Over the past few months I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of dialogue. Whether it’s the Socratic dialogues or the Analects of Confucius, both Eastern and Western traditions have been using dialogue as a teaching tool for more…
Should German Learners Use Google Translate?
When Wikipedia first became popular I remember my teachers and professors scoffing at it: “A free encyclopedia? On the Internet? Why, that can’t be good! You had better learn to use the library instead, young whippersnapper!” And yet everyone still…
“Schlaflose Sarah”, or: How to Make an App When You Don’t Know How
Ever since I first started writing interactive fantasy fiction for German learners back in 2013 I’ve been toying with the idea of doing something similar in app form. But I had two problems. First of all, the fantasy genre wasn’t…
Not Rammstein: German Music Artists Beyond The Teutonic Shtick
When we think of Brazilian music we think of samba, bossa nova, a cool breeze on the beach and the Girl from Ipanema. But what do you think of when you think German music? Do you think of laid-back melodies…
Café in Berlin Anniversary Sale
In 2013 I first published Café in Berlin, episode 1 of the Dino lernt Deutsch story series for beginners. Since then I’ve written 9 more episodes, recorded them as audiobooks, added flashcards, a free workbook and much more. To celebrate the…
7 Tools To Help You Write In German
There are many ways to learn German, and they all have their pros and cons. Obviously, I’m a huge fan of learning German with stories. I believe it’s one of the most fun methods of acquiring new vocabulary and making…
The Pareto Law Applied To Language Learning
Most people have heard of the 80/20 rule. This law was coined by mathematician Vilfredo Pareto. The concept is simple: in anything you do, 20% of your efforts will yield 80% of the results. What is this 20% in language…
NEW: Karneval in Köln Workbook (PDF)
Good news, everyone! Jeff Richards and I completed another workbook for the Dino lernt Deutsch series. This time we’re bringing you another 60+ pages packed with exercises, writing prompts, crossword puzzles and other activities for Karneval in Köln. As with the…
5 Books ESL Learners Ignore at Their Own Peril
If you want to improve your English, the books on this list will contribute to your growth as an ESL learner. The best part? The books are actually interesting and you’ll improve your knowledge of English literature in the process….
NEW: Digital in Dresden Audiobook
UPDATE: This title is now also on Audible. The latest audiobook in the Dino lernt Deutsch series (episode 9) is finally here! After wrangling with soundwaves for a few weeks the audiobook is now complete and slowly rolling out to…
German Spelling Made Easy With Duden Spellchecker & Grammar Checker
Did you know that 100 years ago German spelling was a highly fragmented endeavor? People just spelled how they felt like, and with all the different dialects and varieties that resulted in wildly different outcomes, which made for a lot of misunderstandings. All of…
Why We Learn, Write and Speak Hebrew Today
“I believe German will be our principal language.” What would you think if heard these words from a Jew today? It was 123 years ago when Theodor Herzl, the father of Zionism, considered it impossible for Jews to revive the…
