The Virtual Insectary (ch 6)

The Virtual Insectary

Goal:
The website is made for people who are interested in insects. Like an insect zoo, this is a unique place to study and observe a few insects with pictures and the information of them.

Presentation:
This website provides images of some common insects, and also includes information on the foods which they eat as well as the habitats where they can be found. There are many pictures of insects which can be chosen by the learners. And the individual page offers the information and the knowledge of the insects with hyper links of the key words.

Appropriateness:
Here the learners can get the information they want to know more about the insects they are interested with. However, the quantity of information seems not enough because it just offers the brief introduction. The usage of words is also simple. Therefore, I think it just can facilitate the problem-based learning as an information provider instead of an independent website for learners to learn.

Outcomes:
I think this website, as I mentioned before, is a place to facilitate the learning; therefore, if it works individually, the effect won’t be great. So, I think this website should be viewed with an intention and other documents to be at hand to enlarge the knowing.

Evaluation:
There’s no place for the learners to interact or to do some activities. It’s what I think of the pitiful part about it. It’s too simple and easy with little content in it. Learners can only use it when there’s a problem-solving project to do. Of course, there’s no feedback if there’s no activity for viewer to click and play with.

Notes:
It’s a website mentioned in the example of chapter 6. Thus, it’s not a really good website to browse through initially. It is just a kind of dictionary of insects. People can just view it with eyes instead of involving in this website with games and activities.

Understand the Weblog

What is the weblog?
I think weblog (or blog) is a kind of informal or personal website with chronological order.

What are some popular English learning weblogs?
Like “English Learning @ HWSH” and “The English Blog”

What can the weblog do compared to the traditional English learning website?
If the English learning website is in the form of “blog,” I think, the information can be updated soon according to the date with the content of multimedia and hyper links in the articles. Besides, a blog can leave the space for learners do some interaction together according to one particular issue or article. The most important one is that blogs have the function of RSS, allowing learners to get the immediate learning information in their personal blog.

What is RSS/ permalinks/ traceback?
1. RSS is a function for blog users to update the information they want form lots of blogs. RSS provides a way to frequently update the digital content if people want. It’s a kind of convenient sharing.
2. Permalinks is “Permanent Link.” It’s like a permanent tag for a blogging entry even to the individual comment, remaining unchanged.
3. Traceback is a function that bloggers can see when anyone links to the blog.

How can team blog functions (e.g., comments, moderation, traceback, and pingback) support English reading and writing?
These functions can help learners to create a platform with space for interaction of opinions so that they can get response and feedback from each other in learning and with links that can easily be used in responding. Through these functions, the English learners can exchange the ideas by reading and writing.

How can multimedia presentation (e.g., pictures, and videos, and audio) support English listening and speaking?
The multimedia contents provide the visual and auditory effects on the learners. These contents can enhance the listening ability in a more interesting way. As to speaking, I think it just enhance the accent if learners.

Time for kids(ch 5)

Time for kids

Goal: The website is for a weekly classroom news magazine that motivates kids to read. The issues cover a wide range of real-world topics kids love to learn about. The website also provides the materials.

Presentation: There are sections for k 1-6 learners, including Worksheets, Mini-lessons, Graphic Organizers, the news part, and the small games.

“Worksheets” is a kind of teaching resources for parents or teachers to have some materials to teach.
“Mini-lessons” includes lots of activity instructions. Each lesson provides the questions as the pretext, then the activity and the part for kids to think. The last is the advices for extensive learning.
“Graphic organizers” is also the teaching resources, providing some graphic papers for kids to fill up the graphic papers with thinking.
The news part provides articles with the related activity sheets and materials for download.
The games are related to the reading and questions and information behind are provided at the same time.

Appropriateness: I think it’s more like to provide scaffolds for teachers or parents to use in their teaching. The focus of this website is still the magazine, but there are still materials for reading and activities. Learners can use those materials in learning which fits their degrees. Especially the mini-lessons part, I think it can provide a complete learning process.

Outcomes: I think the website can be used independently, and it can also be used with the magazine to enlarge the range of learning so that the learning can be more complete and integrated.

Evaluation: The games part for learning includes the questions and the answers with more information below. After the learners answer the question, the correct answer and feedback words will show up with more information about the topic, then, the learner can go on to the next question.


Notes: Though the website is made for the magazine, I believe there’s still the scaffold for people to help themselves in learning. Like the readings, is made for kids with the topics they may have interest in, and the Worksheets, Mini-lessons, and Graphic Organizers, are all the useful and interesting resources in language learning. Although it is not organized as a whole, the materials are still great and convenient to help kids in learning.