Using ChatGPT To Turbocharge Your Encore!!! Language Learning Experience
In a very short period of time, ChatGPT has become a very popular AI chatbot. This tool is being found to have many unique uses by users across the world. The question for us is, can ChatGPT be used to help us learn a language with Encore!!! I can proudly say that the answer to that question is a resounding yes. That simple conclusion doesn’t tell the whole story though, and there are plenty of issues to watch out for when integrating ChatGPT into your Encore!!! language learning app experience. Let’s take a look now at ChatGPT, what it is, how it is used, and how it can and can not be used to help us to improve our language learning.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence chatbot that was developed by the company OpenAI. The GPT in its name means “generative pre-trained transformer”, which is a type of AI that is trained by humans using a form of supervised learning and “transfer learning” where it is taught to use the solutions to one problem to potentially solve others. ChatGPT is constantly being fine-tuned and further trained by data gathered from users of the chatbot by OpenAI.
What Is ChatGPT being used for?
Users are finding use for ChatGPT to do a wide variety of things. While it is designed as a conversational chatbot, its learning abilities allow it to generate in-depth responses. For example, users have asked it to write long articles on subjects or even asked it to create programs and code in the Python programming language. Microsoft is even using ChatGPT to power the new version of its Bing search engine.
Controversially, ChatGPT has been used by some to write academic articles, essays, and even news articles. These are not recommended uses and has generated a backlash that has included the creation of tools to detect AI generated writing and a ban of the tool and others like it by several academic journals and school systems.
Why Not Just Use ChatGPT To Learn A Language?
The first question that one could ask after learning about ChatGPT, is why we cannot just use ChatGPT on its own to learn a new language. Another question that could be related, would be if we could just use ChatGPT as a translation tool on its own in lieu of learning a language.
No. We can not use these tools in this way at this point in time.
While this answer leaves room for development in the future, it is important to think of ChatGPT as a tool, not a solution. While it does generate some impressive responses, it does not always generate accurate responses. In fact, at times ChatGPT can create responses that are best described as being “confidently wrong”. How confidently wrong can it be? It can write an article that looks 100% convincing at first glance, even including academic citations. Of course, closer investigation will show that the response is laden with errors and the citations are from articles and academics who don’t even exist.
This means that ChatGPT needs to be monitored for accuracy and have its responses checked by a human. This makes it bad for generating content for use on its own, but excellent as a way to further supplement an app such as Encore!!!
Now that we know the advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT, let’s take a look at the ways we can put it to use for us alongside Encore!!!
Using ChatGPT For Language Learning With Encore!!!
ChatGPT might not be the ideal tool for learning a new language on its own, but as a supplement to an app such as Encore!!! it is an excellent addition. While the best forms of language learning will involve personal interactions with a real teacher, ChatGPT does an excellent job in generating lesson plans. ChatGPT also is incredibly useful in generating lessons based on the ideas of the user. Let’s look at each of these uses and how to best put this AI tool into action for your language learning experience.
Generating Language Learning Lesson Plans With ChatGPT
Encore!!! is a language learning app that is designed for use both by independent language learners as well as by those integrating the app with lessons in a classroom. Often times teachers will create specific lesson plans in Encore!!! which are designed for their class and the individual capabilities of the student.
With ChatGPT, independent learners can now take advantage of having lesson plans created for them. While the chatbot does not have the same abilities or personal interaction as a real human teacher, it can still create great lesson plans for students to use. One could ask ChatGPT to generate a lesson plan that focuses on “learning spanish for communicating in the technology industry”, and receive a lesson outline that would guide students through the words and phrases that will be of most use to them. You could also ask the chatbot to create a Korean language lesson plan that is based around the lyrics of popular Kpop songs, or Japanese lesson plans using the dialogue of Kurosawa movies.
Experimentation is the key when using tools like ChatGPT. Especially in this early phase of development. Users should try to have the chatbot create lesson plans that will integrate their interests and how they plan on using the language. Of course, users should make sure that the created content is accurate and try to help the bot to fine tune its responses with your feedback. Always verify that the vocabulary and its translations are accurate, which Encore!!!’s built in vocabulary tools can assist you in doing.
Once you have generated a lesson plan with ChatGPT, it is time to load it into the Encore!!! app. Put the lesson plan into an Excel sheet and load it into the MyPlaylists section of the My Entires feature of Encore!!! You can then put the appropriate lessons into the lesson plan and build a really awesome playlist of lessons around it.
ChatGPT is incredibly useful when used in tandem with Encore!!! to generate lesson plans. Next, we will be looking at its use creating specialized lessons.
Using ChatGPT To Create Language Learning Lessons In Encore!!!
ChatGPT can also be used to create lesson content for the Encore!!! app as well. While the lessons on their own are of limited use, when combined with a larger lesson plan as discussed above and the muscle memory development of the “listen-speak-repeat” language learning approach of the Encore!!! app, the lessons become incredibly useful. ChatGPT is a great way to take advantage of the flexibility of the Encore!! app.
Let’s look at an example of how ChatGPT can be used to generate lessons for Encore. We asked ChatGPT to give us a recipe for paella in Spanish, and to do so using only the “imperative” form of the verbs. This is a very specific ask that could be used to help learn both Imperative Verbs, along with being a useful lesson for chefs or those with an interest in cooking. The chatbot gave us a response with a recipe that was exactly as requested. The recipe was then translated, and both versions were placed in a spreadsheet so it can be loaded into the My Entries section of Encore!!!
| Paella recipe in Spanish in the imperative tense: | Receta de paella en español en tiempo imperativo: |
| Prepare the following ingredients: | Prepara los siguientes ingredientes: |
| 1 onion | 1 cebolla |
| 2 garlic cloves | 2 dientes de ajo |
| 1 green pepper | 1 pimiento verde |
| 1 red bell pepper | 1 pimiento rojo |
| 1 ripe tomato | 1 tomate maduro |
| 1 cup of rice | 1 taza de arroz |
| 1 liter of chicken broth | 1 litro de caldo de pollo |
| 500 grams of shellfish (prawns, mussels, clams) | 500 gramos de mariscos (gambas, mejillones, almejas) |
| 100 grams of chorizo | 100 gramos de chorizo |
| Olive oil | Aceite de oliva |
| Salt and pepper to taste | Sal y pimienta al gusto |
| Follow these instructions: | Sigue estas instrucciones: |
| Chop the onion, garlic, peppers and tomato into small cubes. | Pica la cebolla, ajo, pimientos y tomate en cubos pequeños. |
| Heat a paella pan or a large frying pan with a little olive oil. | Calienta una paellera o una sartén grande con un poco de aceite de oliva. |
| Add the onion, garlic, peppers and tomato to the pan and sauté until tender. | Añade la cebolla, ajo, pimientos y tomate a la paellera y saltéalos hasta que estén tiernos. |
| Add the rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes until it is covered in oil and starts to brown. | Agrega el arroz y saltéalo por 2-3 minutos hasta que esté cubierto de aceite y empiece a tostar. |
| Add the shellfish and the sliced chorizo. Mix well. | Añade los mariscos y el chorizo cortado en rodajas. Mezcla bien. |
| Pour in the chicken broth and add salt and pepper to taste. | Vierte el caldo de pollo y añade sal y pimienta al gusto. |
| Let cook over medium-high heat until the rice is done and the broth has evaporated (approximately 20 minutes). | Deja cocinar a fuego medio-alto hasta que el arroz esté hecho y el caldo se haya evaporado (aproximadamente 20 minutos). |
| Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy! | Deja reposar por 5 minutos antes de servir. ¡Buen provecho! |
This lesson is now ready for study, and can be repeated and memorized to help learn these useful words and phrases (while also learning how to make a delicious paella.)
This can be applied to other lessons as well. Much like in the previous section, we can turn those lesson plans into guides for lessons as well. Asking the bot to generate Korean vocabulary lists based on Kpop songs, Japanese phrases based on movies, or French lessons based on literature. All of these are possibilities that can be tested and generated by ChatGPT and then integrated into your lessons.
Conclusion
AI chatbots like ChatGPT is a great tool with many uses, as long as one realizes that it is a project that is still in development and not infallible. With this information in hand, we can use ChatGPT to help us generate lesson plans and lesson content to enhance our language learning experience in the Encore!!! app. As long as you verify the validity of the content, this tool will help you create interesting and unique content.
This is possible because of the flexibility that is unique to the Encore!!! app. Encore!!!’s My Entries feature lets you create your own playlists and lessons, along with even creating content for entire languages. With Encore!!!, our users, including teachers, students, and independent learners, are in control of their language learning experience.
