Olá, queridos alunos! Virginia here, your Brazilian teacher.
I have exciting news! I made a virtual clone of myself!
Would you believe it if I said that, starting today, you can practice Portuguese with me every day, any time, and for as long as you want?
Yes, it’s possible with my virtual clone created by Teacher AI, a new language practice tool created with artificial intelligence.
Watch the video to see how this new tool works!
Why Teacher AI?
If you’ve followed my work for a while, you know that, in my opinion, nothing can substitute a real teacher.
That’s why, at Speaking Brazilian School, we offer group and individual lessons with real teachers.
On the other hand, I’m also in favor of using the available technology to complement our studies.
If you are of my generation, you remember when smartphones, YouTube, and podcasts didn’t exist… all of this technology is relatively new and revolutionized language learning.
Today, we have infinite access to authentic content for input, in other words, content to listen to and read. The more you consume content, the more you will increase your passive knowledge of the language, which is the knowledge you need to understand a language.
However, until recently, technology hadn’t given us solutions to practice our output, in other words, to speak, to create, to produce the language. A big problem for most of my students is the lack of opportunities to practice Portuguese.
But the good news is that this is changing!
With my virtual clone, you can practice Portuguese for an unlimited time! Of course, a virtual teacher could never come close to a real teacher, but Teacher AI is a wonderful tool.
Watch the video to see a demo of my virtual clone and other virtual teachers.
Now, I’d like to point out the advantages and disadvantages of Teacher AI.
Let’s start with the advantages:
1- Less stress and anxiety. It’s normal to feel a little anxious in the classroom or in conversations with Brazilians. With Teacher AI, you can practice speaking without the pressure of having to respond quickly or fear of judgment by other people.
2- Always available. Obviously, it’s not possible to talk with a real teacher at any time of the day. With Teacher AI, you can practice any time, for as long as you wish.
3- Much cheaper than a real teacher. For a small monthly or yearly fee, you can practice Portuguese and many other languages for an unlimited amount of time.
4- The program already has more than 25 languages available. Once you sign up, you will have immediate access to all of the languages.
Now, some disadvantages:
1. It’s not a human being. Like I said at the beginning, in my opinion, nothing substitutes a real teacher. An interaction with artificial intelligence will never be authentic. The program doesn’t understand nuances and can’t keep a conversation going in a natural way like a human being.
2. It’s not recommended for beginners and doesn’t offer structured lessons. You need to at least have a high beginner level to use this program.
3. It doesn’t correct pronunciation. This program can help with grammar, vocabulary, and practicing speaking, but it can’t correct your pronunciation adequately.
4. It’s a new technology, and it’s a long way from being perfect.
Like you saw in the demonstration, my clone’s intonation and pronunciation is sometimes strange and unnatural. I imagine that over time the technology will improve in this aspect.
So, to sum up, Teacher AI can’t substitute your teacher or any other programs that you already use, but it’s a tool that the market was needing and gives us the opportunity to practice speaking more. The more you speak, the more you develop fluency, and this program can help with that.
And the coolest thing is that you can practice Portuguese with me! That is… with my clone.
Want to know more? Visit the site yourteacher.ai/virginia
I hope you enjoy your conversations with my clone!
Have a wonderful language-learning week!
Sua professora,
Virginia
