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.

Challenges of creating web-based activates in Sally Morrison” Interactive language Learning on the Web

Regarding the challenges for creating web-based activities, the author mentioned the following challenges:


1. 
The first challenge is that teachers do not have the technical skills and challenge that enable them to create web-based activities.
2.
 The second challenge is that teachers are in short of some of the basic instruments that are used in designing web-based activities such as HTML pages design tools. So, teachers are faced with the problem of lacking the know-how in order to design CALL materials.

3.
 The third challenge is that teachers have a busy schedule and lack of time in order to find a space to design web-based materials.

4.
 The fourth challenge is that students are not equal in their dealing with the computers. There are students who have computers and those who do not have. There are also who have high speed internet connection and those who do have. Such things should be previously settled.

5.
 The fifth challenge is that students of disabilities should not be discarded and they should be considered when designing the CALL materials. Students who have special needs should be treated as normal students and be introduced with the technology-based activities that suit their needs.


In addition to the obstacles mentioned above, there are some other obstacles special to the Saudi context. These obstacles have much to do with the teachers’, students, the educational context, and the educational officials in the Ministry of Education.

At the outset, the Saudi students depend mainly on technology as a source of entertainment and joy. They think of it as a matter of killing the time. They still lack the concept that technology is for education and learning. Also, they still see it as secondary to their learning and that the traditional way of instruction is their main focus. They should be made aware of the importance of technology and that technology should be a common practice in the class. They should be tested as per their knowledge of technology and their use of it. For example, students can be tested as taking a writing assignment and requesting them to write their paragraph on a shared blog. They will be then more attentive to technology.
Also, in most of the Saudi schools, what can prevents the usage of technology in language classes is 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.
Furthermore, a great deal of teachers and students do not how to deal with technology. 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. The educators should ensure the availability of the programs that help students develop in all areas in a balanced way.

CALL and Language Skills

We all know that grammar is an essential part of writing, as it helps to convey the message or idea that we are trying to get across, that's why small grammar mistakes can confuse the reader. 

As there are a lot of students how suffer from their grammar mistakes, this website helps them to find grammar, usage and spelling mistakes, whether they're writing on Facebook's Status window, Twitter's Tweet field, LinkedIn's Share window, in blogging applications or on other sites. It highlights grammar and spelling errors in real time as you type in web-based applications. In addition, that there are two components to Ginger: the first one is the proofreader, which the student download free and install on his computer, and the Ginger Coach learning center, an online service for which you pay.

How to use it..


1- As you write, Ginger automatically highlights any typos or grammar errors that you've made.
2- put the mouse over the highlighted text to see ginger's suggested correction.
3- Approve Ginger's correction by clicking on the suggested text.


This is the main website page where the student can try and use without download it or pay for it. It provides grammar and spelling correcting plus providing an alternative sentences also.

This short video shows how ginger works..

Click here  to watch the video ..

What is your most important reason for using social networking sites?

Internet and social networking sites lead us to what is called "Globalist" and that is what i liked about it , we can communicate with our friends, relatives or even our new friends from those social networking sites freely without even paying !! we can chat any time we want without limitation ,share pictures or videos. In addition, that i can find people who share with me the same ideas, interest or point of view where i may not have it with my people.


Is  it possible for  you to use them  in teaching EFL/ESL?

Yes sure!! it is a very helpful and pleasurable tool where the student can be joyful and interested on. it facilitates the learning and teaching process through the communication that is built between the teacher  and his students easily and quickly even if they are in their houses , without waiting till the next day to ask a question for example , so it saves time also.

Technological Change and the Future of CALL

Technological Change and the Future of CALL

My Reflect about reading 1:

-From what i read, the technological determinism refers to the idea that the introduction of new technology automatically brings certain results.

- Warschauer sets ten development in information and communication technology which it includes :

*The first important change is from phone-based to wireless communication because of improved technology and telephone/Internet relay facilities.
*A second change will be a move from dial-up Internet connections to permanent, direct online connections. For example, according to Telecommunications Research International.
*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 (referring to the speed at which information passes over communication lines) to broadband.

*A fifth change will be from expensive personal computing systems to widely affordable computers and other hardware, first in the developed countries and then in the developing countries.

*Sixth development is that the Internet will change from being an exclusive form of communication and information, mostly limited to people in developed countries, to becoming a mass form of communication accessible to most of the planet.
*A seventh development will be a movement from text-based information and communication to audiovisual forms of information and communication, as exemplified by the growing popularity of digital photography and home video production facilitated by new technology and the increasing trend for Internet news sites to offer multimedia presentations of news.

*An eighth change will be from use of English as the main online language to multilingual Internet use. By 2005, the number of Web pages in English is expected to drop to 41% of the world’s total (Computer Economics, 1999). At the same time, however, it is suggested that a much higher percentage of the commercial Web pages will be in English.
*A ninth change will be from “non-native” to “native” users of information technology. This concept does not refer to language use, but rather to comfort and skill in using computers.

*A tenth change will be the movement of CALL from the language laboratory to the classroom. Computers and other online devices will be found in every classroom in developed countries, not only in computer laboratories. For example, the Maine Department of Education has made computers available to all 7th grade students in the state, together with wireless access points in most schools.


- Warschauer argues that, "The projected developments of ICT will have a profound influence on the context in which English is taught. Largely because of the increased use of English in new globalized media and commerce there has been a major expansion in the number of second-language English speakers around the world. And can thus enable students to read, write, and rewrite the world in their English classes as never before, but only if we too enable our students to use the full power of these technologies"



-In his research, Warschauer argued that there are five examined areas those are:
1-New Contexts
Because of the increased use of English in new globalized media and commerce there has been a major expansion in the number of second-language English speakers around the world.

2-New Literacies
In the era of print, the act of reading consisted of an attempt to understand the meaning of a single author. In contrast, reading in the
online era has become an attempt to interpret information and create knowledge from a variety of sources. Although all reading and research skills include selecting the right questions, choosing the right tools, finding information,


3-New Genres
it is teaching new types of writing through electronic communication and it can also be illustrated by a situation that occurred in an ESL writing course

4-New Identities
students who use new media can develop a wide range of literacies and identities, and these skills must be taken into account in English teaching.

5-New Pedagogies
it is the behavioristic approaches to language learning

-Warschauer Assign three stages of CALL which are: ( Structural CALL- Communicative- Integrative CALL)

The terms definitions :

1- Educational technology :
it means using the technology in the education field to facilitate and improve the learning processes .

2- Netiquette:
it is about how should the users of the computer network behavior .

3- LMS:
It is a shortcut of "Learning Management System"  which it describes a software application that is used with specific learning process to create content, monitor student participation, and assess student performance.


4- CAL:
It's a shortcut of "Computer Aided Learning" or "Computer Assisted Learning"  which it means that the students learn subjects through using the computers with subject wise learning materials.


5- E-learning:
E-learning is electronic learning, and this means using a computer and the electronic media in education.

6- D-learning:
D-learning progression describes a progression of English language learning typical of students learning English as an additional language or dialect .

7- 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 , and this will enhance and extend the learning opportunities.

8- Online learning:
Online learning is a form of distance education in which the student takes courses without attending school or university while the education is delivered over the Internet.