Weston Teacher Develops Tablet Application

Spanish-language immersion at your fingertips? There’s an app for that, and it was co-developed by a longtime Weston Spanish teacher.

Noyo, a Boston-based education software startup co-created by Mike Sullivan, a fourth- and fifth-grade Spanish teacher at Field School and graduate of Weston High School, recently released a Spanish learning application for iPad and Android tablets that Sullivan describes as “a 200-slide virtual text book that takes the user through all kinds of visual, listening and reading components.”

According to Noyo’s website, the language application “takes the user on a virtual journey through a colorful landscape of exciting scenes. The curriculum introduces words and phrases in context to help beginning learners strengthen their Spanish vocabulary”—some 1,800 words that are voiced by a native Spanish speaker.

Sullivan co-founded Noyo with fellow Weston native Ted Chan, a software technology entrepreneur, designer and consultant, saying, “As a teacher for the past 15 years, I have always embraced the newest technology and tried to incorporate it into my classroom. When the iPad came out, (I found it) such an amazing teaching tool, I knew that a program like this would be an exciting, fun, interactive way to learn a language."

While Sullivan said he knows of other such language applications in development, Noyo’s Spanish application is one of the first to market with an interactive platform. The application will be followed by simultaneous releases for those in Portuguese, French, Italian, Mandarin and English as a Second Language.

“We’re currently hiring voice talent for the other languages,” he said, adding that current plans call for applications with similarly extensive vocabulary words. “We want to keep the same volume, which we’re proud of.”

Sullivan described the technology as appropriate for “anyone at the novice level” of learning Spanish and said its format--as well as its all-day accessibility--makes it “a whole lot more than just regular flashcards” that could ultimately enhance classroom learning capabilities.

“Kids can access it 24 hours a day from tablets (allowing teachers) to do more project-based learning in the classroom and not waste valuable class time on rote exercises,” he said.

And, echoing sentiments expressed by Lee McCanne, director of technology and school libraries for Weston schools, about this year’s , Sullivan said he believes tablet technology such as the language applications he developed are just the beginning of a revolution in education.

“Tablet technology is definitely the future of education,” he said. “And the ability to deliver instant content to students and (increase) their access to information is exciting.”