TASK 1 (ESL WEBSITE EVALUATION)
1. 1. What does the application attempt to “teach”?
The word vocabulary does cover all things. The basic general set of words is very important not just for students but also for teachers. The website that I choose is designed specifically for students and teachers in learning English language. How does this website “teach”? The skills that the website (http://www.manythings.org/vocabulary) requires its learner to know are the basic skills which are reading and writing. The writing site helps learners to spell write by giving games such as Spelling and Typing Game.
What interesting about this website is that, it’s not just tests the student’s vocabulary in English but beside that, it’s actually included other subject such as science. For example group of Animal, Body and etc. Surprisingly, geography is also part of the group of word which this application attempt to teach. In every game, learners can choose varied types of interesting topics.
Nowadays website mainly for students especially for English language, it’s a MUST for them to provide the demand of the learners. What attracts students to stay longer and learn something from the site? One of the best ways is by games. For games, learners can choose from 4 types of format, Flash, Java, JavaScript and No special Requirement. But before that, they have to click on the level of proficiency before they start the selection of games.
While playing those games, puzzles and quizzes, students are well known of the general knowledge according to the vocabulary. In every types of games, there are varied topics need to be choose before learners can proceed with the games. Learners are free to play with the games and at the same time, they also can check the answers for the games. Beside it also help learners to follow instructions. Each games. Puzzles and quizzes have its own instructions/steps, therefore to be able to continue playing it; learners must read the instructions first.
2. 2. What sort of things are the application user expected to do with regards to learning the content?
The first thing that learners/users must do is simply click on their level and they can start using the application by click again on to any preferred games (flash, java etc) Learners don’t have to bother in signing up for using this application. It’s FREE. Everybody can access this application and they can even repeat the games as many times as they want.
Again, the directions, guidelines to start the games are easy to understand. It doesn’t take time to download the Java Games because once you open one game; the next category will be faster and quicker to play. Puzzles are fun too, though it’s a bit small to read, better to put it in bigger font, the puzzles are surely one of the attraction of the website. For each application, answers are provided and directly learners can check their answers.
3. 3. What sort of computer skills is the application users expected to have order to operate/access/use the application?
Well, I think the skills required for users to have while engaging this website is the basic skills which I believe everybody has. The first skill is to click on the mouse to link at the link on the website. For sure learners must know which link to click and so on. It’s important for users to know what to do/click next because some application (games etc) need users to click more than one before the games start. For Java format, users must download the Flash player (if they already have it in their PC or laptop, they don’t have to do download it anymore) first to enable them to display graphics/sounds in the games.
Other than that, the skill of typing is also needed. It’s doesn’t mean users must be superb in how fast they can type (which actually required in some games) but know if users are able to recognize and know which letter to press on the keyboard, then their journey in exploring the world of vocabulary will be fine. J
Users (students and teachers) also can copy and paste some of the quizzes in the website, even though when they paste it on a document (Microsoft Word) it looks a bit messy, but users must know how to edit it. Well I don’t think the website requires users to have extra brilliant computer skills to use the website, because it’s easy and simple.
4. 4. While you are “playing”/”accessing”/”assessing” the application does it remind you of anything you do in a classroom, or with a teacher, or with a fellow classmate, or in self-study?
Oh yes! I always play games in the internet for myself study. I think by doing exercises while we’re actually having fun playing with it, it’s more meaningful. The graphics sounds and many others factors surely are the reasons why some websites are prefer by many learners.
The flash quiz, especially the Hangman Game reminds me of my childhood game. My friend and I really like to draw the hangman with chalk and make our own quizzes questions on the blackboard during recess time. Never thought that now, there is no more chalk and board to play this Hangman but now it’s all depend on just a single click on the mouse by our magic finger and there you are, Mr. Hangman is ready to be hanged!
5. 5. Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning, and/or teaching underlying the application?
Since this application requires basically one student to learn and play with it, so I think it agrees with the idea of Student-Directed teaching also known as Autodidacticism. It allows students to make their own choices while they learn in order to make education much more meaningful, relevant, and effective.
Motivation is a key component in learning. Not only is it the case that motivation helps learning, it is essential for learning. According to John Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivational Design, there are four steps for promoting and sustaining motivation in the learning process. (Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction) Methods for grabbing the learners’ attention include the use of: Active participation -Adopt strategies such as games, role play or other hands-on methods to get learners involved with the material or subject matter. Users are actually using their experience dealing with some of the topics and its relevant to them- Tell the learners how the new learning will use their existing skills. We best learn by building upon our preset knowledge or skills. Users can directly check their answers and this foster their confidence in continuing answering other questions. When learners appreciate the results, they will be motivated to learn. Satisfaction is based upon motivation, which can be intrinsic or extrinsic.
This idea of motivation as described here is broadly conceived to include an understanding of ways in which the knowledge can be used. Unless we know "the reasons why", we may not be very involved in using the knowledge that may be instilled in us.
6. 6. How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website(s)?
The website chosen does support this theory. I will outline a few ideas, which belief that learning consists of individuals' constructed meanings. First, the website proves that learning is an active process in which the learner uses sensory input and constructs meaning out of it. By doing the task, users is actually engage in dealing with learning is not the passive acceptance of knowledge which exists "out there" but that learning involves the learner s engaging with the world.
Since this website encourages users to be independent in learning, it somehow influences learning. Researchers have noted that people talk to themselves as they learn even though for example the topics or set of words are not familiar to the users, it is not possible to assimilate new knowledge without having some structure developed from previous knowledge to build on. The more we know, the more we can learn. Therefore any effort to teach must be connected to the state of the learner must provide a path into the subject for the learner based on that learner's previous knowledge. (E. Hein,1991)
It takes time to learn actually, therefore learning is not instantaneous. For significant learning we need to revisit ideas, think about them, try them out, play with them and use them, just like all applications in the website. If you reflect on anything you have learned, you soon realize that it is the product of repeated exposure and thought.
7. 7. 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 John, 1984). In relation to your evaluation-was the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?
Maybe during that time, they prediction toward this debate is like that. Some people think that computer is the master to the learning process and some said that it is a slave the learning process. But nowadays even though the technology is getting wild in the industry of globalization, but still it couldn’t replace the role of the teachers and it’s not a slave to the students and even to anybody. Even now, we can see that most schools are still out-dated with this technology, though some clusters, private and smart schools do have this technology but computer is not 100% use in the learning and teaching. And students still use pencils and books most of the time in completing their task or exercises.
What I can say is that computer is the helper between teacher and students. It’s deniable sometime when most of time we depend on communication tools such as mobile phone to contact with one another but still, technology won’t achieve the real communication goal. Many other aspects must be taking into consideration too.
8. 8. Would you like to use the application yourself in your future work?
Yes of course I will use this application because it introduces more and strengthen my knowledge in vocabulary. I don’t have to refer to any thick reference book in checking some of unfamiliar words anymore. Maybe in the future, when I’m intelligence enough, I will contribute my own games J Well, I hope others will benefits not just from this website but also many others interesting websites.
I know this website isn’t the best, but I would like to suggest that though the content of the application is the most important element but do consider others as well, such as the sound, graphics. It would be better to have more colorful and interesting sound while accessing the application. And one thing, some games cannot functioning well (JavaScript). I wish I can try all the types of games but I don’t know what went wrong because it’s stuck. So, to avoid such thing happened like this anymore, those who can do something or give feedback to complaint, please do so. I did try to give comment but failed!
~Thanks for spending time to read this~
Pammy xxx
