My Reflection about Final Project EDU 401

Our final project was about create a website for a school of a particular group of learner. Create a new web page for students is not easy, but really it was a good experience for us.

 The limitations that I faced in our project : First of all, I have some difficulties in using some websites because it is new for me and it wasn't that easy. I faced difficulties in voice thread, when I want to log in, I have to wait long time and at the end it doesn't work. Also, I faced some difficulties in using scope it that I have choose an appropriate website to match with the level of students.

Suggestions didn't match with the level of the students. So we have to search for a good website. For sure, I could overcome these difficulties by practice and learning about the new websites. Also, watching videos to know more information about websites, and ask people who have a good experience about websites I will use it in future. 

Finally, I enjoyed to study this course by knowing to use a website that will help me in the future to teach students. Working in the project with my friends was very interesting even if we faced a problem, but it is a good experience to us and we learn a lot by working together.

The role of WebQuests in learning a foreign/second language

Webquest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet. WebQuests increase student motivation. When students are motivated, they are likely to put in more effort, and their minds are more alert and ready to make connections.

The role of the teacher is to design a good topic wih introduction and task to help students to understand the topic correctly and facilitator the process.Teachers benefit from WebQuests in a number of ways. For example, rubrics for each project and Web resource addresses are provided, authentic learning occurs, ideas for projects are supplies, and learning is fun for students while they integrate technology. While the role of the student is to learn what is a WebQuest and how to use it and benefit frome it and being active participants. Classroom environment should be enjoyable and interesting for students. 

Students should be taught to think logically, analyze and compare, question and evaluate. Critical thinking is using by graphic organisers , scaffolding and stating the processes to be developed like compare, write a summary,analyze, etc. WebQuests allow students to complete authentic projects and use technology to find and present information and, at the same time, alleviate some of the barriers teachers may find in their attempt to work in the confines of project-based learning. Collaborative learning on the webquest is important and make a students get more knowledge. learning through WebQuest activities can be a good means of collaboration among students in a class. Multiple teams in a class can be working on the same question that the WebQuest poses. However, the nature of collaboration can lead to different outcomes, depending on the interactions among the group members.

In the future as an EFL teacher, I will use a WebQuest with my students because it is easy for me to create a task and it is very helpful and useful for students. WebQuest ingage students to learn and get more knowledge. It has advantages for students and teachers. 

Evaluating Lanternfish Website

Lanternfish ESL purpose is to bring printable quality resources to teachers and parents. This website include Jobs, Worksheets, and Flashcards for the ESL and TEFL Teacher. It represents like word skills game, reading puzzle packet, alphabet worksheet and spring worksheets. The website include Microsoft word. And yes it is effective to both teachers and students. The website is interesting by providing songs, worksheets, creative writing, crosswords and flash cards. The website is helpful and useful for improve speaking, writing, reading, and writing. The website is difficult to use because it's not organaized. The font text's is differ and not spaced properatialy. The topics and links are confusing and not appear well to students and teachers. There is much of advertisements that make you annoying and not focused to what you want. The website is includes much of practices and worksheets but the problem is thatthat it's notnot organised properly well for learners. Absolutely, the website is going to be good whenwhen the information got organised well. The Site was created by several contributors are Chris Gunn who is a web and materials designer , Stephen Gordon who is an editor and content creator specialized in business English resource materials , Cam lirette; an editor and content creator currently teaching at a university in Korea, Thomas lavelle; a writer and content director currently teaching at a niversity in the United States. This sites does not offer any sources about the information, only put { gunnchris ( AT ) bogglesworldesl.com} For questions about Web Site. any information collected on this site by Lanternfish ESL is of a non-personal nature. Boggle'sWorld does not store or keep personal information on record but does keep aggregate numbers on the number of visitors, method of arriving at bogglesworldesl.com, location by region, servers, monitor type and operating systems. To use some sections of the discussion forum, however, users may be required to provide some personal information as listed in the profile below. The information collected in registration will not be used for any purposes other than administering the board and will never be given or sold to third parties under any circumstance. However, there is always a security risk from criminal parties hacking into the MY SQL database that we use. The information and designs of website are not clear and confused for learners. It is difficult to use because if you want to search for something on the site, you will not find a research bar. The font of texts are different and the graphics are not distracting. The website shape's looked like an old fashioned. The topics and links are confusing to learners because it have the same color. The website is not require any plog-ins and it is easy to load without any problems and users doesn't need to pay a fee or type in personal information before using the site.  Website's Title not appropriate with its purpose. The content of The site difficult for reader specially children . Lanternfish contains great number of information in different areas. The information usually update but some topic not. Graphics on the site are appropriate to the content. Some subjects do not meet the needs of ESL, because it dependent to other language. The skills required to use the sites are easy and appropriately challenging for its intended audience.

Reflect on the live session we had with Peggy

The Virtual classroom was about how does Arabic influence the pronunciation of English. It was introduced by miss Peggy, an American English Teacher. The time of the class was for one hour and it was there around 15 students and 2 teachers. Miss peggy talks about the differences between the sound system in Arabic and English language and the problem of how Arab people spell the word correctly. 

The advantages of virtual classroom that Large numbers of students can benefit from distance learning. Virtual classrooms are interactive enjoying increasing popularity, particularly among nontraditional students whose work or personal schedules do not allow for conventional classroom study. The flexibility of the virtual classroom makes it possible for many more people to enjoy the benefits of higher education.

The disadvantages of virtual classrooms that maybe some students feel boring and don't like this kind of learning. Some students have a problem of understanding, they need a time to understand and virtual classroom it may be not a good for them.

EFL Students need to Using virtual classroom in their learning and it will help them to enjoy and make the class interactive. Students sometimes need to learn with different kinds of learning to avoid boring.

Do teachers need to create Web based activities for EFL students in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia? Why and why not?

Nowadays, Creating Web based activities are very important and helpful for students to learn , not only in Saudi Arabia but in all the world. So, absolutely teachers need to create Web based activities for their students.  And I think its very comfortable when the teachers make their own website to learn their students. 

Web based activities have a positive results for students in subject.  It make a subject more easier and make students interesting to do their subject. 
Learners need a new way to learn whatever they want. And teaching with technology it comes with a positive results.  I think learning through a technology is the best way to learn.

Wordle in EDU 401

Grammar

What is Grammar ?

Grammar is the system of a language. People sometimes describe grammar as the "rules" of a language; but in fact no language has rules*. If we use the word "rules", we suggest that somebody created the rules first and then spoke the language, like a new game. But languages did not start like that. Languages started by people making sounds which evolved into words, phrases and sentences. No commonly-spoken language is fixed. All languages change over time. What we call "grammar" is simply a reflection of a language at a particular time.

Do we need to study grammar to learn a language? The short answer is "no". Very many people in the world speak their own, native language without having studied its grammar. Children start to speak before they even know the word "grammar". But if you are serious about learning a foreign language, the long answer is "yes, grammar can help you to learn a language more quickly and more efficiently." It's important to think of grammar as something that can help you, like a friend. When you understand the grammar (or system) of a language, you can understand many things yourself, without having to ask a teacher or look in a book.

So think of grammar as something good, something positive, something that you can use to find your way - like a signpost or a map.

English Grammar Activities

It’s very important for ESL students to master English grammar because it lays the foundation for writing and speaking. Learning all about adverbs, verbs, punctuation, plurals, tenses, and adjectives can be daunting but ESL teachers can use fun activities and games to make the lessons more interesting. Here are some resources on English grammar activities.

CLICK HERE

In this website there are many activates and games to learn English grammar like:

Grammar Ninja, Grammar Gorillas, and Penguins on Ice.

There is some activity in this website like:

Silly Sentence Maker:
CLICK HERE