RocketGermanReview.com

Rocket German features three games that help you to learn the more repetitive (and slightly boring) aspects of the language. These are MegaVocab, MegaAudio and MegaVerb. This article covers MegaVocab and asks can it really help you learn German ?

Megavocab is a game aimed at teaching you vocabulary. In some respects I think vocabulary is pretty hard to pick up.

You can’t learn it in an academic fashion, by studying a English/German dictionary for instance. This is just too boring and ultimately the words will not stick in your head. One aspect of vocabulary is that you have to be able to recall it quickly to speak or comprehend a conversation. This will not happen by reading page after page of a book.

The word has to stick in your head so that it is triggered whenever you see an example of it. And the best way to get it stuck, so to speak, is to use it in conversation. This seems to form a link in the mind. The more you use it, the more it will strengthen the link until it is part of your vocabulary without a moments thought.

But speaking German all the time is not really practical if you are living in a country that doesn’t speak German so how do you learn vocabulary ?

The best teaching method is to use audio-visual cues to reinforce the meaning of a word. By repeatedly seeing the audio-visual cue, the hope is that the link or connection in the brain will form.

This is the idea behind flash cards that are a popular way to learn vocabulary. Flash cards are basically picture cards with the German word underneath or on the other side, to describe the picture.

You can play various games with flash cards against your friends or fellow students. You are shown the picture and have to guess the correct German word to describe it. This game element makes the learning of new words more enjoyable and gives the student a bit more emotional involvement in the learning process. And the visual element makes the link in your brain a little stronger.

Rocket German MegaVocab is effectively a digital set of flash cards turned into a game.

There are 20 separate topics to choose from. Each topic concentrates on the type of words that might be associated with the topic, some examples being shopping, colors, food and drink, tourism etc.

When you select a topic, you are taken to a screen that has a photograph, 4 German words down the side of the picture and a box where you can display the English word for the picture. Your task is to click the German word that corresponds to the picture.

Each topic asks you 25 questions and keeps a score of your correct answers. At the end of the questions, you are given a percentage of correctly answered questions. This can give you some idea of your progress and whether you can go onto another set of vocabulary.

I found that the box where you can toggle the English word on/off was useful, as occasionally the picture was not completely clear about it’s intended meaning. For instance, a picture of new car would be displayed and the correct answer would be new rather than the obvious car.

The English toggle switch is useful in this situation but I wouldn’t use it too much because it makes the guessing too easy.

The MegaVocab also has a feature where you can add your own pictures/questions to the system. This means you can create literally hundreds on new words and expand your digital inventory of flash cards. This is a useful feature of the game that should ensure that it stays fresh and you continue to use it.

In my opinion, Megavocab is a useful vocabulary learning tool. It is easy to use and gives you feedback on how you are doing. It can help the repetitive task of learning vocabulary more interesting and is a good way to warm up before a lesson proper.

Find out more about MegaVocab and the Rocket German course by visiting the Rocket German site.