1. The website grammar.ccc is a website which teaches the
surfers on two aspects: Grammar, and writing. Since grammar and writing are
highly connected to each other, both are necessary in teaching both aspects.
The website could not focus just on matter and leave out the other. The good
thing is, this website is equipped with text boxes for the visitors to key in
their answers to the exercises. The exercises are also equipped with immediate
feedbacks, but some feedbacks are obtainable even without filling in the boxes
with the users’ own answers first.
As seen in the picture, I did not key in my
answers, yet I could obtain the correct answers by clicking the button. The drawback
in this feature is, the users will have the tendency to just display the
answers without even trying to test their knowledge. Another comment I would
like to make about this website is about the amount of words displayed
regarding the topic. I understand that the author is trying to explain the
concept in detail to the users, but it will actually make me skip the
explanation part and only do the exercises. Too many words will actually strain
my eyes given that the size of the font is quite small. Regarding the level of
difficulty of the subject taught in this website, I noticed that the website
tackles all levels of the matter. It offers explanation and exercises from the
basic till the difficult part of the matter. Unfortunately, they do not clearly
state labels such as “Beginner”, “Intermediate” and “Expert” in showing the
different levels. However, I believe that the users will be able to progress
step by step by doing such exercises.
2. As I have mentioned in the previous answer, the
explanation was too lengthy and wordy. As an online user, I would be
demotivated to read the explanation and skip everything. I would even leave the
page if I don’t find it interesting at all. It would be better to have bigger
fonts, and keep the explanation simple and understandable. At first, upon
entering the website, the users were given a choice of what they wanted to
learn. The website has broken down all of its content into subtopics, making it
easier for the users to choose their area of interest. The type of exercises
vary according to the respective quizzes. There are multiple choice questions, arrangement
of sentences, fill in the boxes and many more. As I have mentioned before, the
feedback was immediate, but there are tendencies that the users would simply
check the answers without doing the exercises.
3. The website reminds me nothing of what I did in school,
be it with a teacher, friend or even during self-study. I think this will be
very good for teachers to use in class. This is due to the fact that the
content is way beyond than what we have in the school syllabus. So, this
website will be a great tool for students to broaden their knowledge. However,
some of the exercises might be a bit difficult for those in school, so the
teacher needs to choose exercises which are suitable for the students’ level of
proficiency.
4. Well, I would say that the immediate feedback is the one
of the things you would not get from the normal pen and paper exercises in
school. I am pretty sure that my exercise papers could not respond that quickly
while I was doing the exercise. The earliest response would be in the following
week, not at that moment. Multiple-choice questions are common in traditional
exercises, so there is nothing so special about that. There are also exercises
in which you drag the words to complete the exercise. This is something that
could not be done on paper. I would actually say that there are not much
difference, but somehow it was made easier for the users to answer all the
exercises. Well, perhaps there are one or two things that could be considered
as a new experience for the users, but I still think that it was nothing
special.
5. This website uses a drilling method in which after the explanation
of the grammar elements, the users do the exercises repetitively. This is done
to ensure that the users understand the topic well. The users could also do
repeat the same exercises again and again. Moreover, the website uses the
deductive approach in explaining grammar. The users read the explanation and
try to understand the concept first, before they proceed with the exercises to
apply what they have learned. A more inductive approach is needed sometime to
actually encourage the users to figure out the rule or pattern by themselves.
6. Well, in a way, this website does have the potential for
language learning. As I did some of the exercises, I gained some knowledge
which I do not get from school. However, they should have presented the
information in a more user-friendly way. The interface itself would actually
set the mood of the users and somehow motivate or demotivate them. The website also provides the basic
fundamentals of writing up to the complex procedure. Therefore, a frequent user
of the website could improve their skills in writing and grammar.
7. Well, that depends on the type of students that I would
get in the future. However, there is a high chance that I will not use this
website in my teachings. Instead of using it as a main reference, I would recommend
it as another website which they could use to explore. One of the reasons why I
do not prefer to use this website is the massive amount of words and lengthy
explanation of the topic. It will be a turn off for my students and might not
proceed with the exercise. Another reason might be the accurateness of the
feedback. Rather than saying accurateness, it might be better to say that the
feedback comes with no explanation. The explanation does not have to be lengthy
but they could simply state the grammar rules and highlighted the correct part
with a different colour.
