Publish at November 04 2019 Updated May 21 2026
"With the practice of networking, the teacher can transform himself into a ferryman, rather than confine himself to his traditional role of pastor."
French scientist and futurist Joël de Rosnay (b. 1937) didn't mean it quite that way, without even having to specify "social" networks! Indeed, while social networks have become part of our daily lives, we don't always use them for educational purposes. Of course, thanks to them, it's easy to communicate live, share your news, tell people where you are, post photos and comments... and all in real time, albeit virtual. Virtual? Still virtual? No, because now we can also talk about social networks, but in real life too. What about languages? That's where it gets interesting!
Here's a look at how a new social network, Lexody, can be used to develop your language skills in a whole new way.
It all began in 2010, when Walsh Costigan, a young American with a passion for languages, left her native Texas to study French in Paris, far from the cliché of having to learn Spanish because of her geographical location! So it was in Paris that she quickly picked up French with a young man who spoke only a few words of English. She had no choice but to speak French.
Total immersion confirmed the value of this method of learning the language, and on her return to the U.S., she wondered whether she could continue to practice French without having to pay $10 an hour, just to talk to someone. Time went by and she learned a completely different language: computer programming. Combining her two passions, languages and new technologies, Walsh created Lexody (Language exchange) in 2016 to offer a new language experience.
The concept is simple: practice any language, in person, with a native speaker.
Lexody works in three steps:
As the young director points out, Lexody works a bit like speed dating, but without the dating.
She also insists on the safety and comfort offered by the application, always proposing safe, public meeting places. What's more, she recommends ice-breakers and stress-busting games and themes to ensure the best language experience for both parties.
In practice, it all starts with a simple, free registration on the Lexody website, followed by a few details about your mother tongue, the other languages you speak and the language(s) you want to learn.
Then it's time to find people who match your criteria, but also your geographical location, as Lexody's originality lies in creating a real - not virtual - social network. However, this is where things get a little more problematic, as for the time being (November 2019), only 9 cities in the United States are accessible, including New York, San-Francisco, Boston and Washington. However, given the innovative and playful concept, it's a safe bet that many more cities will soon be added to the list!
In anticipation of a better spatial distribution, Walsh has also thought about partnerships, as schools, colleges and universities can sign up, as well as friendly venues such as cafés and bars offering themselves as Lexody meeting places!
To date, the most popular languages are Spanish, Mandarin, French, Italian and German, but it's also possible to find people who speak Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Hindi and Arabic... to which other languages will certainly be added in the future. 
Such a concept is original in that it breaks with the beaten track by offering users an experience that combines the attractive aspect of social networks and their imposing media coverage with the human aspect, too often placed in the background in our increasingly virtual society.
More than half a century later, we can see that Joël de Rosnay, as a great specialist in the sciences of the future, was right to predict things: the individual is no longer simply a pastor, who must transmit and guide, but rather a "passeur", i.e. one who participates and acts as an active and decisive player in the evolution of knowledge and exchanges.
This is what social networks are really all about: organizing groups to give them concrete meaning: in this case, learning a language through discussion, just like in real life, without any virtual barriers... and completely free of charge!
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