Task 2: ESL Website Evaluation

The website chosen to be accessed is the www.a4esl.org.

1. What does the application attempt to “teach”?

This online lesson attempts to teach grammatical components and vocabulary components for various levels in ESL and EFL students. This application provides numbers of activities, exercises, quizzes, practices and puzzles for learners. From the activities provided in this application, the learners can increase their vocabularies and knowledge. Some of the vocabulary exercises include pictures which are very interesting. From the knowledge gained from this application, it can help to increase the learners’ proficiency level. This application also includes bilingual activities where it can be very handy for the learners. Examples of bilingual provided are Malay, Korean, Japanese and Urdu. This application is also very handy for the teachers where it guides the teachers on how to create quizzes. It has online quiz generator where the teacher can get helps in creating multiple choice quiz or flash quizzes for English study which is very interesting. From this application, the teachers can also read the internet TESL journal.

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

The application user will be expected to answer different types of quizzes based on English component such as grammar and vocabulary. From the content in this application, the user can improve their grammar skills and knowledge on vocabulary. The application user can apply the skills and knowledge in their writing and reading comprehension activities. The learners can used the skills as a reference for their everyday conversations.

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

This is an easy access application where it does not require any money or a “genius” in computer to run this application. There is no need to login or sign in as a member to use this application. No downloading of any special software required to open this website. This application is very user-friendly where it does not involve any usage of Microsoft Office. The only thing you need is Internet connection to operate this website and not to forget basic language skills are needed.

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?

Yes. It does remind me of activities that I have done in my practicum where I used crossword puzzles in class. It really grabbed the students’ attention and we had fun while learning English. The idioms are also one of the activities that I have done in the classroom. There were also quizzes about places that remind me of the activities that I did in the classroom. Some of the grammar and the vocabulary I had used during my self-study.

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

This application provides activities according to learner’s proficiency level. Hence, this application is related to Bloom’s Taxonomy level where the activities are according to the students’ level of thinking. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a multi-tiered model of classifying thinking according to six cognitive levels of complexity. The activities provided in this application are arranged according to level; easy, medium and difficult. Thus, the students can choose any level that they think is suitable to their proficiency level. This application is also relates to the motivation. Edward Deci (1975: 23) (Brown 2001) defined intrinsic motivation as where the intrinsically motivated activities are ones for which there is no apparent reward except the activity itself. The activities in this application require the users’ intrinsic motivation in order for them to engage with the activities provided.

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

Jean Piaget suggested individuals assemble new knowledge from their experiences through the processes of assimilation and accommodation. The activities in here clearly promote the process of accommodation and assimilation. In this application, there are no notes for the users in order to help them to answers questions. The users must have basic knowledge on grammatical components in order for them to engage with the activities. The users require their previous knowledge in order to answer the quizzes in this application and from the activities the students are able to assimilate new experience into their existing framework.

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

It is undeniable that computer makes our life easier. It could be a master and a slave to the learning process at the same time. It is a master when we are able to get fresh and new knowledge and education at the tip of our fingers. At the same time it could be a slave when we are so dependent on this technology. This technology tend to spoon feed us on everything where the users would not rely on other sources which could be more efficient. Computer can never be a replacement for teachers. As an educator, teacher gives so much to individual in terms of various aspects such as education and moral values in life. Interactions are needed in our everyday life and we can obtain these useful interactions through teachers where it could be limited through computer. We have various teachers that give various opinions, feedbacks and education where computer are lack of it. Computer can be slave where it can separate the user from the real world. Hence, this will cause the users to experience life and learn about the morals, cultures, values and beliefs. Yes, the computer provides information but it takes away the user from experiencing it.

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

Yes, I will use this application in my future work. It provides various questions that teachers can use in their teaching and students to use as their practice in their learning. Besides it is cost-free, easily accessible and user-friendly. Other than that, it helps teachers in generating questions for quizzes and it includes bilingual activities. From the activities the user can also learn about idioms, acquire knowledge and gain information about places. The teacher can also read journals from this application.

9. Suggestions/recommendations.

There are few suggestions and recommendations that can make this application more interesting. I would suggest that this application provide notes and examples for the users so that it can act as a guide for the user. This application is lack of games, thus games can be inserted in this application to make it more fun and attractive. Pictures, animations and colors can help to make this application livelier. Writing, speaking, listening and reading activities should be included in this application in order to make it more variety.