INTERNET BASED PROJECT WORK

ByYEFI P. TELAUMBANUA

02063

Why do Internet-based project work?

• It’s a structured way for teachers to incorporate the Internet into the language classroom.

• Cooperative learning and interaction are encouraged.

• Interdisciplinary purposes allow for cross-over into other departments and subject areas.

• Critical thinking is encouraged.

Internet-based simulations

A Business English simulation

A General English simulation

• You are planning a three-week trip to the United Kingdom. You’ll need to make arrangements for your transport and accommodation facilities beforehand. Remember that you’ll need to take pocket money too. Your total budget is £2500.

• You can visit the following websites:

http://www.statravel.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/uk_division_web_live/hs.xsl/accommodation-in-great-britain-ireland.htm

http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/england/ http://www.activehotels.com/hotel/en/unitedkingd

om/england?subid=PPCGO8g2en

WebQuests

What is a WebQuest?

• It’s a mini-project in which a large percentage of the input and material is supplied from the Internet.

• It differs from projects or simulations in their fairly rigid structure.

Types of WebQuest:• Short-term WebQuest: Lasts a couple of

classes.

• Longer-term WebQuest: Might last a few weeks, a term or even a semester. It has specific outcomes others can respond to.

Example• “Who Made my Trainers?”

http://www.xtec.cat/cirel/02/webquests/english/2index2.html

Tutorial Video: webquest.flv Links

Skills set for producing a WebQuest:

• Research skills.• Analytical skills.• Word processing skills.

The WebQuest design process:

Exploring the possibilities stage: Choose and chunk the topic Identify learning gaps Inventory resources Uncover the question

Creating your WebQuest stage

Write the Web page/ Word

Engage learners

Scaffold thinking

Decision: implement and evaluate

Webquest Links

• http://webquest.org/index.php (inside the page you will find all the information that was presented in class)

• http://questgarden.com/search/ (the link of this page is included in webquest.org)

• http://www.nelliemuller.com/ESL_WebQuests.htm

• http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/archives/webquest.shtml

Thesaurus • In a thesaurus, you will find synonyms for

words.• First, you look up the word in the thesaurus.

Next to the word you will find a list of words that mean the same things as the word you looked up.

• Like wonderful –great, magnificent, excellent, terrific, cool, and fantastic

• Also in a thesaurus you will find an antonym for the word. Like horrible or awful would be an antonym for wonderful.

Dictionary • We use a dictionary to look up words.• You will find the meaning of words in

a dictionary. • For example, when you do not know

the meaning of a word in a story. You may use a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word.

The benefits of email and chat room

• they allow learners to interact in an authentic context with native speakers without being restricted by location.

• Chat rooms can promote learner autonomy.

• students have the opportunity to observe the language used by native speakers.

• they allow communication to take place in real time.

A sample text chat lesson plan

Before the class1. Make contact with the teacher of a similar class in term of level, class size and access to technology2. Learners also need to be confident about how to use the chat program.3. With the teacher of other class, set a time for the chat.4. Try out with other teacher before class

• Class room management issues1. Ideally learners are put in pairs for the first chat.2. Learners can either conduct the cat in pairs, or consecutive learners can be allowed access to the same computer for a certain amount of time3. Using voice chat rather than text chat in the single computer classroom

During the cat1. Provide hand out worksheet2. Each learner has a slightly different worksheet3. Asking questions on their worksheet4. Print out their chat script and complete the worksheet from that, once the cat is finished.

After chat1. Display their profile in the classroom separately2 Create learner profile in an inter-class blog