ESL Website Evaluation

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/web/workshop/home

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

The application tempts to teach the basic skills need to be acquiring children at the young age. Sesame Street workshop is an educational website designed for preschoolers, and is recognized as a pioneer of the contemporary standard which combines education and entertainment in children's developing stages. Sesame Street workshop uses a combination of puppets, animation, and live actors to teach young children the fundamentals of reading (letter and word recognition) and arithmetic (numbers, addition and subtraction), as well as geometric forms, cognitive processes, and classification. Since the show's inception, other instructional goals have focused on basic life skills, such as how to cross the road safely and the importance of proper hygiene and healthy eating habits. Basically, the website does not only teach children on how to read, writing, listening, speaking or counting but the foundation of the hidden curriculum as the application starts to implement moral values in their teaching and learning lesson. The Workshop develops innovative and engaging educational content delivered in a variety of ways, including television, radio, books, magazines, interactive media, and community outreach by taking advantage of all forms of media and using those that are best suited to delivering a particular curriculum,



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

The user expected the application that it will only be a drilling and memorizing activities which most of educators practice it over children at the young age. For example, the user will repeat letters or words that been say or to memorize a picture and match it. For the sesame street workshop, the content been divided into 4 main topics which are:
a) Health and Wellness: Establishing an early foundation for healthy eating habits and at the same time discovers ways to make this habits fun and tasty.
b) Respect and understanding: Travel the globe and explore different cultures and traditions, both near and far that will help children appreciate and understand the wider world. Also let children to have the idea that our world is full of amazing diversity.
c) Literacy and Numeracy: Turning everyday experiences into learning opportunities - a new project helps parents instill important skills during daily routines.
d) Emotional wellbeing: Teaching children to become resilient and flexible in a quickly changing world requires patience and a little help. Discuss and explore ideas with children using fun activities, tips and songs and help them gain the confidence they need to thrive during difficult times.

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

In term of user computer skills in handling the application, it is user friendly as even beginner computer user can be easily get used with the application. The application can be browse by subject (alphabet/letters, early reading, health and safety, people and places, feelings, self confidence, cultural appreciation, music, art, creativity, etc) or by theme ( animals, clothing, food, imaginative setting, musical instruments, daily routine, etc) or by sesame street’s characters ( Cookie Monster, Bert, Big Bird, Elmo, etc). It is applicable for all users because every section has a brief introduction or explanation about the content. It helps user to be in the right track as for what information or skills they are look into.

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 classmate, or in self-study?

When playing the application, it does remind me in a way on how teaching and learning should be in the classroom. The application emphasizes the students to do more compare to the teacher. The application encourage two ways of communication as the teacher roles here as a guidance or facilitator. The application does not remind me of the content of the lesson in our Malaysian setting. It differs in a way that the content is more based on real life situation, as to prepare young children facing the world. In our setting, we tend to use materials which are exam-based whereby we are more to the process of drilling and memorization. We focus more on the factual to the extend making the lesson to be fun and memorable which is crucial for growing up children.

5. Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?
As a teacher, we should practice or encourage conducting a lesson which is more of two ways of communicating. In other words, we should go for more student-centered rather than teacher-centered. In the early stage of young children to develop, it is very important for them to build a strong and good foundation. Teacher must in the early stage implement to the student on having a dreams and ambition. The application encourages students to interact with it as it will give instruction and the students are requiring completing the task. Another underlying theory of language learning that can be found in the application is the authentic value of the application. The reason why authentic been put as the core elements in selecting materials is that it will enable children to practice it in real life situation. By doing so, it also motivate students to learn as they can relate on what they learn with things that exist or happens around them.

6. How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website(s)?
Constructivist theory of learning emphasizes the importance of one’s such experience to be implemented or incorporate with the existing knowledge. It stresses the importance of practice rather than learning the theory. The chosen website is based on the US educational development whereby the content is more to the real life situation rather than our educational system, which is more towards drilling and memorizing process. For example, when we want to teach children on numbers or counting, we usually ask children to memorize the number 1 – 10 using their fingers as based. In contrary, the application shows a picture consists of different types of cookies. The students have to count how many cookies in the picture according to its type or shape. Clearly shows that the application encourages the learner to practice more on the knowledge they acquire rather that just memorize it. The activity helps children to understand more on what they experience everyday with a better situation and example. In that way, they can improvise their existing framework into a new knowledge.

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?

The computer cannot replace for teachers or merely an obedient servant to students. In the process of teaching and learning, it is not also the process of delivering factual knowledge but also integrate it moral values and example. Computer may not produce mistake in teaching but it does not have heart to understand the learner as what makes a teacher really valuable. Computer is also not an obedient servant to the students as the application has it own system to prevent students for making error. Computer can be simply put as a tool to increase or boost teacher performance in teaching and learning. It helps the lesson to be more interesting for the learner. That is the main reason why we have the subject CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) in the first place, as to helps and polish teacher performance in the classroom.

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

Yes? Give reasons:
The main reason why I prefer to use the application is based on the authentic materials the application is using. It helps to motivate students in learning as they can use their existing experience to be incorporating with the lesson. The application also promotes student-centered which enable student to have higher opportunity to produce creative thinking and encourage them to think outside the box.



No? Give reasons:
Since the web is been establish by other country, the syllabus they are having is different from what we are using. Based on what we and they are having, it will be a problem in explaining the students on how it is related to the students when it comes to examination because that what are really matters to our students, to be able answer the paper.

Suggestions/Recommendations.

Our educational system should make a research in upgrading or improvise our syllabus to be not too exam-oriented. We should do more application which not based on theory so much. In learning, students must enjoy the lesson rather than having pressure to memorize it. Knowledge should be more memorable not remembering. if the application been proposed to be used in our setting, the spoken language should be change to a more familiar voice or slang otherwise we will nurture students with other country identity rather than our Malaysian English identity.