TASK 1: ESL Website Evaluation

URL: http://a4esl.org/

1. What does the application attempt to “teach”?

Well generally and for sure, this application is developed to teach English to learners. This site uses simple design and is very easy to navigate as well. For the beginners in using electronic educational tools, this site might well become a helpful tool for them. It is stated that this site is the project of The Internet TESL Journal (iteslj.org) and it contains thousands of contribution from many teachers around the world.

This website provides a wide range of activities organised in three ways according to category. Those categories are grammar, vocabulary and crosswords. Another fantastic feature that can be found in this website is the bilingual section. Speakers of languages other than English can use it to do a lot of activities if they are just started to learn English. There are around 50 languages provided in the bilingual section and they’ll provide you with so many activities. Another thing that I like about this website is that it categorized the activities according to the level (easy, medium, difficult etc.) so that we can choose the level that suited us. Types of activities includes matching answer to pictures, fill in the blank, objectives questions, choosing suitability of a situation/picture given and many more. They are simple but really attractive.

Apart from that, it is noted that some activities are not grammatical in nature, and cover interest areas such as science, celebrations, cultures and job skills. Activities provide a score and show the correct answer after each attempt at a question. However, there are certain activities that requires user to guess without really answering the answer. In other words, some activities are not being provided with answer section or colunm. Maybe learner should write their answer elsewhere and later on check with the answer provided by the exercise.

In conclusion, I would say that this website is very user-friendly since it is so easy to navigate and it will really helps learners to try out all activities provided.

2. What sorts of things is the application user expected to do with regards to learning the content?

I must say that this application user will feel very comfortable doing activities since it is prepared and presented in a simplest manner. As stated in the answer for previous question, it allows user to choose level of exercise and materials. This shows that there will be a freedom in terms learning English as the second language. More, even if the user is still having difficulties in understanding the instruction, he or she can always use the bilingual section. Identify the mother tongue, choose the language (let’s say Swahili) then click on the Swahili-English link, choose the activities/exercises and check your performance based on the feedback from those activities. Then if you’re ready you can start doing the full English exercises.

The page in the website loads quickly and does not seem to require any state-of-the-art computer equipment so there comes another advantage of this website. From user point of view, this website is a powerful helping tools in learning English as a second language.

3. What sorts of computer skills is the application users expected to have in order to operate/access/use the application?

Basic. That is the definite answer when talking about skills required to use this website. Honestly, you just need to click and do. Choose the correct answer and that’s it. No need for right click or copy and paste. Just click, choose and check. It is as simple as that. Even if some activities requires user to download the materials needed (audio, video etc), the links provided are very clear and easy to see. All you have to do is click on it. That is how I see about the computer skills needed.

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?

Of course YES. And I said this to myself, “Why on earth school students are still doing exercises in a form of pen and papers, talk and jot, listen and write?” When I was in primary school, my dad used to buy the educational games that can be played online. I couldn't remember the name of the game but it was about an adventure of a boy to find a secret book. Along the way, there'll be a lot of maths question being asked upon him. But that’s it. After in entered boarding school, I've left those things. It’s all about writing and answering questions on papers. It was boring, tiring and consumes a lot of time and energy. Never interactive at all and that’s why I wonder how good it could have been if learning via websites is introduced and integrated early in my school days. Teachers doesn't have to waste their times preparing handouts of activities and students can learn interactively via technology.

5. Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?

The first theory that comes to mind is The Natural Approach proposed by Stephen Krashen. He suggests that learners would benefit from delaying production until speech “emerges”, that learners should be as relaxed as possible in the classroom, and that a great deal of communication and acquisition should take place, as opposed to analysis. In a more simpler words, learner learns from the teacher by listening to him/her. Then the knowledge will be transmitted to the learner. After that, the learner needs to be in the “silent period” in comprehending the knowledge. Basically, the teacher is the source of the learner’s input and the creator of the interesting activities. In relation to this website, user will have some basic knowledge gained from the teacher before using it. It would be weird if a user simply doing exercises without prior knowledge. One should comprehend the knowledge gained from teacher then use it when navigating though this website. For example, teacher teaches the basic concept of articles and determiners then students go home and do activities regarding it from the website.

Another theory that can be seen related to this application is the Experiential Learning from Carl Rogers. He stated that self-initiated learning is the most lasting and pervasive. It means that knowledge that is seek by students’ own initiative will be the best knowledge of all. Learning proceeds faster when the threat to the self is low. In relation to this website, it is really proven that if a user has the initiative to seek for extra knowledge, he will do the activities provided. Learner won’t depend hundred percent on teacher. Besides, he will seek for extra knowledge by trying to complete the tasks and activities in the website. After receiving feedback, he can improve on it by selecting a more difficult tasks and activities. Using the knowledge provided by teachers, learner can work on his own without pressure in improving his level of English by using this website.

6. How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website(s)?

Constructivist theory argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from their experiences. In simpler words, we learn from what we do and we improvise on things that we’ve done before. It’s about ‘try and error’ concept. We observe, learn and do. Piaget suggested that through processes of accommodation and assimilation, individuals construct new knowledge from their experiences. When individuals assimilate, they incorporate the new experience into an already existing framework without changing that framework. This explains about the learning by experience aspect.

In this website, user will have the chance to do the activities by using the bilingual section first. It means that user will be able to exercise the knowledge that he has into practice using his mother tongue language first. After that, he can change it to the all English section. Doing activities on this section is where the constructivism applies. Let’s say a user do a ‘mix and match’ exercise using the bilingual tool, he’ll accomodate the basis of what he’s going to do next. So, when he is doing a mix and match exercise using fully English as the language, the exercise using bilingual before will be the framework to guide him to complete the task. The framework won’t change, but the mother tongue language will assimilate into English. That’s how I see constructivism applied in the application.

7. In 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major debate on ‘whether the computer was “master” of or “slave” tothe learning process (Higgins and Johns, 1984). In relation to your evaluation - was the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?

I am not going to deny the fact that computer has become a more than helpful medium in education. We can get things done easily as well as obtaining millions of information through it. However, it seems illogical for me if we are replacing teachers with computers. It is because I believe that the best guidance comes from a man not a machine. Man creates machine. As simple as that. There are certain things that a computer couldn’t do. It can’t speak so it lacks in terms of stressing what’s important what’s not. It can’t give expression so it shows a lack of tact between learners and the machine. As I said before, it’s a helping tool, not the main sources in education. Learners still need teachers to teach, guide and motivates them at the first place. These are the important things that a computer can’t do. To provide extra souces of information and materials is the main purpose, on the other side it is still teachers who started to teach the abc. In conclusion, computers help our life a lot but at the same time it still needs a man to supervise the usage it. It’s neither master nor slave. It’s a helping tool for us to accommodate in our life.

8. Would you like to use the application yourself in your future work?

Yes definitely. As a future teacher, here are my reasons of wanting to use this application. Firstly, it’s user friendly. Everything is presented in a simplest manner. User just needs to read things that appears in it. Secondly, it does not requires any extra computer skills to use the application. Basic skills will do, extra skills will be better. Next, this site would be extremely useful as supplementary material in the form of grammar exercises. It will reduce the time, energy and financial cost for the teacher in order to prepare for the material needed which leads to the next reason which is high in value, less in spending. Lastly, I would use this application because of its high value in education. My students will be able to test themselves according to the difficulty level provided.

Suggestions/Recommendations.

i. This site focuses too much on grammar. It would be better if it touches more on other aspects of English. (listening, speaking etc.)

ii. It does not include authentic materials or suggestions on how to apply the grammatical rules in real life.

iii. This site provides limited appropriacy of this form of (add-on) study, the lack of multimedia, and the lack of images that could render the site more visually pleasing. Less interactive in terms of design maybe?