Motivation Autopsy Activity

I can not even count the number of times I have restarted my Duolingo lessons. I was initially motivated to take Duolingo because I have been semi-fluent in German my whole life and really need to brush up on my grammar so I can properly communicate with my family. My goal to work on my German is constantly recurring. Every time I begin my lessons, I set a goal of 5-10 minutes of practice a day, which seems like a doable amoun no? Well apperantly not for me. My motivation typically drops off around the end of my first week of lessons. I think as a student, it is hard for me to want to learn new things outside of school. I believe this is my number one reason for losing interest. Doulingo does a good job of engaging its students by using fun characters and constant reminders to lure you back into the lesson, even if you stop practicing the language. I think at my current stage, the only reason I keep quitting Duolingo is that it lacks relevance for me. As much as I want to improve my German, it sadly falls low on my list of academic priorities. The design of Duolingo is actually very good and would be a great way to learn a language for someone who has the time and motivation. The app is set up as a phone game, where you are able to collect points and level up depending on your improvement. If I were designing a technology-mediated learning envrionment I think that using an engaging design like this would be very effective for learning.