3 WAYS TO LISTEN
1. Click the icon on the right to listen to the full article.
2. Right-click here and “save as” or “save link as” to save an mp3 of the article to your computer.
3. Listen to sections of the article by pressing the play buttons that appear before a set of words in the article below (coming soon).
Apps Make My Life Easier
Vian Hamdullah
BEFORE YOU READ:
1. What is “app” short for? Discuss what apps do. Share which apps you use.
2. Do you recognize any of the app icons on this page? If so, name them.
I use Internet apps every day in my life. They are very helpful.
To communicate, I use Facebook Messenger, Zoom, WhatsApp, and Snapchat. I started using these apps in Jordan, so I could talk to my friends and family in Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Some apps work better for texting and others are better for video chats.
I use Google Maps every day in Tucson because I am new here and I don’t know the names of streets and places. I take the bus everywhere. I go to doctor’s appointments, and I take my children to the park. I also do grocery shopping at Walmart.
However, at Walmart, the cashiers often speak too fast. So, sometimes I shop online. It is easier to shop online because there is no cashier. I use the Amazon and Walmart apps for online shopping.
I use DuoLingo to help me learn English. I do not pay money for this app. I practice every day for 15 minutes after I take my children to school. I learn new words, read sentences, and practice speaking and writing. DuoLingo translates words from English to Arabic and gives me the definitions.
I use the Google Translate app when I have an appointment with the doctor and they do not have an interpreter. When I go shopping and I see a word I don’t know, I take a picture and Google Translate will give me the word in Arabic. I started using this app when I came to the United States in December 2023.
I use most of these apps daily. They make my life easier!
AFTER YOU READ:
1. According to the author, how do apps make her life easier? Be specific.
2. Work together in groups and use a Google doc to collect the names of all the apps you and your classmates use. Then create a slideshow featuring the most popular apps and explain how people use them. What works well about the apps and what could be better?
3. Visit The Change Agent website and click on the Issues tab and then Issue 64, you will find a link to this article in Google slides, as well as a Google doc template you can use for #2 above.
Vian Hamdullah is a former student in Pima Community College’s Refugee Education Program. She now takes English classes at Pima’s Adult Basic Education for College & Career program. She is from Iraq, but she lived in Jordan for the past 12 years, waiting to be accepted to come to America. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband and two children. Her children are happy in school and are learning English!