Transcript using websites - WordPress.com

The Use of Websites in ELT
 Using websites is one of the easiest and least
stressful ways of getting started with technology in
the classroom.
 The web is a source of content which can be used
as a window on the wider world outside your class, and
is － of course － readily available collection of
authentic material.
You can use web pages in the classroom in a variety
of ways:
1.As printed pages, with no computers.
2.With one computer with an Internet connected.
3.In a computer lab with a set of networked and
connected computers.
ELT websites or authentic websites?
 ELT websites:
1. Providing content that your learners can
use, for example language practice activities
they can do on their.
2. Providing valuable opportunities for more
controlled language work and are often a
great help to learners who need to brush up
on certain aspects of the language or to
prepare for an exam.
 Authentic sites:
1.Can be chosen to fit your learners’
interests
2.Providing an ideal opportunity to work
through
the
issues
of
total
comprehension that plenty of learners
have to deal with at some point in their
studies.
Criteria in Evaluate Websites
• Criteria 1: Accuracy
To determine how reliable and free from error the
information contained on a website is, remember to look at
who is hosting the site. Is it a University, a government, a
professional association, a commercial host, an advocacy
group, a publisher? What are their biases? A good website
should state its purpose and intended audience. It is
always a good idea to check with other web resources,
journals or magazines that publish website reviews to see
if the site has received a stamp of approval, and if so, by
whom. Always remember to verify the information on the
website with information found in other print and/or webbased sources.
• Criteria 2: Authority
To determine the authorship of a website, examine the page
closely for information about the author and to see if
anyone else has contributed to the site. Check information
on the WebPages to see if it includes references. A good
website should provide a way to contact the producers of
the site. Identify the type of Webpage i.e. educational,
professional, personal, advocacy, advertising, etc.
Determine where they are getting their information.
Check to see if the author or contributor to a Webpage
has published in print. If so, do these print sources
provide you with additional information on who he/she is
and their qualifications? Check to see if the author(s)
have created other websites. See if the other websites
provide more information about the author(s).
• Criteria 4: Currency
To determine the currency of a website, find out
when the page was last updated. Also look to
see if there are broken links on the site, it
could be an indication of an abandoned page.
You should also check to see how often new
links appear on the site.
• Criteria 5: Coverage
To determine if the information is adequately
covered on a website, compare the information
with information found on other websites. Does
one site provide more information, more
references, more contacts? Also compare the
information on the website with information
available in print sources such as books,
journals, reports, etc. (if available).
• Criteria 3: Objectivity
To determine the objectivity of a website, check
if
advertising and informational content are being
supplied by the same person or organization. If so,
examine whether there is a bias to the informational
content. Keep in mind that many websites with
excellent information are sponsored by commercial
entities or take advertisements to finance the
website.
How to find Useful websites?
1. Search engine
• Google: www.google.com
• Yahoo: www.yahoo.com
• Altavista: www.altavista.com
• Ask.com: http://www. ask.com/
• Clusty: http://clusty.com/
• Lycos:http://www.lycos.com/
2. Subject Directory/ subject guide
• Yahoo:http:// dir.yahoo.com/
3. Specialized search engines and directory
• http://webquest.sdsu.edu/searching/specialized/html
4. Meta search engines
Dogpile: http://www.dogpile.com/
Kartoo: http://www.katoo.com/en_index.htm
Metacrawler: http://www.metacrawler.com/
Mamma : http:// www.mamma.com/
5. Others
Answer.com: http//www.answer.com/bb/
Yahoo! Answer: http:// answer.yahoo.com/
How to evaluate Website
The Internet can be a great tool for doing
research, but it is necessary to evaluate websites
to insure their quality and accuracy. Below are
some aspects to consider.
Key Areas to Review
ACCURACY
Is the information reliable and correct?
Is there an editor who verifies the information?
Anyone can publish anything on the Web, and there
are no web standards for accuracy.
AUTHORITY
Is there an author? What are his or her qualifications?
What is the sponsoring organization? Is it reputable?
Is the domain appropriate for the search (.edu, .com, .gov,
.org, .net, etc.)?
Look for links providing information about the author and his
or her e-mail address.
Check for "about us," "philosophy," etc. for information about
the organization.
OBJECTIVITY
Does the website show a minimum of bias?
Is there advertising on the page?
What is the purpose of the site? To sell, to inform, to
persuade?
CURRENCY
Does the site include the dates it was created and updated?
How current are the links? Have any expired or moved?
Consider if currency is especially important for the research topic.
COVERAGE
How does the site compare with other sites on this topic?
Is material covered in depth rather than superficially?
Is there a balance of text and images?
Is the site readily viewable, not needing special software or requiring a
fee?
The site should contribute something unique to the subject.
Additional Resources
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.ht
ml
OWL at Purdue University: Evaluating Internet Sources
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_evalsource4.html
Planning lessons using the Internet
• Plan your session well: visit the websites you
intend to use and make sure you know your way
around them properly.
• Three parts typical web-based session(www):
1. Warmer－ prepares your learners for what they are
going to be doing in the web part of lesson.
2. Web－ it’s important to spend only as much time as
you need working with your computer.
3. What next
Planning lessons using the Internet
• The sample of the lesson plan－Movie star
Working with lower levels of language proficiency
• Websites which are more suitable for lower levels
will include:
1. Websites with simple, clearly presented text.
2. Websites with non-linguistic data which is easy to interpret.
3. Websites with visuals－a task can be based around the
visuals only.
4. ELT websites, where the content has been written, edited
and prepared with this audience in mind.
Web teaching dos and don’ts
• A few consideration and some contingency plans:
1.Whenever you use technology you should always
have a backup plan in place.
2.Use the knowledge of other teachers and of your
learners to help you with the technical side of the
lesson.
3.If it’s a lesson that involves relatively few web
pages, try saving them to your computer hard disk.
Web teaching dos and don’ts
• A few consideration and some contingency plans:
1. Unless you are working on something like an email pen
pal exchange, it is rarely conducive to have learners
working alone on computers.
2. Try to arrange the computer room in such a way that you
can easily maintain control over learner activities.
3. Not all the content that you come across with your
learners will necessarily be suitable for them.