Dinosaurs

by AJ

While exploring The Linguist website it hit me: traditional TESOL teachers are endangered...

The "stand in front of the class, analyze grammar, and read from a textbook" industry is about to be hit by a meteor called technology. The dinosaurs won't survive. Students dont need to sit in a boring ass class anymore. They dont need a pontificating blowhard.

Rich, authentic, real English input is massively available. Conversationalal English input is readily available on DVD movies. English books can be bought on Amazon.com and delivered anywhere in the world. Audiobooks are just as easy to find and deliver.

But that's just the beginning. Downloading makes it all that much easier. No longer necessary to worry about shipping problems... just download the movie, the audiobook, and the print book. From anywhere. Its cheaper (no shipping costs, no "stuff"). Its quicker.

Then there's the services offered by The Linguist and other web based "schools". For a price MUCH cheaper than a language class... they give you a conversation tutor (internet phone), e-books, online dictionaries, audio files of the e-books, a writing coach (via email or blogs), and (MOST IMPORTANTLY) a learning method.

This is the future.

Dinosaurs take note.

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