The website was designed for primary school students, since all the developers were primary school teachers. The website designed could therefore be a platform of resources for the students to continue self-studies beside classroom time. The main focus is to train their reading skills since reading plays an important role in the new English curriculum. There were ten sections in the website.
It is hoped that the website can bring about a multi-dimensional learning environment to the students and the students can learn how to read, interact with digital texts in such context. It is expected that the students will take a more autonomous role and use more of their creative mind, with the help from teacher-facilitator, using our website as a tool for reading texts, researching more about the texts in related links and admiring each others’ written work (tongue twisters).
This website can be used by the students for self-learning. Students can choose a particular text type to read and complete the online quizzes related. They can click on a particular word to learn its pronunciation. In addition to self-learning, this website can also be used as an assisting tool in classroom teaching. Some teaching plans were provided online under the section “Let’s teach”.
After developing this project page, we found that technologies were not difficult to use, Dreamweaver and Hot Potatoes were both user friendly. A website developed by teachers would fit learners’ need since teachers knew their students better than other program developers. Students learn very fast, they learn to use new technology, such as forum and guestbook, quickly. CALL can not only be used to assist classroom learning, it can also be used by students for self-learning. A well-designed CALL could make learning more efficient. You can feel free to browse our website.
Dora, Fiona, Paul & Venus
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Technology in testing: the present and the future
Testing is an important part of learning. That's why we've the course "testing and evlaution" this semester. Using IT in testing isn't a new thing. TOEFL and GRE changed to computer-based a few years ago.
Computer-based tests had received quite a lot of research these years. Some people commented that these tests had limited item types (MC, cloze, gap filling) and the test might not be valid enough. The positive point of view is CBT makes scoring much easier. The computer can report the result right after the test-taker completes the test. For paper-based test, we always need to wait for months. However, the test-taker can't skip an item or change their mind afterwards. The technique for taking a CBT is different from paper-based test. In class, we always teach our students exam strategies in addition to language skills. We teach our students to skip difficult items and try the easy ones first. We teach our students to read the questions before reading the comprehension passage. These exam strategies may not work for CBT. So, if our students need to take CBT, we need to teach them other exam strategies.
I think CBT maybe useful for low stake quizzes. But for high stake exam, paper-based test will still be my choice (in local primary schools).
CBT is good for testing receptive language abilities, but I wonder if it works for productive language abilities. Some people tried to develop CBT for assessing writing and speaking. The most important step is to train the computer to do subjective scoring. I don't think the computer can do it well at this moment. Maybe after ten years, the computer can replace human markers.
Computer-based tests had received quite a lot of research these years. Some people commented that these tests had limited item types (MC, cloze, gap filling) and the test might not be valid enough. The positive point of view is CBT makes scoring much easier. The computer can report the result right after the test-taker completes the test. For paper-based test, we always need to wait for months. However, the test-taker can't skip an item or change their mind afterwards. The technique for taking a CBT is different from paper-based test. In class, we always teach our students exam strategies in addition to language skills. We teach our students to skip difficult items and try the easy ones first. We teach our students to read the questions before reading the comprehension passage. These exam strategies may not work for CBT. So, if our students need to take CBT, we need to teach them other exam strategies.
I think CBT maybe useful for low stake quizzes. But for high stake exam, paper-based test will still be my choice (in local primary schools).
CBT is good for testing receptive language abilities, but I wonder if it works for productive language abilities. Some people tried to develop CBT for assessing writing and speaking. The most important step is to train the computer to do subjective scoring. I don't think the computer can do it well at this moment. Maybe after ten years, the computer can replace human markers.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Project Page Updated
Project page updated but not finished.
https://eportal.cityu.edu.hk/bbcswebdav/courses/02EN6482/Group6/index.html
https://eportal.cityu.edu.hk/bbcswebdav/courses/02EN6482/Group6/index.html
Friday, April 4, 2008
Learning Management Systems: The wrong place to start learning
The author mentioned some flaws of learning management systems. The developers of the LMS assumed that learning would happen if students were exposed to the content. The author criticized this assumption and stated that learning should be driven by needs but not LMS design.
The first LMS I encountered was Blackboard. When I first used Blackboard, I saw it as a file server for me to download lecture notes and materials. Although there's a discussion board on Blackboard, I don't see it as a place to connect with other learners/instructor. I see it as a medium to submit my homework (weekly discussion).
If is far easier to stay a life-long learner when plugged into a community or learning network, rather than having previous learning confined to a content-locked LMS. (George Siemens)
At work we learn more in the break room than in the classroom. (Jay Cross)
LMS maybe useful for highly motivated learners but not for normal learners nowadays.
The first LMS I encountered was Blackboard. When I first used Blackboard, I saw it as a file server for me to download lecture notes and materials. Although there's a discussion board on Blackboard, I don't see it as a place to connect with other learners/instructor. I see it as a medium to submit my homework (weekly discussion).
If is far easier to stay a life-long learner when plugged into a community or learning network, rather than having previous learning confined to a content-locked LMS. (George Siemens)
At work we learn more in the break room than in the classroom. (Jay Cross)
LMS maybe useful for highly motivated learners but not for normal learners nowadays.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Learner Autonomy and Tandem Learning
The author first clarified a few misconceptions of learner autonomy. Then he defined learner autonomy as a learner's capacity for critical self-evaluation and self-determination, an ability to take control over and responsibility for her learning.
Next, the author described and evaluated two tandem learning projects. He mentioned that problems in tandem learning could occur if learners placed more emphasis on personal learning objectives rather than collaboratively negotiated goals.
Tandem learning is a good idea for L2 learners to communicate and learn with an L1 expert. However, it may not be practical in primary schools, since teachers need to monitor the communication between the tandem partners.
Learner autonomy now becomes a hit topic even in primary schools. Young kids in my school are required to fill in a reflective report after the teacher finishes a mathematical topic (e.g. equation). Students write about their feelings in the report, also the classroom activities they like most. Some of them ask questions in the reflective report. A reflective report is a good way for the teacher to know a student's progress and thinking. However, if the students are required to write in their L2, they may feel a bit painful. I think.
Next, the author described and evaluated two tandem learning projects. He mentioned that problems in tandem learning could occur if learners placed more emphasis on personal learning objectives rather than collaboratively negotiated goals.
Tandem learning is a good idea for L2 learners to communicate and learn with an L1 expert. However, it may not be practical in primary schools, since teachers need to monitor the communication between the tandem partners.
Learner autonomy now becomes a hit topic even in primary schools. Young kids in my school are required to fill in a reflective report after the teacher finishes a mathematical topic (e.g. equation). Students write about their feelings in the report, also the classroom activities they like most. Some of them ask questions in the reflective report. A reflective report is a good way for the teacher to know a student's progress and thinking. However, if the students are required to write in their L2, they may feel a bit painful. I think.
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