My Final Refection on Creating Final Project

  By the end of this course, me and my lovely cooperative group "peaceful group" were required to create an educational website which is the final project of EDU401 course. In the begging of the semester i knew from other girls that the final project of this course is to create a website !! 

   To be honest, I felt worried about this and I asked myself is it possible for me to make a website for the very first time!! .. But After spending nearly 3 months learning educational technology, i had the confidence that i'm now able to do my own website and i will enjoy it as i enjoyed the whole course. It's right that i faced some difficulty and  limitations while working on the project. For me, the only limitations I had faced is lack of time, as i have another final projects, so it was difficult to manage the time. That's why i advice all the girls to know how to manage their time in a good way from the begging. Otherwise, they will not be able to do anything. 

One other small problem that i faced while doing some parts of the project is the Poll, i knew how to do it , i watch tutorial about it and i was sure about the way of adding it to the sidebar, but the problem that i tried a lot of websites that provide a Poll survey but i hadn't found what i was looking for. But generally it was very enjoyable and interesting experience to create a website. I learned a lot, and at the same time I had so much fun working on it. 

    Finally, I would like to thank you Dr. Hala for your great work and effort in this beneficial and interesting course. It will helps me a lot as an English language teacher in the future insha’Allah.

The role of WeQuests in learning a foreign/second language?

  Example of Webquests:
 http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=133833

                            
                                Let’s Party

   The role of the students:

1. Each student has a role in making a list about the party by answering the questions about the place, time, and preparations of the party.
2. Each student will make a brainstorming about birthday parties in order to have a number of ideas to share with her classmate.
3. Students are encouraged to confer with the teacher and take risks during discussion without fear of committing mistakes.
4. Students are encouraged to derive the meanings of the unknown words through word analysis, structural analysis and context. Also, the teacher encourages students to join the discussion and confer as they are able.
5. Students are encouraged to predict as they write. The teacher helps them draw on their understanding and their knowledge of the structure of language.
6. Students are encouraged to answer questions that are at the literal and interpretational levels of comprehension. Also, they should be encouraged to conduct and pose their own questions about the party or birthday.
7. Students are encouraged to produce a report about the party.

                                                             
 The role of the teacher:

1. The teacher acts as a resource for the students. She is to provide students with vocabulary related to birthday parties in order to form sentences about the topic.
2. The teacher acts as an organizer who organizes the work of the students into groups and as individuals. The teacher will ask each student to write his own list.
3. The teacher will monitor the students as they work in groups and answers all of these questions and provide them the vocabulary and language they need.
4. The teacher discusses the topic with the students to activate prior and background knowledge about the topic.
5. The teacher helps students predict the passage from the title, headings (if there are any) and illustrations.
6. The teacher introduces prompts that help students predict the issue and confirm their predictions. To assist students, the teacher should try to link more than one prompt.
7. The teacher motivates students to keep commenting. Difficult points that need to be clarified and the most interesting point (s) should be dealt with whether through context clues or teacher’s clarifications.


Classroom Environment:

1. A classroom with instructional aids such as birthday’s pictures and parties video should be presented to the students to allow them to identify similar concepts.
2. The teacher should allow students to participate freely without any hesitation of fear or committing any errors.
3. The desks should be organized in order for students can work as groups.
4. Also, all students should participate effectively in the class discussions so that all of them interact and benefit from the class.
5. The classroom should be tension-free and all students should be allowed to use the resources they see appropriate.

Evaluating "http://www.eduplace.com/tales/ Website"

 As the use of technology nowadays is increasing day by day, we can clearly see that is being entered also in almost every section and aspects of our lives, and this includes the education field where the technology has made a very big change. Students now can easily develop and improve their education through using the technology and the websites which are specialize in education with its different fields and levels. One of those websites is http://www.eduplace.com/tales/.

     This website is a commercial website that aims to practice the students reading and listing also as the tales are geared for grades 3 and above. It contains a large number of an interesting and enjoyable tales that helps the child to turn the learning to an entertaining process rather than just a boring learning process. Also, as there is a chance to let the child have his own version of the tale by choosing the names, cities, towns, verbs and nouns, It'll increase the child's motivation and create an enjoyable atmosphere.

     This website is a branch of the official website of the Education Place of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company. It has been noticed that the website is not updated and there is no date information. It can contact to theauthors but no reference list.

       Also for the background, layout, navigation, and the links, The design of the website isn't attractive to attract the child's eyes. The home page has a little colorful picture, but other pages have no graphic picture or animation. The font style and size are good and easy to read and appropriate for heading and text. Also, the tales links are easy to open and it doesn't take a long time to open. There is no search section and no advertisement at all. In addition, it can use and move around the site easily, free to use with no login requirement and well structured and organized website.

The website is good, but need some improvements. For example, adding an option for printing out, images and animations, feedback, Sound to improve listening skills, search section and update the tales.

Morrison’s Interactive Language Learning on the Web

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

Teachers are in a need to create web-based language activities for EFL students in the Saudi classroom. Web-based activities are of a great importance in the current classroom environment. Web-based activities make learners, classroom-oriented and motivated to learn, participate, and interact. In one of my classes, a computer-based reading lesson was given, the whole class participated without even one student who did not take part in the discussion. Also, technology kills the boredom that accompanies traditional language classes where all students are passive and the teacher is the only speaker.

Furthermore, students can use Web-based activities at their own pace at home at any time of the day. This gives them more independence from classrooms and they practice as much as they need. Moreover, I think that students benefit greatly through the authentic materials provided by technological aids and interaction is enhanced. I believe that technology greatly fosters achievement.
However, despite all of these supporting points for the use of web-based activities in language teaching and learning, students may get obsessed by technology such as computer, internet, and blogs and this may deviate them from their original objective. That is why technology must be under control and not to be left to control students.

Also, what can be counted against the usage of web-based activities in language classes are the costs associated with modern technology. When computers become a basic requirement for student to purchase, low budget schools and low-income students usually cannot afford a computer.
It is also necessary that both teachers and learners should have basic technology knowledge before they apply computer technology to assist second language teaching and learning. No student can utilize computer if he or she lacks training in the uses of computer technology. Unfortunately, most teachers today do not have sufficient technological training to guide their students exploring computers and its assisted language learning programs.

Finally, current computer technology mainly deals with reading, listening, and writing skills. Even though some speaking programs have been developed recently, their functions are still limited.

Reflect on the live session we had with Peggy

Reflect on the live session we had with Peggy

The topic of the presentation is about the influence of Arabic on the pronunciation of English sounds. The presentation argues that English and Arabic have different consonant systems and vowels systems. Also, there are differences between the two languages in the stress and the realization of sounds.
According to the presentation, one of the problems that prevent the correction production of L2 sounds is that Arabic speakers overlap their phonological knowledge with that of the English language. Arabic speakers may overlap /p/ and /b/ as the differentiation between these two sounds are not existent in Arabic. This interference is the main source of the pronunciation problems of Arab students who learn English as a second language.
This presentation was given on 24 Febayray 2014 by Peggy Tharpe, M.A. TESOL, Monterey Institute of International Studies in the attendence of Professor Hala Fawzi's CALL class at Yanbu University College, Saudi Arabia.






Advantages of Virtual Classes
1. Students save time and efforts that may students may lose when going to real classes.
2. Students interact and cooperate as if they are in a real class.
3. Virtual classes can be accessed by students at their on pace at any time
4. Teacher can design virtual classes as they like
5. Students interact with their teachers and their peers.
6. Students can get immediate feedback.

Disadvantages of Virtual Classrooms
1. The institution must have the required resources to virtual classes
2. Students may not be motivated to learn
3. Virtual classes need much time to prepare and design
4. Teachers must have the technological skills to design the virtual classes.
5. Virtual classes are not effective for evaluating students’ understanding.


Certainly, I will use the virtual classes in my context. The students in the modern age have become good users of technology and they have become more acceptable of internet-based learning. Also, some Saudi schools have computerized classes and labs and this helps in creating virtual classes.
However, virtual classes should be used together with the traditional classrooms. Virtual classes are needed when conducting conversations and seminars. Also, students in my context still need traditional classes so that they work hard and do not see the class as a matter of entertainment.
Virtual classes are a source of motivation and interest, they maintain learners’ activeness, they are a source of fun, they make students feel comfortable an unstressed, and they are easier and faster than the traditional methods. Eventually, virtual classes enable social interaction, participation, and competition while teaching to young learners.

Virtual classes cannot be successful if the teacher does not explain the tasks and roles of students clearly in the class. Using virtual classes in sometimes fails due to the lack of cooperation among members of the class. Virtual classes need all students' involvement and they promote friendly competition, therefore, it is very important that students have a cooperative attitude.

Wordle in EDU 401

Normalization of Bax in the Saudi Kingdom

1- The development of technology and CALL overtime has created a significant need for the integration of technology in the daily classroom practices. According to the author, technology has developed from focusing on individuals to focusing on communicative groups and so language teaching has been affected by technology.

I agree with Bax that technology is of a great importance in the current classroom environment and that technology makes learners classroom-oriented and motivated to learn, participate, and interact.

The author claims that once technology is commonly used in the class, then we have reached the state of normalization. Technology has become normal in the class. In order to reach this stage we should adopt technology, try it, try it again, and then normalize it.

The article mentions that there are two fallacies that constitute a challenge for CALL in the educational context. The first one is the teachers’ attitude towards CALL and their awe and fear of using CALL. The second fallacy is the successful implementation of technology in the school. It is not enough to have technology in the school but the key point is using this technology.

A- According to Bax, the following changes should be take place in order to achieve normalization of CALL:

* The most important thing in the class is that teachers have positive attitude towards technology. Teachers who do not like or use technology will not use it in the class. Teachers should be made aware of the importance of technology and that it has become a factual matter in life.

* It is not correct that the availability of technology in the class is that the whole story is right. The most significant thing that teachers already use this technology and make the full use of it in the class. The matter is not just having technology, but the matter is using this technology.

* The most important thing is that the teachers face difficulties in their teaching and administrative loads in the schools. Such loads are obstacles for teachers to design, search, and innovate digital materials for their students. Also, teachers are overloaded with the heavy curriculum and their need to pursue the curriculum deadline. The focus should be on the quality and not on the quantity.

B- The above mentioned changes and important to take place in the Saudi context. Students and teachers should get enough attention regarding their preparation to use technology and to benefit from technology. Also, the schools and the educational officers should provide all the technical support and infrastructure as well as the devices, PCs, internet connections for teachers to design their web-based materials.

Furthermore, I see that students should be trained to use technology at their own pace at home at any time of the day. This gives them more independence from classrooms and they practice as much as they need. Moreover, I think that students

can benefit greatly through the authentic materials provided by technological aids and interaction is enhanced. Technology greatly fosters achievement.

Also, it is a matter of fact there a considerable number of teachers are not digital natives as they stick to the old teaching styles and do not completely use technology in their classrooms. They have been accustomed to the traditional methods of teaching whether during their college years of in-service training. Their earlier syllabuses did not incorporate technology in the curriculum and teachers were thus reluctant to use technology in their classroom, mainly because they do not know how to incorporate this. Teachers should be trained on how to design their lessons using technology and how to address the different needs of their students.

However, despite all of these supporting points for the use of technology in language teaching and learning, students may get obsessed by technology such as computer, internet, and blogs and this may deviate them from their original objective. That is why technology must be under control and not to be left to control students.