About us
On this page you will find information about our
team, the concept behind our portal, as well as an overview of its
contents.
For the latest updates and developmental reports
about our portal, please visit our
blog.
Our team
To create a web-based learning portal, knowledge
of different areas is required. The following people have brought their
expertise to the project:
Benedikt
- Planning, concept and technical realization
Simone
- Concept and development of learning materials
- Trainee teacher at the University of Education Freiburg
Christine
- Concept and development of learning materials
- Trainee teacher at the University of Education Freiburg
Daniel
- Concept
- Teacher of English
Jasmin
- Native speaker
- Proofreading and webdesign
- English Trainer at inlingua Villingen
Our project is supported by many people (from
teachers to native speakers) who have worked together with us, e.g. on
the audio recordings and evaluation of learning materials. To see who
has contributed to this project, visit
Contributors
.
In the future, further teachers will be involved
in increasing the range and number of learning materials.
The concept
The concept behind our learning portal has been
based in part on a scientific thesis entitled "The Conception of an
Online Language Learning Portal". Research into teaching and
foreign language didactics helped conceptualise and develop the key
requirements of the language learning portal. The goal of this portal
has been to put these theoretical requirements into practice.
Please find below examples of the didactic
requirements and their realization in the portal:
Tapping the full potential of the internet
The internet offers multiple possibilities and
advantages of designing learning materials. Our priority has been to
take advantage of this. One example is the valuable evaluation of
learners' data input into the system. In addition to being
presented with a solution, the learner is also presented with feedback
that analyzes their errors. Despite the many possibilities that the
internet offers, we have also taken into consideration its didactic
borders and limitations.
Hierarchies of learning goals
The structure of the language course is based on the
curriculum of the Bavarian and Baden-Württemberg Ministries of
Education.
Learning in context
An important condition for learning success is the
design of learning materials in real-life contexts. These conditions
have guided the development of the portal. Thus the vocabulary database
has been organized into topical categories. In addition to single words,
chunks can also be learned. Furthermore, single vocabulary are enriched
by definitions and examplary sentences.
In the subportals, the learners are presented with
many authentic multimedia-based learning units covering different
subjects. As a result, the learners can choose the learning units that
are in line with their interests.
Differential learning
The goal of this project has been the consideration
of different learner types and their requirements.
As a result, inductive and deductive learning is possible. A range of
configuration possibilities allow the flexible presentation of learning
materials. For example, the learners can individually choose which word
list contents they want to be displayed.
Some of the exercises can also be customized by the
learner. When using the vocabulary trainer, the learners can choose
which information (word, definition, image, audio, …) will be
presented and which information they want to type in (word,
translation).
We understand that the portal is not a
replacement for a traditional learning environment, but rather a
supplement. Many different linguistic areas and skills can be learned
and strengthened in our portal. The learner is given the opportunity to
dive into the language through the help of authentic learning material.
The contents
Informing oneself about current events in
politics, society, economy, sports, etc., is for almost all people part
of everyday life. So why not combine these activities with learning the
English language? When selecting topics, we are focusing on contents
that are of lasting interest. Thus we ensure that learners find a wide
range of exciting learning units in the archives.
The learner's role
Not only does the portal present helpful learning
materials to the learners but visitors are cordially invited to
participate in the development of the project. At the moment, this is
limited to rating the contents, as well as suggesting improvements and
new subjects. In the future, further possibilities to contribute will be
given.
Acknowledgements
Many different people have supported and
contributed to the development of this portal. We thank all of you! Our
thanks include the Ministries of Education of Bavaria and
Baden-Württemberg for allowing us to use the curricula. Furthermore, we
thank the
recording
studio of the University of Education Freiburg for letting us use
their facilities.
We look forward to your interest in our learning
portal and welcome your feedback and suggestions for improvement.
The team of Learning English Online
