The Role of Webquest for Learning English As A Foreign

 

Since the Internet become popular and technology become part of the  education . A new tool has recently appeared to make teaching very interesting and challenging , this tool has changed the idea of teaching from traditional  to online teaching,  from doing homework on paper to facing the computer doing some searching and analyzing, from receptive learner to more productive and creative learner.   It’s a web quest

What a Web quest?

It was defined by Bernie Dodge as " An inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet, optionally supplemented with videoconferencing.”. In simple word, it assign students for gathering information about certain topic, web quest usually a group of activity with a end  goal of creating a document or summarized the information you collected. It takes different form of writing a report, giving a presentation, fill out a questionnaire or creating a web site. The  web quest structured into component:

Introduction

Task

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion

Web quest engage student into the activity in very smooth and interesting way. It let them finish the task with challenged and competent feeling. It gives student very good opportunity to work with group and comes with very helpful learning experience.

In Saudi, they miss this effective way of teaching, I hope to use it with my student in future, because it is good way to provide information  that long lasting in students' mind

Website Evaluation

This is a report about a4esl.org/.  It a  helpful website which  gives exercise, activities and quizzes for teachers and gives  students good opportunity for  learning and practice English language . This website in one side  has some privileges, and  in other side has some lose of feature and low quality in displaying . The content of the website has well stated and clear purpose is carried out throughout.  The content accuracy is doubtable; the information provided by many teachers  so we cannot  assume the accuracy of the information.  The website has a usable layout, but may appear busy or boring. The navigation and links are dearly  labeled, consistently placed ,allow the reader to easily move from a page to another.  We found the background suitable and does not detract from readability, but the color choices was awful it is hard to read and distract the reader.  In addition, The font is clear and east to read; the site differentiates between headings and subheadings by using different fonts. Also, the sounds are clear and the students can understand easily to what they're listening,  to The website does not have any graphics and images which would make the website more useless in some points  and boring. There are  no error in spelling, punctuation or grammar in the final draft of the web site.  Copyright mentioned have  of teachers. In conclude, we rate this website as a good one but need some improving. The most important is  the content which is provided a  very useful information for each level of student, and a guideline activities for teacher

  Finally from our point of view, the website is very good, but need  some improvement. So we suggest that the website needed to add

1-some images and graphics for more illustration

2change the annoying  colors into conformable colors

3 Integrate some video for further explanation   

Interactive Language Learning on the Web

The accessibility to the world wide web makes language learning affordable for the learner and good sources and material for teacher. Although with this plenty of material such: activities, lesson, games, quizzes and exercise are easy to have it , it is better for the teacher to have her own interactive language learning activities. The advantages of that are :

Accessibility: By putting course material on the Web, teachers provide

students with 24-hour, independent access to course information, and

updates to Web pages and new assignments are immediately available to

students.

Renewability: Once created, materials can be updated easily and often.

Adaptability: Web-based activities can easily be modified to support

students at different proficiency levels or with special needs

In addition, teacher may have some challenges in creating web-base language learning activities such: lack of technical skills, variability of student access to different  computer, different browser and different connection speed.

Another important issue that can make difficult for the teacher to create web-base language learning activities is the accessibility of individual with disabilities. All these should be consider before designing web based activities.

Teacher can use web to teach vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, reading, writing and even pronunciation. In the article the writer mentioned a good way to teach reading and writing with the discussion board and weblog or blog. Also he writer suggested another way for teaching vocabulary and grammar with JavaScript and CGI ( common gateway digest) through designing games, exercise and activities. Also mention how to use HTML Forms and CGI Script  to make page interactive activities and quizzes that gives teacher opportunity to evaluate students' works and student to check their answers.      

Using Bolg , delicious and Wiki in Saudi EFL context

 

 

 

Internet became very important part of our daily life, people use internet for different purpose. Internet has very significant role in learning and teaching  areas. I am as a learner  I would like to encourage teacher in Saudi to use some website to facilitate learning and make learning more enjoyable experience. These some of helpful websites:

 

 

 

Blogger

This website is very good tool for reading and writing , defiantly it  will be fantastic tool for  EFL student to improve their skills in reading and writing in such way :  for reading teacher can ask them to read someone's blog or she  post a blog and ask them to read it and summarize what they have read. About writing she let them create their own blog and post about their life or  ask them to write about specific topic and their classmate comment on that.

 

Delicious

  it’s a website where you can store your link and share it with everyone . In this website she can post  links or video  that related to the course.  Also post some website that help student for more understanding and practicing  what they  have done.  Posting and  Sharing  link in this  easy way is really helpful in learning.

Wiki

I would really like to encourage teacher in Saudi Arabia to use this website with her  student.  It let them  to collaborate with each other as well as with teacher. It  is very easy for the teacher to communicate with student also to upload whatever she want to give student such home work , assignment   and activities.  

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