Monday, February 9, 2009

Task 2

http://www.manythings.org/

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

As according to the word ‘manythings’, there are a lot of English activities can be use in the website. The application is a user friendly for all level of proficiency no matter how good or bad you are; the activities can be suitable for you. It can be use for you or for others and also for those who likes to play educational games with friends. Most of the activities deal with vocabulary, grammar, spelling, reading and listening. The website also provide the viewer some link to other website that in the same field. The website also good for teachers who need some ideas to educate their students in an interactive and creative ways.

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

Like I said earlier, the website gives you opportunities to explore more in learning English. The viewer or the user just needs to click onto the topic that they want to choose and follow the instructions given. It is very simple and straight forward. For instance, if you select listening and you click to listen and read along, you can listen and try to read together with the voice. It is to help you to hear and to speak clearly.

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

There are minor things that are required in order to use this application. First, you need to have java, javascript or flash and media player. It can be assumed that most of the computers today have this software. If you don’t, just go to http://www.freedownload.com/ and search for java script. The process only took for at least 10 minutes to finish download and then, you can start practicing by using the applications. The program will start automatically and users just follow the simple instructions given. For me, this is very easy as one, two, three.

Question 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 classmates, or in self-study ?

Yes of course. Most of the topic do relate to the daily learning in school. This application do reminds me about the activities that my teacher used to do in school. The reading activities for instance, my teacher will read and we have to follow her in laud and clear voice. While learning grammar, my teacher always gives us sets of multiple choice questions and being evaluated at the end of the class periods. In listening classes, teacher will use the school’s radio and she will use a tape recorder for us to listen and write it in a piece of paper. Nowadays, I really sure students will not seeing a cassette in class as it has been replace with compact disk.

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

There are lots of theories that can be interpreted throughout the activities. For instance, the listening activities deal with the Audio Lingual Method. This method basically highlights the important of listening as well as speaking the language. It will somehow improve your vocabulary as well as your pronunciation. However, the application provide may not suitable for learning the language as it only drill you to speak just like the voice says. There are no two ways of communications for the user.

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

As far as I concern, these website do construct knowledge and meaning from the user’s experiences. If the user didn’t know much about grammar for example, the activities may not be interest for the user. The application didn’t teach you but it provides you the element of improving your knowledge about English as a whole. As for the answer for the question above said, there are no two ways of communications. Meaning to say, constructivist theory also includes social activity and therefore, the activities are not fit with the theory.

Question 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?

Teacher is the best way to gain knowledge no matter how good or advance the technology will be. For me, computer provides us some ‘easy way’ in learning. Besides that, handling computer is beneficial as it will be useful for jobs requirement. I don’t think that computer will be our so called ‘master’ because the technology invented for the use of human being. Therefore, it is up to us to interpret it either in positive way or bad way.

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

Yes? Give reasons:

This application is very useful for teacher as well as students. It enhances the knowledge as well as to give some idea for teacher in teaching students in class. For future references, I may use this application to teach in class. For instance, I will use the techniques in teaching grammar or improving my student’s vocabulary by doing some games that might be attractive to them.

No? Give reasons:

Question 9

Suggestion / recommendations

Last but not least, I recommend the website to all teachers who teach English to be use in class. Even the class has no technology equipment; teacher can use the idea so that student will not be bored by traditional material or way.

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