The role of WeQuests in learning a foreign/second language

WebQuest defined as "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet. WebQuests motivate both teachers and students to be engaged in the learning process and they also help teachers to cater for students’ different learning styles as they provide different tasks for students to choose from. The teacher works as a facilitator by providing students enough information for them to work on their own. Teacher can upload everything at one time and the students can complete the project by the given deadline. There is no requirement for the teacher to monitor the students all the time, as in a regular class setting.  WebQuests are student-centered as they encourage students’ critical thinking without occupying them by searching for information but to develop and create the task and transform what they already got into something else. WebQuests have changed the way students learn a foreign language in many ways. It has improved the language learning experience, by allowing students to communicate and interact in new ways. This is very beneficial for the learner, as well as the teacher, which takes them out of the traditional learning environment.

The assignments are project-based, so the students have to work towards the completion of the project. The students have access to many resources online and can work together and share ideas. The WebQuest technique involves cooperative learning and forces students to work on projects in groups. The results of its impact in the classroom proved that WebQuest is an important source of inspiration for the teachers, a suitable teaching and learning method and a way for integrating Internet in learning. One of the greatest gains of the WebQuest implementation was obtained in pupils’ motivation and cooperative work. Due to all these advantages most of the teachers decided to extend the use of WebQuest in the future.

As an English language teacher, I will use the WebQuest with my students because WebQuests contribute to increase students' motivation. When students are motivated, they are likely to work in more effort way. In addition, this will help them to be collaborative learners because they will divide the works between them, and will keep working together. Moreover, because they are student-oriented and they motivate students for critical thinking. In my opinion, WebQuest is a new useful teaching method and will attract the students to the course. 

Evaluating Lanternfish Website

One of the websites dedicated to ESL and TEFL is LANTERNFISH, http://bogglesworldesl.com/. The website was created by Chris Gunn; who’s a web and materials designer currently teaching at a university in Korea, Stephen Gordon; an editor and a content creator specialized in business English resource materials and currently teaching at a university in Korea, Cam Lirette; an editor and content creator currently teaching at a university in Korea, and Thomas Lavelle; a writer and content director currently teaching at a university in the United States. The website and its content is maintained and created by a group of ESL teachers in Asia and North America. They do offer contact information for users to email them and ask questions and content contact and the content is owned by the website and it prohibits anyone from redistributing them electronically or otherwise.

LANTERFISH’S aim is to bring free printable ESL material resources to teachers and parents for educational usage. The website offers advertisement that is very distracting and annoying. The website’s content does not expand the imagination or the experience of the user, but it does not promote any bias to gender, race, religion, etc.

The website’s design and information is very confusing and it’s difficult to find specific materials, you need to choose an activity to access the glossary from it which is a hassle and there is no search bar to quickly access material. The text’s font differs and not spaced appropriately, the graphics are not distracting but the whole website feels outdated. The topics and links have the same color which is very confusing and not appealing to young people or children, but the website does load very quickly without any problems and does not require any plug-ins and users do not have to pay any type of fee or offer any personal information.

The website’s title is not appropriate to its purpose, and its content is not easy to read because it’s all blue and feels like it’s melting together. The website includes a good amount of materials that makes visiting it worthwhile, but the content is not presented in an attractive way and there is no search tool to help users find topics easily. Some aspects of the website are updated and some aren't but the spelling and grammar are correct. Links to more information are not provided and the graphics are related but outdated. The websites is dedicated to ESL but there are Spanish and French exercises which aren't relevant to the intended audience, the skills required to use the site’s features and structure aren't easy and a bit challenging, but the viewpoint presented is comprehensible. The content is educational and appropriate for all ages.

The website offers a huge diverse content material for all ages and levels and their needs, but it isn't interactive or engaging and there isn't one book that can include all the content on the website to be compared to.

Virtual classrooms

The virtual classroom is talked about “How Does Arabic Influence the Pronunciation of English?”  The presenter name is Peggy Tharpe, she is American English consultant trainer and teacher. She had an American pronunciation center. The virtual class was for one hour and the number of people there was from 20 to 23, which include students and 3 teachers. Peggy talked about the sound system in Arabic and English and differentiate between them. Also, she talked about how Arabic speakers face some difficulties in pronouncing English word and help them to solve this problem and find solution for it. One of these solutions is listening activities, which help the student to differentiate between the similar sounds.  

There is many advantages and disadvantages of virtual rooms. In the first I will talk about the advantages of this room, which is, accept a variety of student and make a large number of student benefit from distance learning. Moreover, its make the students chatting with each other about the subject during the class without bothering the teachers. In addition, many of the classrooms problems finished. Second, there is some disadvantages of these virtual rooms such as not all the schools have the technology but this will be change with the time. Also, some instructors feel that their jobs are under the risk and there are a lack of development of appropriate instructional and learning methods. However, as a teacher I will use these virtual classrooms because I see it more benefit for my students to understand and to discuss with each other about the topic of the lesson. In addition, all the students in this generation are digital natives and using such a method in teaching will make them interest about the subject.

  

Do teachers need to create web-based language activities for EFL students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? Why and why not?

Creating your own interactive language learning activities is very important and have many advantages which include accessibility, renewability and adaptability. Accessibility that allow the teacher to put course materials, assignments and everything that is related to the subject on the web. So, that allow students to be able to access to the web any time and for any reasons. Renewability that’s mean when we creating the web it will be easy for the teacher to update the materials any time. Adaptability, we can say also that the web-based activates support the student with different levels and abilities and the students with special needs.

Nowadays, students use technology every time and everywhere. They use their own computers, IPad, laptops and cellphone. So, The ways of teaching must change to catch the students’ attention in the kingdom. Therefor, the teacher should to providing good and interesting Web-based language activities which are easy to access and use. Because the students must have good and useful experiences of what they are learning. And that’s not enough, the teacher should give students feedback on the web and explain the ideas that the students do not understand it In the classroom. Also, this web allow students to ask the teacher about any things that it related to the subject or to the classroom. Moreover, this web-based activities make students feel comfortable because sometimes they will not use course book in the class. instead of that, the teacher can ask them to come with their devises in the classroom and study from it. The teacher in Saudi Arabia should start to use web-based activities because students nowadays are digital natives and this is the appropriate way to catch their attentions. 

Wordle in EDU401

Normalization of Bax in Saudi Kingdom

Stephan Bax argues that, "Our aim should be to attain a state of `normalization' in which the technology is invisible and truly integrated". he discussed the development and how the CALL was in the past, present and future. Bax explained the aim of CALL through the concept of normalization, The concept refers to the stage when the technology becomes invisible and in everyday practice. He also discussed the three stages of CALL which were divided by Mark Warschauer: Communicative, Behavioristic and Integrative


The changes that Bax suggested of achieving nomalisations are when the computers become as an integral part of any lessons and to be used every day by language students and teachers. Moreover,when the computers are consider as the means in which they serve the learners' needs. In order to achieve normalization, Bax has suggested few steps. The first step is to identify the criterial factors which normalization requires.The second is to audit the practice of each teaching context in the light of these criteria.the final step is to adjust our current practice in each aspect so as to encourage normalization.

CALL in Saudi Arabia has a very long way to achieve normalization,but it is not impossible  because computers are widely used in everyday life. Computers should be used in classrooms according to students needs to explain, practice, do their assignments and projects. The ministry of education should provide enough teachers and train the students and teachers to use it well. By this way students and teachers will get used computers as a tool just like any other tool of learning. Step by step within near future technology will reach most of the schools in the kingdom and both students and teachers will start accepting computers to be an essential part of learning.

"Challenges of creating web-based activities in Sally Morrison" Interactive language Learning on the Web".

There are many difficulties for the teachers in creating web-based activity, one of them that the teacher do not have the technical skill and knowledge to do so, even though it is very simple. Another difficulty Is how the student access to different types of computer and the problem of the connection speed at which they will be accessing activities. One more obstacle in creating online activity is disable and special need students they shouldn't be left out.

In Saudi Arabia most of the schools the students are studying by books they do not have the knowledge for using computers nor the teachers. In addition, it is not available in schools in the first place. Moreover, a lot of schools are far away from the cities which make online activities very hard to be obtained. Also, the maintenance of computers in Saudi Arabia is not available every where which makes it harder and harder.