At Home with Hebrew
How "At Home with Hebrew" was Created
by Neal Walters
I first began to learn Hebrew in 1994 before the internet was really popular. Even then Borders and Barnes and Noble stores were just starting, so it was hard to find good tutorials. Most courses simply jumped into Hebrew sentences, without taking the time to properly learn the alphabet first.
After many months of searching, I finally found a Hebrew "primer" or reading book that taught the basic Hebrew reading skills at more reasonable pace. These books are even simpler than the old "See Spot Run" books. They teach one or two letters per chapter, and then each chapter adds one or two additional letters.
Using this system, I was able to master "site reading" of Hebrew. In other words, even if I didn't understand the words I was reading, I could sound-out each word in the Sidur (prayer book) or the Hebrew Bible, or a Hebrew lesson book. The only problem was, sometimes I was still guessing and didn't have anyone to confirm if my new reading abilities were correct or not.
So even these "readers" were lacking. If I only had my own personal Hebrew tutor working with me, then I could have learned even faster. Since I was a computer software developer, I knew that the computer could take the place of the tutor, and pronounce the words for me.
It was a challenge finding the Hebrew true-type fonts back then, but there were several multimedia software programs emerging on the market, and I chose one called "Toolbook". It creates online "books" with a turn-the-page model. The teacher (or programmer) creates the pages or lessons, and the program presents the pages to the student. Of course, the student can skip around, and doesn't have to go through the lessons in any specific order.
I didn't choose to teach the alphabet in alphabetic order. Instead, I chose letters based on their shape and their frequency of use. Eventually, I found a talented singer and speaker to record over 2700 voice files, which then had to be meticulously edited on the computer.
The final work involved creating a professional CD/ROM with a nice jacket insert. The program evolved from being sold on diskettes (remember those?) with no sound, to a CD/ROM with over 2700 sound files. Each year since then, via internet marketing only, we have sold hundreds and hundreds of the tutorial.
Creating my first published software tutorial "At Home with Hebrew" was a challenge and a labor of love. It was not an immediate financial success, but I learned a lot, and it introduced me to the world of internet marketing. After the first program, I went on to create two additional Hebrew tutorials and created a successful website marketing dozens of other peoples products.
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See free example videos showing how "At Home With Hebrew" at Learn Hebrew and learn more about Video Training
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Living Israeli Hebrew. For the Beginner... the Very Beginner. with Flash Cards and CD (For The Beginner.. The Very Beginner) Sale Price: $34.95  |
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* Use at home, at your own pace. * Learn how to write Hebrew script. * Modern and Biblical Hebrew - in one workbook. * Practice with a handy 60-minute audio cassette, featuring a native Israeli speaking slowly and clearly... |
