ONLINE JOURNALS

For our fourth posting, which was quite an interesting one, we were to write a summary of the topic that we searched from the three online databases subscribed by PTSL and our experience using the facilities. It was a good thing that I had help and guidance from my respective lecturers who gave much information on how to search for journals faster and easier. Based on the topics given by my lecturer, I found several small topics related to one of the topics given which is ‘E-learning for language studies’. Therefore, here is the summary for three different journals that I have managed to search and understand more about.

First, in a source named ‘EBSCOhost’, I found a related title, which is ‘The Future of E-learning’ by Alan Clarke. The article or the author reflects on the potential benefit of electronic learning. He says that learning with technology can be motivating. It also mentioned that e-learning could offer flexible learning on demand by providing access to digital learning recourses for individual use, blending traditional and innovative methods to meet the needs of learners. He cites that learning through information and communications technology (ICT) had the extra benefit of improving the learning of technical skills.

Then, I came across an article about a company in the United States called the WestNet Learning Technologies. The article was written by Jeff Katzman and it is from ‘Proquest’. To summarize this article, it was mainly explaining or informing about the company’s initiative to remain competitive in the workplace training and development field besides introducing the e-learning. WestNet Learning consistently reassesses its information systems. In 2005, WestNet streamlined its production process to develop and publish learning products by creating a single source of content. One factor that drove WestNet to initiate the streamlining project is that there was a sense of urgency because the current learning content management system was no longer meeting the company’s long-term goals. The use of extensible markup language (XML) to develop learning objects versus course-based formats was critical for the development of WestNet’s e-learning courseware. A ‘Xyleme Studio’ provided the content into XML content, WestNet will be able to utilize its textbooks, instructor and student guides, assessments, and e-learning to achieve significant benefits such as the use of e-learning for language and other assessments.

For my third source of database that I have managed to find is from ‘Science Direct’ titled ‘Are language Learning Websites Special?’ by Lesley Shield and Agnes Kukulska-Hulme. The article focuses on the general notions and concepts of usibility and the term “pedagogical usibility” which focusing on the close relationship between usability and pedagogical design. The article examines how language learning and teaching, in particular Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL), has approached usability when developing technology-enhanced learning materials. Usable systems are generally regarded as being efficient, easy to learn, effective to use, and enjoyable or engaging from the user’s perspective. The authors have been investigating aspects of pedagogical usability, that is, usability as this affects educational website design and development, particularly in the context of supported open and distance learning.

A lot has been gained from my experience in learning how to search for sources using the TSL database. PTSL has definitely made it easier for students to do their research and analyze journals but a more important thing is to find large numbers of resources in a small amount of time first. After using the databases, I feel that I do not have to worry if I need to search for more articles or journals for my other courses in the coming semesters. Besides that, with this posting, I have learned how to summarize long articles but also understand them and give my own point of view. I hope that these lessons that have been well given to me could be used in the coming future.