TASK 1 ESL WEBSITE EVALUATION

Question 1

What does the application attempt to teach?

The application is trying to teach the visitors English in a very fun and easy way. When I said English, it means that the website does not just focus on one aspect of English, for example grammar. But, it provides exercises and lessons in various aspects in English. For example, it got different zones for the visitors or students can go into based on what they want to learn. They got grammar zone, writing zone, idioms zone, spelling zone and many more. I also mentioned the word fun in my first sentence. This is because, this website also attempt to teach English in a fun and interactive way by providing some language games and jokes. The websites also provides teacher’s zone, where teachers can print some worksheets and materials for them to use in teaching their students English. Not just providing exercises, this website also provides tips and lesson on how to be better in certain areas in English. Here is some of the list that the website provides:

1. Grammar Zone
2. Verb Zone
3. Idiom Zone
4. Spelling Zone
5. Conversation Zone
6. Pronunciation Zone
7. Vocabulary Zone
8. Teacher Zone
9. Reading Zone
10. Writing Zone
11. How to be a Good Student
12. Basic Skills Zone
13. Holiday Zone
14. Fun Stuff Zone
15. Joke Zone

Question 2

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

The application users are expected to be learning English and understand the language better with a relatively easy and fun approach. The user will engage a fun and entertaining way of learning English. They can do a lot of activities in learning the content. First the users will be given options in which they category they want to learn. If they, for example, wish to learn writing, they can click at the writing zone option. In there, they can choose from various exercises for writing. For non-members, they can use the free exercises, while if you are a member of the website, you can choose from more choices of exercises. For the exercises, the users can choose whether to do the exercises with multiple choice questions, fill in the blanks, writing exercises, answering quizzes and lots more. If the user does not wish to do the exercises, they can also read on the tips and lessons that are also provided in the website. The users can also learn the language through funny but educational jokes. The application user only needs to choose between all those options and they are set to learn the language.

Question 3

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

Since this application want the users to learn English fun and easy way, the users do not need to have great computer skills. The users only need to have the very basic computer skills. Most of the exercises, the users only need to use the mouse to click on the answers. The users also need to know how to use the keyboard, means that users need to know how to type using the keyboard. This application also does not require for the users to use any difficult skills because based on the questions and information website, the website is targeting children and people who are beginning to learn the language. This can also be seen in the exercises that they provided. Basically, the user need to know how to use the mouse and the keyboard in order to complete the exercise or to read all the tips and lesson in the website.

Question 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?

While I was accessing and assessing the application, the exercises do remind me of the exercises that I was once did in my classroom during my school years. It also remind me that I gave handouts or exercises to my students that was almost similar to the questions that was asked in the application during my practicum years, especially the grammar questions. It also got me thinking that if I have known about this earlier, it would have probably made things a lot easier during that time. It also remind me of the time when I was study English in my school days, that none of this was implied by my teachers. The exercises on the website really make things easier and more interactive ways for students to learn and enjoy studying English.

Question 5

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

One of the theories that I can find in the application is the multimedia learning under cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Based on the modality principle and Pavio’s dual coding theory, which found that students that learn with multimedia, animation and narration are consistently better in transferring questions than those who learn with text-based materials. This can be seen in the application where visual are used to get the user’s attraction and to help them memorized better things that they have learnt. For example, in the game ‘win a million bananas’, under the Fun Stuff zone in the website, user will see pictures of bananas and if they answer the English question correctly, they will get bananas as the reward. Another theory that can be relate to this website is the constructivism, where the application divided some the exercises that they prepared by levels such as easy, intermediate and advanced. The users can choose which level they wanted to try and proceed to the next one when they have mastered the level before. Since that the students need to have basic some knowledge for some of the exercises in the web, the schema theory can be applied here. According to schema theory, learners have the knowledge and the teachers and the exercises will help them to inculcate the new knowledge and the previous one to make a new information. This theory was first introduced by Piaget but later was expanded by R.C Anderson.

Question 6

How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website?

Based on my evaluation, I think the constructivist theory of learning only applied in some of the exercises on the website. If you look at it as a whole, most of the exercises does not apply the constructivist theory. However, they are some exercises that gives the user lesson first then ask the students to complete the task or quiz, for example the exercises in the idiom zone. The user will be exposed to instruction first then they will be given a quiz. The exercises in the grammar zone are divided into levels, which are easy, intermediate, and advanced. The students will be answering the test to each level and towards the end, they can be good enough to answer more difficult question without any guidance or instruction from the web. But, most of the exercises did not have any instructions or guidance at all, the students have to straight away answer after been given very simple information or instructions on how to answer or do the exercise. Another point that strengthen the constructivist theory for this website is that some of the questions relates to the students experience in helping them to understand the language better. For example, in the writing zone, the students are ask to put their detail information, and based on that knowldege, the website will create an essay to help them to understand how an essay can be done. which is very much related to constructivist theory where experinece are use in building knowledge. That is why, in my opinion that the constructivist theory only applied in some of the exercises only.

Question 7

In 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major debate on whether computer was “master” of or “slave” to the 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?

In relation to my evaluation, I believe that computer is a replacement for teachers, not merely an obedient servant to students, and I also believe that the computers should be viewed as the teacher’s assistant in the learning process. This is because; the students cannot individually do the task in the computer on their own. They somehow still need guidance from the teachers in order to complete the task or exercises. For example, in the application that I have chosen, some of the task still need explanation or guidance from a teacher for the users to complete the task. Not all exercises that the students will be given detailed explanation on the topic given. For example, under the BE verb exercise, students will be directed straight to the exercise prepared, so the students still have to learn what Be verb in the first place. In fact, this website is focus on acquiring second language, so in acquiring second language, interaction is very much importance between the learners in order to master the target language. All the grammar exercises can help, but language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill (Stephen Krashen). So it can be said that despite the exercises and the task is important, it can be used as assistant for the teacher in helping the students, not let the students solely relies on the computer, nor let the computer gives everything to the students without any guidance from them to the students.

Question 8

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

Yes? Give reasons:

No? Give reasons:

My answer for this question is yes. If I were to become a teacher at any school or even to my own children, I would definitely use this application. This is because it is very useful in helping the user in enhancing their understanding on the language. The language use are very simple, the exercises are easy to understand, which is perfect for second language learners who are still young and trying to learn the language at the beginner level. The exercises also vary into different levels, so the users can levels by levels in completing the task. Another reason that I would use this application because it also includes fun stuff like jokes and idioms, which is much more fun and interesting than learning or reading a boring essay. The users can learn both languages, and other fun and cool stuffs as well. The use of games as the method of learning is also make the users more enjoy in completing the task and answering the questions. The website is also easy to use and easy to access to the exercise. When you open the website, all the options, which zones you want to go and which topic you want to choose is all list down in front of you. All you have to do is just choose and the website will lead you to the exercises. That is why I will use this application in future

Suggestions/recommendations

Although I mentioned earlier that I would use this application later in the future, I would like to suggest or recommend a few things for the moderator to improve the website. First of all, the website can add more colours or animations. This is because, if their main target is the young learners, they can create more colourful or and beautiful web as what it looks now is like only with four colours (including the font colours). The website can also use different fonts so that the website will look more interesting and fun. Another suggestions I want to make is to add more materials or method of teaching, for examples video or audio materials, so that it would be more fun and more options for the learners to choose from. Last but not least, I would made is to make all the exercises for free. As I stated before, some of the exercises are free and some are not, but it would be best if all users can learn the language and have access to all the lessons and exercises for free.

this are the link for the website : http://english-zone.com/index.php