format can be purchased from this website for $279–and that´s 8 CD-ROM´s. As a download, the whole program can be had for $199 (and we have frequent special offers.) The "hard copy" version is $595 for 8 textbooks totalling over 1500 pages and 54 audio compact disks. Of course, Platiquemos Levels can be purchased individually or in any number of Levels from 2 to 7 for special prices.</font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513"><b>Summary</b></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 5"><font face="Arial" size="2" color="#8B4513">Rosetta Stone wins hands down for "cute". I´ve looked at some of their material, and the technical quality is excellent–and it´s illustrations are in color for those who find that important. (Platiquemos illustrations, all authentic and mostly historical, are in black and white.) If your goal is, however, to actually achieve significant proficiency in communication in Spanish, particularly oral, I think Platiquemos is the better choice by a wide margin.</font></p> <p><a href="#Rosetta"><img src="../../zz99MiscButtons/TopofPage.png" width="116" height="20" alt="TopofPage.png (660 bytes)" border="0"></a> <p> <p><font color="#FFFAF0">x</font> <p><font color="#FFFAF0">x</font> <p><font color="#FFFAF0">x</font> <p><font color="#FFFAF0">x</font> <p><font color="#FFFAF0">x</font> <p><font color="#FFFAF0">x</font> <p><font color="#FFFAF0">x</font></td> <td width="1" valign="top" bgcolor="#FAF0E6"></td> <td valign="top" width="150" bgcolor="#FFDAB9"> <table border="0" width="150"> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> </table> <p align="center"><br> </td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>