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“ Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy in the Saudi EFL Classrooms ”

Bloom's taxonomy was created by a group of psychologists in 1956, with Benjamin Bloom at the helm. It is a very well-known classification of learning. It refers to a hierarchy of question stems that teachers use to guide their students through the learning process. 

A mechanism for the classification and categorization of different levels of learning, teachers can apply the six-staged diagram's principles to intellectual learning in the typical classroom environment. The six levels of bloom's taxonomy, in order (lowest to highest), are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. All of these stages slot into the cognitive domain, which relates to how the brain processes information and thoughts.

Educators use Bloom's when creating curriculum as a way of defining the level of cognitive thinking skills they want students to exhibit when learning specific material. When students are first being introduced to a new topic, teachers should use Bloom's Taxonomy to get ideas for basic questions that ask the students to recall simple facts from the material. As student comprehension grows and evolves, the questions will get more complex and demand more from the students. 

Higher order thinking skills like application and analysis are generally tied to more upper-division curriculum, while lower order thinking skills like knowledge and comprehension are found in objectives of lower-division courses. Critical thinking skills are an essential part of the thinking classification levels in Bloom’s.

When students are using the higher order thinking skills they are more likely to retain information, perform better on standardized tests, and most importantly, achieve the ultimate goal of becoming lifelong learners. 

As a whole, bloom's taxonomy stresses the need for teachers to encourage the use of high-level skills amongst pupils - not simply the lower-level ones. By doing this, information is retained for longer by the student, whereas simply addressing the basics is likely to result in the key facts being forgotten soon after they're taught.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is not very clear in setting learning objectives in the Saudi EFL classrooms because students may go through only some levels of the taxonomy. learners may just understand and memorize the ideas, but they don’t have the opportunity to apply or create or analyse what they understand inside or outside the classroom.

By using bloom's taxonomy in the classroom, the teacher can plan a perfect lesson, which includes a verity of activities and questions that students must work with at each level of the taxonomy. That it gives them an opportunity to be more creative, to be independent learner, and to operate their cognitive skill and of course improve their critical thinking. 

'' Evaluating Websites ''

This website http://esl.about.com/b/ is about learning English as a second language. The author of this website is Kenneth Beare. Kenneth has taught general English and English for Specific Purposes in Germany, New York, and Italy. He has developed numerous multi-media ESL courses for clients in Italy, England, Canada and the USA.  he also knows what it means to learn a new language in order to adjust to a different culture.

His education: 
Kenneth obtained degrees in the USA and Germany. He also received his Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) diploma from Trinity College in London.The accuracy of this website is excellent. The Facts are correct. No spelling or grammatical errors. The objectivity of this site is very good. The author present a limited perspective on the topics. The language he used is simple and easy to understand. His arguments based on reasons not on his emotions. The links which are lead to other websites are easy to read, they work  and support the author’s claims. The graphics are good. the page and graphics load quickly. The graphics fit the theme and purpose of the page. The text size and the style  are excellent. The colors are clear and appropriate for the purpose of this website. The only negative point which we found that: the homepage has a long list and themes and so many related notes and blogs on the right side  of the page that could distract the reader and confuse him . Its really good and useful website to use it with the students. It will help them to learn or improve their English language. 

 This site http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/wordgames.htm is for kids who are learning English as a foreign or second language. its logo is “the place for fun learning “. It provide good learning on a fun way that attracts young learners and keep them interested . There is a small introduction that explain  and clarify each thing the site provides. It offers to the learners on line activities and hundreds of printable  worksheets. It also has games, quizzes, songs and resources for parents and teachers. The interface and design are wonderful for kids, it has nice images and icons that fits the themes.The text  is well organized ,clear and easy to read . The background color is light and comfortable to the sight so every thing is clear and easy to see and read . The links are well organized in the links area, easy to found  and work correctly. Based on all of the above, we think that this website will be a good use for young students that expose them to English with the help and guide of their teacher, because it seems a little difficult for children to use it by their own. 

“ Wordle in EDU 401”

The role of WeQuests in learning a foreign/second language

     A new and innovative way for activities can be done through Web-quests. Web-quests are used by educators around the world to help second and foreign language learners in their learning. They provide candidates with specific resources they can use for gathering information and for solving the assigned task. It means web-quests give students a chance to read ,think critically, summarize , rewrite, reflect and do the task by their own. So, web-quests help in providing student-oriented activities that help learners to be independent in learning the target language. There will be actual learning, actual thinking and actual work. Web-quesats are inquiry-oriented lesson format that allow students to formulate questions, find solutions, investigate, discuss and reflect. In another words,students will learn independently and think critically which lead to creativity and self improvement. Through web-quests students will use the target language indirectly , they will read more and then learn better.

     A teacher can design a web-quest for collaborative work too. A group of students can be asked to work collaboratively in solving a problem and finding solutions to complete a task. she can give them list of resources they can browse via web instead of traditional ordinary tasks which will give students a chance to use the target language in its natural context through browsing.

     Web-quests can also used for project-based learning. A teacher can create a web-quest for final project that involve the students' problem solving, decision making, investigative skills, and reflection that includes teacher facilitation, but not direction.

     In conclusion, the role of web-quest in learning a second and/or a foreign language is really effective. Web-quests can be used for individual and collaborative work that help students learn greatly and effectively.

How would I use blogs, wikis and delicious with their students?

Technology is becoming a necessity in the field of teaching. The use of technology allows teachers to diversify their lectures, display more information, and enhance learner’s learning. Using different technologies in the learning center can help teachers save time and energy and allow for more attention for the other component of the program. There are many different learning materials available to teachers in order to help them with their teaching.

when I become a teacher , I will use these websites during my lectures for the purpose of making learning useful and extends our abilities to present materials that encourage student interaction with the subject matter.

blogger is very good and useful tools for students.There are many reasons to use blogs with students. 

1- To provide a real audience for student writing. Usually, the teacher is the only person who reads student writing, and the focus of this reading is usually on form, not content. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet. 

2- To provide extra reading practice for students.

3- To encourage shy students to participate.

4- To increase the sense of community in a class.

5- To help build a closer relationship between students in large classes.

6- To encourage a process-writing approach.

A wiki is a space on the Web where you can share work and ideas, pictures and links, videos and media — and anything else you can think of. Using this website will give Each student cultivates a unique online space to showcase their best work, and teachers assess performance as it progresses.Also, Students and teachers share a flexible educational space that’s accessible anytime from anywhere and Teachers can post Student Assignments (homework, group work, and classroom goals) and update them throughout the year in real time. Will give Student groups collaborate on projects that address real-world questions, and share their findings with a real-world audience.

Delicious a social bookmarking service that allows users to tag, save, manage and share web pages from a centralized source. It is a great tool in teaching and learning, because it's about sharing. It will help to ask to record their web research using del.icio.us. Also encourage students to set up networks to pool research and to subscribe to tags to broaden their knowledge of a subject.

The Possiblity of Reaching Bax’s  Normilasation in our national context: Why is it possible? When is it possible/reached/achieved? How will it be reached?

In the article of Stephan Bax we found that he discussed the Normalisation. This concept is relevant to any kind of technological innovation and refers to the stage when technology becomes invisible, embedded in everyday practice and hence “normalized”.
Normalisation is therefore the stage when a technology is invisible, hardly even recognized as a technology, taken for granted in everyday life. CALL will reach this state when computers are used every day by language students and teachers as an integral part of every lesson, like a pen or a book. They will be completely integrated into all other aspects of classroom life, alongside coursebooks, teachers and notepads.
Most importantly, CALL will be normalized when computers are treated as always secondary to learning itself, when the needs of learners will be carefully analysed first of all, and then the computer used to serve those needs.Normalisation is therefore the stage when a technology is invisible, hardly even recognized as a technology, taken for granted in everyday life. CALL will reach this state when computers are used every day by language students and teachers as an integral part of every lesson, like a pen or a book. They will be completely integrated into all other aspects of classroom life, alongside coursebooks, teachers and notepads.Most importantly, CALL will be normalized when computers are treated as always secondary to learning itself, when the needs of learners will be carefully analysed first of all, and then the computer used to serve those needs.

Diffusion of innovations
How can normalization occur? We can summarize the probable progress of CALL towards normalization as follows:

1. Early adopters. A few teachers and schools adopt the technology out of curiosity.               2. Ignorance/skepticism. However, most people are skeptical, or ignorant of its existence.         3. Try once. People try it out but reject it because of early problems.                                         4. Try again. Someone tells them it really works. Then try again. They see it does in fact have relative advantage.                                                                                                                   5. Fear/awe. More people start to use it, but still there is (a) fear, alternating with (b) exaggerated expectations.                                                                                                        6. Normalising. Gradually it is seen as something normal.                                                           7. Normalisation. The technology is so integrated into our lives that it becomes invisible-‘normalized’.

     In Saudi Arabia most of the schools and universities follow the traditional way of teaching, but nowadays with all these development, many schools and universities improved their educational system, they started to use computers, smart boards and projectors in the classroom.

     We have identified a possible future agenda for CALL. Our aim can be the normalisation in which CALL finally becomes invisible, serving the needs of learners and integrated into every teachers’ everyday practice. It will require changes in technology, in attitudes, in approach and practice among teachers and learners.

     To achieve normalization in Saudi Arabia, we need to action research in individual environments to identify barriers to normalisation and ways of overcoming them.

      This will not be an easy process. However, if we take our aim to be normalisation, and then work for ways of achieving it efficiently, computers can finally achieve their proper place and true potential in the classroom.

  

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