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

Social Network Sites

What is your most important reason for using social networking sites ? In my opinion, the important reason for using social networking sites is to communicate with people, interact with each other and to helps in facing some difficulties in courses we study. I use social networking sites for study. For example, using sites to learn any lessons and it really does help me. Also, Sites are helpful to learn a new language and improve your language skills. Is it possible for you to use them in teaching EFL/ ESL ? Concrete example, please. It is possible to use social networking sites in teaching EFL / ESL. It is so useful to use social networking sites in teaching students. Some of teachers now use these sites in teaching their students. For example, I use a site called schology where teacher can give us an assignment and practice that helps us in a course. Also, she open a discussion where can we add a comment in friend's post. Nowadays, there are a lot of sites helps students in learning and write their own words such as edmodo and blogger.

My Reflect on Technological change and the future of call

Reflecting :

From what I read, I can state say that; Technology helps education and gives more access to more information. The advent of the internet spurred along education since people can sit down at a computer and find out anything they want to know.Technology of electronics actually helps with education.Teachers can do so much more with computers to help their students . It has a great effect on education.

What is Technological determinism?

Technological determinism is a term used to describe a relationship between technology and society.

- Technical logic determines the design of technological systems.

- The development of technological systems determines broad social changes.

What are the ten developments in Information and Communication Technology ?

The first important change is from phone-based to wireless communication

A second change will be a move from dial-up Internet connections to permanent, direct

online connections.

A third change will be from the use of mainly personal computers to the use of portable computing and online devices.

A fourth change will be from narrowband to broadband .

A fifth change will be from expensive personal computing systems to widely affordable computers and other hardware

A sixth development is that the Internet will change from being an exclusive form of communication and information.

A seventh development will be a movement from text-based information and communication to audiovisual forms of information and communication.

An eighth change will be from use of English as the main online language to multilingual Internet use.

A ninth change will be from “non-native” to“native” users of information technology.

A tenth change will be the movement of CALL from the language laboratory to the classroom.

What is the expected effect on English teaching of these likely future development ?

Five areas will be examined: new contexts, new literacies, new genres, new identities, and new pedagogies.

What are the first three stages of CALL mentioned in the reading?

First, Technology.

Second, English teaching paradigm.

Third, View of language.

Terms to Know

Blended Learning

Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path or pace.^[1] While still attending a “brick-and-mortar” school structure, face-to-face classroom methods are combined with computer-mediated activities.^[2] Proponents of blending learning cite the opportunity for data collection and customization of instruction and assessment as two major benefits of this approach.^[3] Schools with blended learning models may also choose to reallocate resources to boost student achievement outcomes.

Online Learning

Online learning, sometimes referred to as e-learning, is a form of distance education. Online courses are delivered over the Internet and can be accessed from a computer with a Web browser (ex. Internet Explorer).

E-Learning

E-learning (or eLearning) refers to the use of electronic media and information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. E-learning is broadly inclusive of all forms of educational technology in learning and teaching. E-learning is inclusive of, and is broadly synonymous with multimedia learning, technology-enhanced learning (TEL), computer-based instruction(CBI), computer-based training (CBT),

A Learning Management System

A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of e-learning education courses or training programs.^[1]

LMSs range from systems for managing training and educational records to software for distributing online or blended/hybrid college courses over the Internet with features for online collaboration. Colleges and universities use LMSs to deliver online courses and augment on-campus courses. Corporate training departments use LMSs to deliver online training, as well as automate record-keeping and employee registration.

Netiquette

Netiquette, or net etiquette, refers to etiquette on the Internet. Good netiquette involves respecting others' privacy and not doing anything online that will annoy or frustrate other people. Three areas where good netiquette is highly stressed are e-mail, online chat, and newsgroups. For example, people that spam other users with unwanted e-mails or flood them with messages have very bad netiquette. You don't want to be one of those people. If you're new to a newsgroup or online chat room, it may help to observe how people communicate with each other before jumping in.

CALL

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is succinctly defined in a seminal work by Levy (1997: p. 1) as "the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning".^[1] CALL embraces a wide range of information and communications technology applications and approaches to teaching and learning foreign languages, from the "traditional" drill-and-practice programs that characterized CALL in the 1960s and 1970s to more recent manifestations of CALL, e.g. as used in a virtual learning environment and Web-based distance learning. It also extends to the use of corpora and concordances, interactive whiteboards,^[2] Computer-mediated communication (CMC),^[3] language learning in virtual worlds, and mobile-assisted language learning (MALL).

D-Learning

Education in which students take academic courses by accessing information and communicating with the instructor asynchronously over a computer network.

Educational technology

Educational technology, sometimes termed EdTech, is the study and ethical practice of facilitating e-learning, which is the learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.