What can I do if I'm not technologically proficient?

[zenmonkey]

Oh, and wordlists are generally a very poor way to study a language.

That quite a reductive comprehension of what technology or even Anki can bring to language learning.

Backing up to the OP's questions.
Anki isn't a requirement or even a perfect tool - i'm a big fan of it and use it regularly - promote it around me but it has it's limitations.

It's not a learning tool.
It's a recall and testing tool.

If you find that you learn better by writing things out and using the physical movement as part of your learning process you are exactly like almost everyone else. People learn better by doing several things:

- physical activity like writing or moving while learning
- making learning emotional and personal
- using multiple input systems - visual, auditory, oral and physical

Anki can give you some of those inputs but just writing sentences and reading them out loud can be just as useful. If you want to use a low tech spaced repetition system - here is a good description:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leitner_system

[Decidida]

and I doubt that their benefit compensates for the time spent learning them and setting them up.

This was why I declined some technology that was being offered to me for free. I just didn't think it was the most efficient way to get stuff DONE.

[Decidida]

If you find that you learn better by writing things out and using the physical movement as part of your learning process you are exactly like almost everyone else. People learn better by doing several things:

- physical activity like writing or moving while learning
- making learning emotional and personal
- using multiple input systems - visual, auditory, oral and physical

I have definitely noticed marked improvement from all three of the above.

My cursive is different enough from text that I have noticed quick improvement in my Spanish writing if I copy Spanish. I have started implementing the copywork method, and plan to continue with it. I have used copywork in remedial English tutoring and am a big fan of it.
http://www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com/20 ... ywork.html

The words I learn while experiencing emotion sometimes stick after hearing them once. Last week, a single word was muttered to me in an intense moment, and I have never had to review it. It stuck like glue.

Multiple input – absolutely. The library declined to buy anything i suggested for TPR.

[Serpent]

Technology makes people stupider, not smarter. In the past people were more thoughtful, capable, reflecting, cultured, their subjective capacities were greater, and they achieved much, much more. Knowledge of the main European languages was assumed for a well-bred individual, whereas today it is seen as a wonder. It has been shown that the mere presence of a smartphone in a room makes people dumber. Those who read ebooks instead of proper paper books score lower on reading comprehension tests.

Please avoid this kind of discussions.

[tastyonions]

Mostly I just use technology to come into contact with the spoken language much more frequently than would have been practical in the past, thanks to YouTube and podcasts. I don't think you are losing too much if you go no further than that with "digitizing" your learning experience.

Edit: almost forgot another point: finding words and expressions is *so* much more efficient in a digital dictionary!