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Language apps are putting Hebrew school in teens’ back pockets. But do they work?

JL;DR SUMMARY Many teens are turning to language learning apps like Duolingo to supplement Hebrew education received at schools or synagogues. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish EducationHebrew LanguageTeensDuolingoTechnology In EducationLanguage Learning AppsSelf Study

Places mentioned

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"On her phone or computer, Agulnik, a high school senior in Toronto, translates sentences from English to Hebrew, matches new Hebrew vocabulary to English words and practices verb conjugations."
Turin, Italy
"Beatrice Olivetti attended a private Jewish day school in Turin, Italy through elementary and middle school, but is now a student at a public high school that doesnt have a Hebrew language program."
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States
"However, Or Rogovin, a professor of Hebrew at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, doubts that the same can be said of the Duolingo Hebrew course, in particular because the course offers very little explicit grammatical explanations."
Pennsylvania, United States
"As the director of the Modern Hebrew Language Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Joseph Benatov supports the use of Duolingo, and other similar online resources, as one part of a more extensive curriculum, such as the one he has built for his college students."
Seattle, Washington, United States
"Paulina Gamel, a senior at Northwest Yeshiva High School in Seattle, began learning Duolingo in part to prepare for a seminary program in Israel she plans on attending next year."
Israel
"Paulina Gamel, a senior at Northwest Yeshiva High School in Seattle, began learning Duolingo in part to prepare for a seminary program in Israel she plans on attending next year."

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Retrieved 2025-04-14 18:00:40 UTC
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