Craig and Shane Smith were winners of the recent ComputerWorld ICT Award for Young ICT entrepreneurs. They are the creators of a "dynamic, platform technology" called Language Perfect. The online language software was originally developed for the French language, and has now been extended to German, Spanish and Japanese, with Maori, Latin and Chinese on the way. A number of schools around the country have been trialling this software with their students.

Craig says his former Auckland school, St Kentigern College, gave him some very hands-on computer skills. At the same time, he had noticed that students had problems learning languages, especially vocabulary.

Jane Wheatley, head of languages at St Hilda's School, Dunedin, is using the interactive system to tutor language students to NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3. It tests them on various French words, which the students have to reproduce on their keyboards.

Only when they get it right consistently can they move on.

The words can also be rendered in audio-sound, and students either spell out the French translation, or the program gives them the word in French and students type out the English translation.

"The kids really love it and they are actually learning. Each student has their own log-in and I can check their progress," she says.

Test scores have improved from a typical 12 or 13/20 to 19-20/20.

Jane adds that Craig Smith refines the system based on student feedback, which gives the students ownership of the software and fuels their enthusiasm for it.