FIRST CALL ASSIGNMENT !! TASK 1 !!

1.      Hi there!!

    We are back again and in this assignment, I need to answer a few questions regarding to my First CALL Assignment. So without further ado. Lets's go straight to it !!

1 1) What does the website or MOOC or app or tool attempt to “teach”? Are exercises or activities included in the website? What are the types of exercise or activities included? Are there immediate feedbacks? Are there different levels of difficulty for different proficiency levels? (You can add any other comments you think is important to point out).

The website focuses on the rules of grammar. Yes, the website provides exercises on each parts of the grammar rules. Exercises are mostly ‘fill in the blanks’ exercises and quizzes related to each topics of grammar rules. Besides that, videos, other online tools are also provided in the website.

Upon taking part in the quizzes, students able to check their answers and get the immediate feedback on their answers. They can also retake the quizzes whenever they want.  Although there is no segregation of proficiency, the exercises cater to all level of proficiency as the exercises level includes the 3 different levels. There are easy questions, intermediate and hard questions at the same time.

2) What are the learners/visitors required to do with regards to learning the content of the website or MOOC or apps? 

The learners / visitor able to take lesson of grammar from the websites. They are also able to take part in the quizzes provided in the websites and do exercises regarding the topic that they have chosen. Moreover, there are other things than learning grammar that they can explore in the website. The website provides tips and guidance on writing, grammar checking and plagiarism checking. 

3) Does the website or MOOC or app or tools present learners with something that cannot be done in a face-to-face classroom? If yes, how so?

Most of the content is a face-to-face classroom doable. In other words, the website does not provide the learners/visitors with the content that cannot be done in actual classroom environment. Nonetheless, since it is a website learning platform, the content of the lesson is not timid and rigid to the usual teaching and learning session. The learners able to learn and choose topic according to their liking and flexibility of time.

4) Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?

I believe when it is involving learning online or engage in an online learning platform, we cannot stay far from behaviorism theory, constructivism theory and cognitivism theory of learning. It goes the same with the website. The content of the website does cater to all three behaviorism, constructivism and cognitivism theories of learning.

As the learners can participate actively in the exercises and activities in the website, they are directly learning by doing which is related to constructivism learning theory. Furthermore, they’re able to process the information gain through the participation on the website and the materials from the website can be considered as the stimulus for the information process for the learners. This are directly the basis of behaviorism and cognitivism.

When the three learning theories combined, the learners are in-charge of their own learning and become autonomous learners without being too dependent on the teacher in the classroom to provide them with input and materials. 

5) An important criterion for evaluating a CALL program, task or activity is the potential for language learning (i.e. will student learn something?) Does the website or MOOC or app fulfill this criterion? If yes, how so? If no, why?

It is not a doubt that this website provides the learner an opportunity for language learning. the website provides teaching lesson about grammar. Hence, the learners will learn rules of the grammar. Not only that, the website does provide videos for the learners to understand the grammar rules as well. By the end of the lesson, learners able to take part in quizzes and answer exercises related to the topic that they have chosen. 

6) Would you like to use the application yourself in your future work? Yes? Provide reason(s), No? Provide (reason)

Yes, definitely! I would like to use the website as one of my reference if I were to be a teacher in the future. As a matter of fact, I did used this website during my practicum session in semester 7 last few months. This website provides me with very good reference of grammar rules and grammar exercises that I can use in teaching rules of grammar to my student.