Rosetta Stone

This Set of Headphones (With a Microphone) Cost $5 at Big Lots

We recently announced the exciting plan to pilot the Rosetta Stone program in classrooms in grades 1 through 6 in the self-contained gifted program at Sonoran Sky. Information was sent home last week but here are a few answers to some FAQs. 

The paperwork needs to be completed by January 3, 2012, but we are hoping to get everyone enrolled before Winter Break. Here is an additional copy of the registration form. Parents have the opportunity to explore this program for free through Monday using the log-in information emailed earlier this week. Students will need a set of headphones with a microphone. I will purchase a few spare pairs for the classroom, but obviously it is more sanitary for each student to have their own. Headphones with microphones range dramatically in price. I urge you to look at some of the less expensive headphone options and when you send them to the classroom, it would be helpful if they are labeled with the student's name.  We are planning to have the students access the Rosetta Stone program between 40 and 60 minutes per week during school hours and they will be free to use the program at home as well. 

Regarding Mandarin (which is the fastest growing language in the world), Rosetta Stone uses Pinyin for typing/writing exercises (as do students in China using a computer) and provides the option to view the written language in Pinyin, Traditional, and Simplified characters. Typing on a keyboard requires the Pinyin alphabet as there are far too many characters (40,000+) to use any form of keyboard. Rosetta Stone uses the following interface: typing in Pinyin, and reading in any of the 3 available character types.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns and if any of the cost of the program itself or the headphones will be a hardship.