The role of WebQuests in learning a foreign/ second Lanuage?

         The role of WebQuests in learning a foreign / second Lanuage?

         

                   What is Webquests?  Bernie Dodge defines as "an inquiryoriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet, optionally supplemented with videoconferencing."

   
                    Learners can using the Web as a source of  real-world information. The webquest consider as a starting point for gathering information for the students.  It helps the students to see more references and read more about some topic.  The Webquest helps the teaher , she don't have to talk too much to explain the task.  Also, the students will know how the teacher will evaluate their work.  Webquests tend to be student-oriented and collaborative, in sharing learning experiences and new knowledge.  While Webquests foster cooperative learning through guided discovery, the students will work in group and the will have knowledge and practice of communication skills.A number of implementations have developed quite sophisticated multimedia environments, mostly in closed, proprietary systems. Technology advances not only helping n learn the langage in good eniroments , but also contributing to adding a new dimension to real-world language learning and cultural experiences.

                                                            Site Evaluation

 

                                             

 

 

 

 

 

              The availability of ESL/EFL sites made the learners and teachers confused about which website should used.  There are a lot of sites addressed for learners and teachers, and it will be a difficult task to trying to show all such sites and their evaluated, and decided which of these sites fit the user's expectations.  What follows now is an evaluation of  http://a4esl.org/

              This website is for ESL/EFL students which includes lot of features. This site includes quizzes, tests, and puzzles to help students to learn English very well. Each element is divided into subheadings which reveal the required skill and level of difficulty. Also, there is a section for bilingual quizzes in which students can take the quiz in any skill in many languages. 

          The website home page is good but it may be appear boring; it needs more creative thing to look like attractive for the users. According to images and graphics, they're useless and monotonous; it needs more developing. It can be pictures from real life or animations. The users can move easily from one page to another because of the good navigation. The links are up-to-date and they are exiting in site for educational purposes. The background of the website is unattractive and uninteresting; it needs more colorful and vital pictures and line to attract users. The color choices can let you know if a certain link is visited or not. For copyright it's 100% good because any links or websites mentioned in the website is provided by its writer or author. The font is clear and east to read; the site differentiates between headings and subheadings by using different fonts. Also, the sounds are clear and the students can understand easily to what they're listening to. Finally, the spelling and grammar are accurate and excellent; no errors are found. One point is important which is the teachers can write their own quizzes and contribute them on the website.

               In conclusion, it's important to know how to evaluate any website in the large presence of different sites in the world of net. These website can confused the users because of their uselessness or the material is inaccurate and if it's provided the needed utility or not.



Student names:
Amal
Samah

Interactive Language Learning on the Web

 

              Web can helps teachers to teach language.  The teacher can take the material, lesson plans and ideas from the Web for using it in the classes.  Web used as a resource for language teaching and learning.  Teachers can create their own interactive language learning activities on the Web.  The benefit of creating your own interactive language learning activities are include accessibility, renewability and adaptability. The greatest challenge for teachers in creating web page is that they do not have technical skills and knowledge.  Another difficulty is that, the teacher should know which browser her students will use and  the connection speed.  Also, when the teachers design Web page she/he should meet accessibility guidelines for individuals with disabilities to be sure about the students with special needs not left out.  The teachers can teach on the Web some skills such as vocabulary practice, grammer lessons,comprehension exercises, reading and writng tasks, and pronunciation exercises.

            Online discussion boards are a good way to improve reading and writing skills. Dave's ESL Cafe' provides meny examples of this kinds of activity.  Like, the teacher can post the questions to start the discussion.  Online discussions boards like those at Dave's ESL Cafe' can be created easily using Common Gateway Interface (CGI)script and HTML. Also the teacher can use Weblog or blogto create online writing discussions and the students can set up their blog free, quickly and easily.

              The teacher can use JavaScript for vocabulary and grammar exercises.  For vocabulary the teacher can put  Games designed on the web to help students learn new vocabulary. Lillian's Fucaloro created a matching exercise for her beginning French course.  In this exercise, words or phrases are matched with definitions then the students click on the link at the bottom of the page to see the correct answers.  Also David Kenosian created a vocabulary matching exercise that provides correction feedback for his German course.  Fucaloro's and Kenosian's were created exercises with JavaScript.  JavaScript also used to create text's French Grammar from the university of Texas at Austin.

          If the teacher want to create an interactive activities such as quizzes and vocabulary and grammar exercises she/ he will require either a CGI script or JavaScript.  JavaScript is more complicated than HTML.

     The teacher can use RealAudio to create listening comprehension and pronunciation exercises such as fill in the gap done while listening to audio.  John's ESL/EFL Resources created with RealAudio and JavaScript a several listening comprehension exercises.  Audio clips can be put into Web page to develop vocabulary and for listening comprehension and pronunciation.  Teachers can use HTML forms and CGI script for online assessment.  John's ESL/EFL Resources provides a good examples using HTML forms and CGI script.  The students can make the quiz on the web then they can submit their answers to the web site.  The answers go via email to the teacher, then after the teacher correct it send feedback directly to the students.

Word cloud Pic

Blog, Wikis and Delicious

 

 

 

 

                    I think the Blog, Wikis and Delicious are an amazing.  The teacher can improve her students skills through these websites.  The teacher can make a group in the blog and see her students writing about any topic she asked them to write.  Delicious can be as a refrence for the students.  The teacher can puts any link can help the students in reading, writing, listining and speaking.  Also, the teacher can put some links of Quizzes to test her students ability.  Finally the teacher can benefits from Wiki website like the teacher can see how much her students improve.

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

             

a.       Who are Digital Immigrant teachers and Digital Native students as categorized by the author?

    

                              Digital Immigrant teachers: Those who were not born into digital world but have, at some point in their live.

                        Digital Native students: The first generations to grow up with this new technology, they have spent their life using computers, video games, digital music players, and cell phones.

 

b.       List down 3 differences between Digital Immigrant teachers and Digital Native students?

              Digital Natives grow up with the new technology, but Digital Immigerents who were not born into the digital world but have.

                Digital Natives: they use the technology every day, but Digital Immigerents: they may not useing technology every day.

                 Digital Natives: They are all "native speaker" of the digital language of computer, video games and the internet.

                  Digital Immigerents: They are not native speaker of the digital language of computer.

 

 

c.       What is meant by Digital immigrant accent? List down three examples of “digital immigrant accents.”

 The digital immigrant accent is such as turning to the internet for information second rather than first, or reading the manual for a program rather than as suming that the program it self will teach us to use it.

  Examples:

     Printing out the Email.

     Needing to print out a document written on the computer in order to edit it.

   Bringing people physically into their office to see on interesting websit (rather than just sending them the URL )

 

d.       According to the author, hat is the biggest serious problem facing education today?

 

         Who speak old language ( that of the pre digital age ), are struggling to teach people that speaks an entirely new language.

 

e.       “Should the Digital Natives learn the old way, or should their Digital Immigrants learn the new?”

    Unlikely the digital natives will go back wards. But, I think the Digital Immigrant should learn the new because the Digital Native have alittel patience for lecture, step-by-step logic and tell -test instruction.

 

f.       What should the Digital Immigrant educators really want to reach Digital Natives?

                They have to learn to communicate in the language and style of their students it means going faster, less step-by-step.

               They should involves a major translation and change of methodology.

"The Possiblity of Reaching Bax’s Normilasation in our Saudi context: Why is it possible?When is it possible/reached/achieved?How will it be reached?

This artical offer examine and re-evaluate of the history of CALL.  Bax suggested when the technologyused i the classrooms for teaching we shuld hae a case of the normalization.

When the technology used in clasrooms  the learning will be ineresting and more active . Normaliztion is a stage when a technology is invisible.  Most importantly, CALL will be normalized when technology or computer deal with learning it self.

 

 

 

 

 

In Saudi Arabia we can change the way of teaching and lerning by using the technology and make the students learn both the lesson an how to use technology correctly and useful manner. Even the students can use the computer in the classroom for playing game or activities. Saudi schools actually started using technology in clssrooms.

 

 

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