QUESTION 1:
1. What are the users the website/websites is/are targeting?
The English Club is a website that is aimed at both people looking to learn and teach English as a second language. There is a wide range of activities such as jokes, games, chat rooms, quizzes and forums that are suitable for students. The activities can cater to students at various levels of expertise in English and they also cover a lot different areas. There is even a dedicated section for English in specific jobs like cashiers, hotel staff and airline staff, which I find very interesting and useful. At the same time, there are sections of the website aimed at ESL teachers such as job offers, teaching tips and discussions on education.
QUESTION 2:
2. What sorts of things are the application users expected to do with regards to learning and using (or even manipulating!) the content?
The Website covers the usual grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, listening, speaking, reading and writing but there are some limitations to content delivery using the Internet. For listening, there are some audio sample files that students can listen to and while this is a good idea, there are only a few files available. It is understandable however those audio files can take a lot of storage space and can put a huge strain on the website's bandwidth allocation if the files are frequently accessed. One other problem is that for the writing section, there is really no real way to provide interactive feedback on essay writing. Most of the content here leans more towards guides in writing and articles on the different styles of writing. That being said though, the sheer amount of content by itself is impressive and there are a lot of things that students can do here. The other sections are also full of content and the interactive activities section is of special interest and worth looking into.
QUESTION 3:
3. What sorts of computer skills are the application users expected to have in order to operate/access/use the application?
The interface of the website is really quite simple. There are no fancy Flash animations and the color scheme is a rather bland white background with brown text showing users there is a hypertext link and black text for normal content. This minimalist approach and preference for substance over style means that the pages load quickly and with no hassle. The contents also consist mostly of text and I do think that students can benefit with more pictures to break the monotony. It is likely that students' attention can waver when faced with these walls of text. Overall, provided that the students have rudimentary knowledge of English (as the site is in English), the only computer skills that they need is basic knowledge on using a web browser and they will be able to point and click right away to access the contents. The site also made sure to provide a lot of directions in each section so there is really no problem in terms of accessibility.
QUESTION 4:
4. While you are “playing”/”accessing”/”assessing” the website(s), does it remind you of anything you do (or have done) in a classroom, or with a teacher, or with a fellow classmate, or in self-study?
The activities, articles and lessons available here are mostly similar to the things I have read in books, done in class and learned in lectures over the years. There is certainly a touch of the familiar as I browsed through the content and tried out the activities like crossword puzzles, quizzes, and playing a game of Hangman. It is reassuring however that the content here is tried and true. The interactive games are actually very interesting and opens up some possibilities of group activities as students can work together to complete them.
QUESTION 5:
5. What setting will the website(s) best used in: independent study lab with no teacher available, lab associated with a class, a teacher-led class with one or a few computers?
The simplicity of the website leads me to think that students can be very self-sufficient in using it, however with the amount of content I believe that a teacher should act as a guide for the first few trial runs until students can get their footing. At the very least, teaches can hold their hands until they have learned to use the ESL Help Desk where they can ask questions and get answers from teachers active on the site, or the ESL Chat Room so they can have some real time help from other users of the site. After that, I do believe students can regularly use the website by themselves.
QUESTION 6:
6. Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?
According to Stephen Krashen, for his monitor hypothesis theory, the language that one has subconsciously acquired "initiates our utterances in a second language and is responsible for our fluency," whereas the language that we have consciously learned acts as an editor in situations where the learner has enough time to edit, is focused on form, and knows the rule, such as on a grammar test in a language classroom or when carefully writing a composition. This conscious editor is called the Monitor.
Different individuals use their monitors in different ways, with different degrees of success such as monitor over-users, monitor under-users and optimal monitor users.
As you can see, it this website that I’ve chosen it requires users to edit their works in order for them to get an accurate answer especially for composition part. The students tend to become so concerned with correctness that they cannot speak with any real fluency (which is not good).
QUESTION 7:
7. How well are the Vygotsky’s constructivist theory of learning and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory applied to the chosen website(s)?
As for Vygotsky’s constructivist theory of learning, he stated that children develop in social or group settings with the use of technology to connect rather than separate students from one another would be very appropriate use.
A constructivist teacher creates a context for learning in which students can become engaged in interesting activities that encourages and facilitates learning. The teacher does not simply stand by (like a traditional method) but they watch children explore and discover. The teacher will guide students as they approach problems, encourage them to work in groups so that they can discuss, and support them with encouragement and advice as they tackle problems and so forth. This theory is very well effective for this method where teachers can facilitate their students and at the same time use technology for learning activities.
As for Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory, he describes an array of different kinds of "intelligence" exhibited by human being. Gardner suggests that each individual manifests varying levels of these different intelligences, and thus each person has a unique cognitive profile.
The theory suggests that, rather than relying on a uniform curriculum, schools should offer "individual-centered education", with curriculum tailored to the needs of each child. For example, if the kids are very good in writing, the teacher should provide suitable amount of activities related to his/her ability and vice versa. And this can be found in the website that I’ve chosen.
QUESTION 8:
8. In 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major debate on ‘whether the computer was “master” of or “slave” to the learning process (Higgins and Johns, 1984). In relation to your evaluation - is the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?
From my point of view, there is currently no possibility of the computer to serve as an acceptable replacement for teachers. Today's computers and programs are a far cry from being completely isolated from needing human input and I doubt they will be in the near future. Saying that the computer is merely an obedient servant to students is not entirely wrong. The computer is a tool in learning. Perhaps a more advanced one than textbooks or other tools of the old days, but a tool nonetheless and it will operate within the designed boundaries set by its programmers. Saying that it is a servant may imply that a computer can do anything a student asks of it, but there will be limitations.
QUESTION 9:
9. Would you like to use the website(s) yourself in your future work? Yes? Give reasons. No? Give reasons.
The answer here is definitely yes. There is a lot of information here that can be very useful in teaching English and for a teacher it is very well organized into the relevant sections. What set the website apart from some others I have seen is that it also caters to teachers. The prospect of meeting other teachers online from all over the world and exchanging teaching tips is an idea that truly appeals to me. I also liked the fact that with minimal familiarizing, students will be able to use the site on their own initiative and provided they have the motivation; it will certainly assist in their learning process. It is also interesting that the site administrators keep it updated with current issues. There are some information on the environment and the Beijing Olympics as proof of this.
QUESTION 10:
10. Suggestions/Recommendations.
This website is quite comprehensive and I highly recommend it to other teachers looking for an online resource to complement their teaching. However, I do advise that teachers accompany their students when they first access it and show the way around, especially the interactive sections so students can become self-sufficient as soon as possible.
MURNIHAYATI NEK KAMAL
2004327428
~U8A~
1 comment:
ok, 9.2/10
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