TASK 1 ( ESL WEBSITE EVALUATION)

ESL WEBSITE EVALUATION

Name                           : Siti Nur Fatiha Binti Junaidi (Group U8A)

Student ID                  : 2008414154

Website Name             : englishpage.com

URL                            : http://www.englishpage.com/

Date Last Accessed    : 21 March 2012

Application Category  : ESL Website

Membership                : Yes

Interactive                   : Yes

QUESTION 1

What does the application attempt to “teach”?

The website attempts to teach users the basic skills of the English Language. The website covers an extensive large area of English Language learning which can be divided into two sections that are the main and secondary areas. The main area of this website attempts to teach Grammatical elements which include Vocabulary (Lexical), Verb Tenses, Conditional Sentences, Modals, Gerunds, Prepositions and Irregular Verbs. The teaching of the Grammatical Elements is conveyed in two methods. First is in the form of Tutorials which covers the explanation of the grammatical rules in the form of notes and examples. After the tutorials, users are provided with exercises in the form of interactive hypertext worksheets. The exercises can be found in objective as well as subjective forms.

The website also contains interactive secondary ESL elements which include Interactive Reading Room, Listening Lounge, ESL games and Students’ Forum. Unlike the Grammatical Elements, these secondary elements are supplementary in nature. They provide links to interactive websites that can be used to acquire authentic experiences in ESL learning. The Reading Room provides links to online newspapers, magazines, books, and literature and reference materials. The Listening Lounge provides links to webcasts radios that include the American Public Radio as well as the BBC online radio. The ESL games on the other hand are presented in the form of crossword puzzles related to the vocabulary tutorials. Last but not least, there is a Student Forums that is posted in the englishpage.net domain where students from around the world are able to interact and contact with one another. Dictionaries are also provided for the users to utilize.

QUESTION 2

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

For the Grammatical elements, the users are expected to read the tutorials, comprehend the contents (Grammatical rules) and utilize the comprehension of the grammatical elements in answering the exercises provided for each elements. 

The secondary elements of the website on the other hand require the users to utilize the reading and listening skills independently without any specific instructions from the website. The games are more similar to the exercises of the Grammatical Elements where the users are expected to complete crossword puzzles as a reinforcement of the vocabulary learnt. Last, the forum requires the users to interact with other users via comments and hyperlinks that they posts on in the forum.

It is belief that the secondary elements are used as enrichment materials for the users to utilize on their own (self-help). 

QUESTION 3

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

Two groups of computer skills that are needed to operate the website are Basic computer skills and skills related to Operating Internet Browser. Under the Basic computer skills, the users should be able to operate a computer or a laptop such as moving the cursor or the mouse, using the keypad or the keyboard and utilizing the GUI (Graphic User Interface).

Other than the Basic computer skills, the users should also be able to operate the Internet Browser. The users should be able to connect to the internet, operate interactive hypertext spread sheet and web-cast online radio and also forum features such as posting comments and hyperlinks.

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?

The website does remind me of things that I have done in the classroom setting and self-learning process. Looking at the first area (Grammatical Elements) of the website, it reminds me of the grammar drilling classes I had during school days. My English teachers would usually drill the students with grammar rules and then would provide us with many different exercises as a follow up. It is very much similar to this as the Grammatical Elements of the website also cover tutorials and exercises to be completed to learn Grammar. This area also reminds me of the self-help books that I usually use for self-study. The books usually consist of notes of the grammar rules and followed up with many exercises as drilling activity that is expected to be completed.

The secondary elements on the other hand, remind me of classroom activities which tries to promote student-centered lesson but in an undirected manner. For example, my teacher used to instruct us to visit the library, look for books and list down ten new words in our exercise books. This is very similar to the secondary elements of the website that provide a vast resource, but without clear cut instructions or guidelines in learning the English Language. For example in the Students Forum, no specific topic is given to the students to discuss about, instead they are left to navigate their own path in learning the language which could be quite confusing and demotivating especially for new or beginner users.

QUESTION 5

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

There are two major theories of language learning and teaching that are present in the website. The most significant theory applied is the Grammar Translation method. This can be seen largely in the grammatical elements of the website where the users are expected to study the tutorials of the grammatical elements (as can be seen below):

Once the tutorials have been read, understood and memorized, the users are expected to answer the questions prepared for the tutorial. The example tutorial above for example, would lead to the exercise that can be seen below:

Although the medium of the lessons is now done in the form of hypertexts, the basic theoretical outline of the lesson remains very much like the Grammar Translation Method. Similarly, the Grammar Translation Method or what is also known as the Classical Method focuses “on grammatical rules, memorization of vocabulary and various declensions and conjugations, translation of texts, doing written exercises” (Brown, 2001). All of these elements can be found in the website except for the translation of texts.

Another language learning theory that can be related to the website is the Audio-Lingual Method or the ALM. This can be seen for the Secondary Elements of the website especially the online radio webcast. Given the manner of the radio webcast that are linked without any instructions, the users are left with only the task of listening to dialogue, perhaps mimicking or memorizing the phrases, pronunciation or enunciation without any proper grammar or word structure explanation very similar to the ALM (Brown, 2001).

QUESTION 6

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

The constructivist theory refers to experiential learning in which people understand and grasp knowledge of the world based on their own experiences (Seifert & Sutton, 2009). Looking into this, the englishpage.com does adapt some amount of constructivism in teaching English in certain areas of the website. First, the adaptation of the Constructivist theory can be seen in the Grammar Elements area which introduces the tutorial as the first step of learning before the users deal with the exercises. This is similar to what is presented by Vygotsky where learners have to be scaffold or guided before they could progress more in their learning (Raymond, 2000). Thus, the tutorials and exercises provided reflect some scaffolding that is meant to guide the users in learning grammar.

Nonetheless, there are no clear instructions and guidelines provided on how to utilize the website. The users may go straight to the exercises without going through the tutorials resulting insufficient scaffolding. There is also no process-based approach in making the users understand the ESL content. Furthermore, no consideration on the users’ level of proficiency is reflected in the website which could result in the eradication of Krashen’s suggestion of “I + 1” where the lesson must not be too hard but is challenging enough to motivate learning (Brown, 2007) which is also a vital part of the Constructivist theory.

Overall, the website does incorporate some elements of constructivism but only in certain areas and because it lacks in direction and instructions, without proper facilitation by teachers, the theory applied could be void.

QUESTION 7

ln 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). ln relation to your evaluation - was the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?

In my own opinion, I do not believe that computers are replacement of teachers, nor do I see computers as merely an obedient servant to students. I truly believe that learning would only work in a two-way environment in which teachers are needed to guide the learners in their learning and learners have to take responsibility of their own learning too. The human touch and scaffolding are always needed in ensuring that students are capable to progress and develop. This is one of the main reasons to why computers could never replace teacher as computers are unable to provide emotional support and psychology that are needed by learners. Despite that, this does not mean that computers act as a servant to learners. Without input and effort from learners themselves the teaching or information that is exposed by the computers will not be usable or reach the students’ understanding. Students must still put in their own effort in using the computers to be more learned and advanced in their learning. 

Therefore, computers are actually present to help enhance both teaching and learning or in other words, as assistants to teachers and also students. Similar to my evaluation on the website, the contents require reinforcement and guidance from teachers to be meaningful as the website is simply a practise for the students to further understand and grasp the content of their lessons. Therefore, rather than seeing the website as a replacement for teachers, it fulfils more of the role of a resource centre and instructional aids. The effectiveness of the website very much depends on the versatility and creativity of the teachers who use it. At the same time, the learners are also expected to be motivated to take on responsibility on their own learning and ensuring that the website is utilize the way they are instructed to and that meaningful learning actually take place in utilizing the website. 

 All in all, computers are made to assist and help, but optimum learning will only be met with the right attitude and utilization by the users (both teachers and students).

QUESTION 8

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

Yes? Give reasons:

No? Give reasons:

After evaluating the website, I would say that I would use the website in my future work as even though the website is unable to function on its own (replacing teachers), it is still very useful for further reinforcement of lessons especially for Grammar teaching and learning. Having both in-depth tutorials and variety of exercises would help users to further understand the Grammar elements in terms of the rules and usages. The interactive spread sheet exercises is also quite interesting as it may help students to be more involved and motivated as they are required to use the mouse to move the cursor to interact with the fill-in-the blank boxes or drop-down list panels. At the same time, vast information are shared and exposed to the users such as links to areas of learning the language such as reading, listening, vocabulary and students forum as can be seen in the secondary elements .Weekly lesson is also provided to the users which are very appropriate as the content of the lessons is updated weekly and is made relevant to the current setting and is not stagnant.

As a whole, I would say that the website has certain strengths that can be used and utilized by teachers and students in learning the English language and with appropriate guidance, utilizing the website could result to optimum learning of the English Language.

 

Suggestions & Recommendations

After using the website and reflecting on its usage, I found that several recommendations can be made for the teachers, the students / users and the webmaster / web-admin.

It is suggested that:

1. For Teachers,

1.      Instructional Aid:

The website would be a helpful instructional aid if it was used for reinforcement purposes. It cannot, however, be used as a lesson on its own. Although the tutorial is quite comprehensive, it still requires explanation from the teacher’s part. 

2.      Great Authentic Materials:

Although the web radio and online magazine are not the best of materials, they are still nonetheless, very authentic as they are actual conversations and writings rather than made-up versions that are usually used for English language teaching purposes. On top of that, the radio webcasts are recorded in American and British accent, which can be a good exposure for the students. Despite that, it must be treated with caution. The context of the materials may be too foreign for the students therefore some filtering and selection or additional information may be needed to make the materials appropriate.

3.      As homework:

If the students have internet access at home, the website is a great way to give homework. However, because the website itself lack proper instruction, it is wise to give the instruction in class before they go back home. This is quite useful as hypertext exercises would be a much preferable medium than books and papers to students nowadays.

2. For Students,

1.      Great Exercise:

The website can be confusing to use therefore, it is good to have a focus or guide. If students feel like doing extra work, they may look up the grammatical contents that they have learnt in class at school. After doing the work, the page can be printed as well to be shown to the teachers. This is indeed a better approach than going to tuition centers that just ask you to drill your mind for very high prices.

2.      Grammar Remedy:

If students have problems with certain grammar items, and if the teachers could not troubleshoot and address the problem due to time constraint, the students could use the tutorial based on the specific grammar item they are having problem with. After that, they may use the exercise to check whether they have overcome the weakness. If the student still faces the problem, then they could print their answers and consult with friends or classmates.

3.      Study Group:

With today’s time and venue constrain, it is nearly impossible to have study groups anymore. However if students and their classmates or friends have internet access outside of school, they may meet online at the forum and do the tutorials and exercises together. Peer review and collective studying has always been a wonderful way of learning and now, there is no need to worry about venue or time, since everything can be done in the forum.

3. For Webmaster / Web-admin:

1.      Better Direction & Instruction:

Although the content in this website is great, it lacks proper direction. I feel lost when I first visit the site and it took me quite a number of visits to actually allow me to navigate through the site competently. I also face problems in determining what kind of exercise and tutorials should I use and how can I use them. A suggestion that can be made is to create a step-by-step instruction that  can be moderated by a scripted (automated) avatar for first-time-users or beginners. The grammar elements could be separated according to difficulty and similarly, tutorials and exercises can be segregated according to their respective difficulty. Clear instructions in using the tutorials and exercises should also be given along with tips. 

2.      Online Database, Membership & Scoring:

The users should be allowed to register and create a profile. The profile then should be used to keep track of their progress: of which tutorial and exercises they had completed and at what level they have reached so far. This can provide a very valuable database that users can use to not only monitor their progress, but also use as a form of competitive motivation when they compare their performances to others. The top achievers may be awarded titles to make it even more interesting.

3.      More Global Radio, Magazine, Books, Web-Radio:

All the materials in the second category are all from the US of UK. It would be great if such materials can be derived from various parts of the world. This would allow not only a more relatable context to the users, but also allows them to see various kinds of pragmatics of different cultures and societies.

REFERENCES

Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. New York: Pearson Education.

Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of Language Learning And Teaching (Fifth ed.). New York: Pearson Education.

 Raymond, E. (2000). Cognitive Characteristics.  Learners with Mild Disabilities (pp. 169-201). Needham Heights, MA:  Allyn & Bacon, A Pearson Education Company.  

Seifert, K., & Sutton, R. (2009). A Global Text Educational Psychology. (K. Seifert, & M. Drexel, Eds.) Zurich.