i-d-e-e

i-d-e-e is the digital platform of Edilingua, a publisher of Italian as a foreign language, and it serves two readers at once: teachers of Italian who want to run classes and set work online, and the students using Edilingua's textbooks. The name is an acronym for Italiano Digitale Edizioni Edilingua. The FAQ calls it the first teaching platform created "appositamente ed esclusivamente per chi insegna e per chi impara l’italiano" (specifically and exclusively for those who teach and learn Italian). Edilingua describes itself as a publishing house "fondata e gestita da insegnanti d’italiano" (founded and run by teachers of Italian). The homepage counts more than 35,000 teachers and more than 130,000 students on the platform.

How the platform works

i-d-e-e is built for blended learning. The FAQ describes it as "un ambiente di apprendimento blended (o ibrido)" (a blended or hybrid learning environment) that combines classroom lessons with interactive online materials that students can also use on their own at home. It works for group or individual lessons, in person or at a distance.

The company is open about where it fits. Asked whether you can learn Italian through i-d-e-e alone, the student FAQ answers that it is a blended platform that helps you practice and improve what you have already covered in class, and that "Per imparare e studiare in maniera corretta hai bisogno dell’insegnante" (to learn and study properly, you need the teacher). After the course ends, a student can come back to keep in touch with the language through grammar exercises, listening, video and the student community.

The content is Edilingua's own catalog. According to the FAQ, all its volumes are on the platform: class books in interactive or digital form, interactive exercise books, graded readers, grammars and supplements in digital form, video, audio, glossaries and video games, and for teachers the whole Formazione insegnanti (teacher training) series in digital form. Recent news on the site covers the move of Nuovo Progetto italiano and Progetto italiano Junior to the new version of the platform.

What teachers get

For teachers and schools, i-d-e-e costs nothing. The English homepage lists "No charge for teachers" among its advantages, and the FAQ confirms that access is free for teachers and schools.

The teacher's main tool is the virtual class. A teacher or school creates a class, then gives students a "Codice classe" (class code); once a student enters it, they join that class automatically. The virtual class gathers the names of the students in a real class together with the results and activity of each. Through the class space, the teacher sends exercises, tests and messages, and the results land in the teacher's register.

The teacher tutorials show the rest of the toolkit: creating a virtual class, the teacher's books, the exercise books and teacher resources, and customizable interactive tests. Each tutorial comes as a step-by-step guide with screenshots and as a video tutorial, and a short mini guide introduces the main tools.

The homepage figures give a sense of the material on hand: 550 videos, 1,850 digital materials, more than 500 interactive games, and 14,500 classes.

What students get

Students reach i-d-e-e through their textbook. Every Edilingua book carries a personal access code, made of letters and numbers, inside the cover. A student registers through "Registrati > Studente", enters the code, and the matching material switches on automatically in the control panel under class books, readings, exercise books, games, video and audio. A student using several books enters each code through "Aggiungi nuovo codice" (add new code), registering only once.

The homepage says the interactive class books and workbooks come with automatic correction and evaluation. Video covers sitcom episodes, authentic interviews, mini documentaries and quizzes; the e-book shelf holds easy readers "for each level"; and the audio tracks from the books' CDs stream on any device.

Attempts are clearly defined. Each exercise in the exercise book can be done three times, and teacher tests allow two attempts; exercises in the class book and the games can be repeated without limit. Under "Visualizza i progressi" (view progress) a student sees the answers given and the solutions. Results of the first two attempts at exercise book activities and of both test attempts are saved, both for the student and in the teacher's register.

The platform stays open outside class. Access hours are valid for 18 months from activation, and on weekends, holidays and vacations a student can keep practicing with the class space, the interactive grammar, auto-corrected exercises and the glossaries. Extra practice (grammar, listening, video and more) can be bought inside the platform.

Access hours and prices

For students, access comes with the book. The code in an Edilingua book gives a number of access hours, which varies by book, to be used within 18 months of activation. The hours can be topped up or renewed during the 18 months or when they run out, by buying more on the platform. The FAQ gives sample prices: "20 ore a 2 euro, 50 ore a 5 euro" (20 hours for 2 euros, 50 hours for 5 euros). A student can buy hours directly, or a school can buy them, in which case further discounts apply.

The FAQ adds some practical rules. Codes are personal, so sharing one with a classmate uses up the owner's hours, and i-d-e-e reserves the right to block different users who log in with the same code. The system will not accept two codes for the same book, and a code from a second-hand book is not recognized. Students are advised not to race ahead of the class, partly because it uses up hours faster.

Technical requirements, privacy and support

i-d-e-e runs in a browser with no installation. The teacher FAQ says it is optimized for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, works on any tablet (iOS, Android or Windows), is compatible with all versions of Windows and Mac, and that screen size does not matter, though speakers or headphones are needed for listening exercises.

On privacy, the FAQ says "Edilingua si impegna a non utilizzare in alcun modo i dati personali degli utenti" (Edilingua undertakes not to use users' personal data in any way), which stay confidential and out of reach of third parties, while exercise and test results are visible to the student's teacher and school.

Support runs by email at info@i-d-e-e.it, with set subject lines for problems such as a code that does not work, a book without a code (send a photo of the inside cover) or technical support. The site calls i-d-e-e a project "in divenire" (still evolving) that will be "implementata, arricchita, migliorata" (extended, enriched, improved) thanks to user feedback.

Who it suits

i-d-e-e suits teachers and schools that use Edilingua textbooks: it costs them nothing, gives every class an online space for assignments and tests, and tracks results without extra software. Language schools and course providers running blended or distance classes get the same tools.

For students in such a class, the platform turns the printed book into interactive practice with automatic correction, and the low price of extra hours keeps it affordable through a long course.

The main limit is the tie to Edilingua. The platform is built around that publisher's books and codes, and the company itself says a learner needs a teacher to study properly, so a self-taught learner without an Edilingua book will find the setup less useful than a class will.