WebQuests have changed the way students learn a foreign language
in many ways. It has improved the language learning experience, by allowing
students to communicate and interact in new ways (inquiry based learning). This
is very beneficial for the learner, as well as the teacher.
One of the biggest changes brought by WebQuests is that the
learning doesn't take place in a classroom anymore, it takes place online. Students
can log in on their WebQuests and watch the lectures and complete the tasks
posted by the teacher. The teacher designs the tasks and simply uploads them on
WebQuest for the students to view on their own time, since it is available
24/7. The assignments are project-based, so the students have to work towards
the completion of the project. The students have access to many resources
online and can work together and share ideas. They follow inquiry based and collaborative
learning. The role of the teacher is not as much as in normal classes, as they
teacher can upload everything at one time and the students can complete the
project by the given deadline. There is no requirement for the teacher to
monitor the students all the time, as in a regular class setting.
Another positive thing about WebQuests is that cooperative/collaborative
learning can take place by other students who have traveled and explored
another country’s culture. They can share videos and teach others about the
culture, this will help in language learning. Since the learning is taking
place online, interaction with people in other countries is also possible. This gives the student a better understanding
of the language, along with the culture of the country they are studying. It also
makes them critical thinkers.
In the Saudi EFL context, I would definitely use WebQuests
because many Saudi students do not get the opportunities to interact and see
the culture of other people. Watching videos of how people in English speaking
countries interact with each other on a daily basis, their body language etc.
is will teach the students not only the English language but also the English culture.
This will help the students when they move abroad and also will make them more
confident students.
Also WebQuests will make things easier for the teachers,
because this allows the students to be more independent from the teacher and it
encourages group work.
Good morning how are you?
ReplyDeleteMy name is Emilio, I am a Spanish boy and I live in a town near to Madrid. I am a very interested person in knowing things so different as the culture, the way of life of the inhabitants of our planet, the fauna, the flora, and the landscapes of all the countries of the world etc. in summary, I am a person that enjoys traveling, learning and respecting people's diversity from all over the world.
I would love to travel and meet in person all the aspects above mentioned, but unfortunately as this is very expensive and my purchasing power is quite small, so I devised a way to travel with the imagination in every corner of our planet. A few years ago I started a collection of used stamps because trough them, you can see pictures about fauna, flora, monuments, landscapes etc. from all the countries. As every day is more and more difficult to get stamps, some years ago I started a new collection in order to get traditional letters addressed to me in which my goal was to get at least 1 letter from each country in the world. This modest goal is feasible to reach in the most part of countries, but unfortunately it’s impossible to achieve in other various territories for several reasons, either because they are countries at war, either because they are countries with extreme poverty or because for whatever reason the postal system is not functioning properly.
For all this I would ask you one small favor:
Would you be so kind as to send me a letter by traditional mail from Saudi Arabia? I understand perfectly that you think that your blog is not the appropriate place to ask this, and even, is very probably that you ignore my letter, but I would call your attention to the difficulty involved in getting a letter from that country, and also I don’t know anyone neither where to write in Saudi Arabia in order to increase my collection. a letter for me is like a little souvenir, like if I have had visited that territory with my imagination and at same time, the arrival of the letters from a country is a sign of peace and normality and an original way to promote a country in the world. My postal address is the following one:
Emilio Fernandez Esteban
Avenida Juan de la Cierva, 44
28902 Getafe Madrid
Spain
If you wish, you can visit my blog www.cartasenmibuzon.blogspot.com where you can see the pictures of all the letters that I have received from whole World.
Finally I would like to thank the attention given to this letter, and whether you can help me or not, I send my best wishes for peace, health and happiness for you, your family and all your dear beings.
Yours Sincerely
Emilio Fernandez