When I first heard the term Web 2.0, it really did not affect me. Everyone now seems to use the “.0” version reference to refer to their newly improved product. The term “Web 2.0” actually is used to refer to the second generation of web communities according Wikipedia. Web 2.0 is like the latest version of the World Wide Web, just like the new versions of computer software and games. Wikipedia (2007)
Web 2.0 is a new way of using the Web to conduct research, provide education, and explore the world. Services such as wiki, blogs, podcasts, and YouTube allow people to communicate faster, and more effectively than ever before. There are also services called Web feeds, such as RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and Atom. According to Wikipedia, this feeds are a summary of the content associated with a Web site. It allows you to keep track of your site in less time. Just by clicking a feed icon, a user can check their website and/or blog for new content. Wikipedia (2007)
You can see that I have an Atom Web feeder. I am using an RSS for another class on a shared
Google account to write a group paper. My team can share our contributions and ideas by publishing them to the Web, from anywhere, also for you language-learning gurus – in any language! This would be great for sharing a website globally, with a different language-speaking classroom.
Web 2.0 can be traced back to 2004. However, one of the latest video sharing Web sites to hit cyber space in 2005 is YouTube. YouTube allows users to upload, view, and download video clips. This new technology is being used by schools, the media, and anyone wanting to create a video blog versus a regular text blog. It is only in it second year, but I can only image where YouTube will go, especially in the CALL classroom! Check out the YouTube link I added to my blog. Photo Credit: Photos are graphics used in this blog entry are from Wikipedia.com.References:- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0 , this page was last modified, September 12, 2007, Copyrights: Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS, this page was last modified September 10, 2007. Copyrights: Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
- Atom Enabled: http://www.atomenabled.org/, found on September 12, 2007, Copyright © 2004 – Atom Enabled Alliance
- YouTube: http://m.youtube.com/ found on September 12, 2007 Copyright © 2007 YouTube, Inc.
This blog entry is an evaluation of a Learning Language blog.Can you learn a language via a blog?It depends on the technology incorporated into the blog. I researched several learning language blogs, however, the blog I found most interesting is Internet Polyglot found at http://internetpolyglot.blogspot.com/.
Purpose
The purpose of this blog is to promote a website of the same name: http: www.InternetPolyglot.com. Internet Polyglot is a website devoted to learning languages, such as English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Chinese, and more. There are literary hundreds of options. You can select your current language and the language you want to learn, such as Spanish to French, or German to Farsi.
Language Goals
The goals I found useful and effective on the blog related directly back to website, which are to help their members learn foreign languages. Internet Polyglot states that it is dedicated to helping members learn foreign languages by providing them a way to memorize words and their meanings. According to Internet Polyglot Team this helps them to grasp more information and retain it for longer time.
Content
The blog is designed like a typical blog that includes entries, links, comments, and more. The content presented in this blog includes blog entries from the Internet Polyglot team. These entries offer exciting news about the field of learning languages It also discuss leaning methods such as typing games and audio pronunciation features used on the website. Past blog entries included a “word of the day” that showed different languages for the same word.
Technology
The software I found on the blog is actually links back to the website to interactive games. The blog offers links to fun learning activities, such as matching games, guessing games, and typing games. I found the software is easy to use and easy navigate from game to game. There are plenty of opportunities to practice. In regards to receiving feedback, there are also ways to check your answers and receive scores.
Target Audience
There is no clear grade level and age level of a targeted audience, however, based on the text, I assume the blog and the website is designed for adults of all ages with a desire to learn a new language. There are chat rooms and forums that are designed to appeal to adults.
Strengths and Weaknesses
There are strengths such as the interactive games; however, there are also weaknesses. One weakness is that the overall appearance of the website is not vey exciting. I think the website should include pictures. One of the strengths is that even though the website offers paid lessons, all of the pages are free. I think the strengths of this website far out weight the weaknesses. I am sure I will use this website in the near future as I continue in this class, L530 Computer-Assisted Language Learning. References:
When I first heard the term Web 2.0, it really did not affect me. Everyone now seems to use the “.0” version reference to refer to their newly improved product. The term “Web 2.0” actually is used to refer to the second generation of web communities according Wikipedia. Web 2.0 is like the latest version of the World Wide Web, just like the new versions of computer software and games. Wikipedia (2007)
Google account to write a group paper. My team can share our contributions and ideas by publishing them to the Web, from anywhere, also for you language-learning gurus – in any language! This would be great for sharing a website globally, with a different language-speaking classroom.
