Evaluating Web based Tools for ELT

Nik Peachey is a freelance learning technology consultant, trainer and writer, and the conference below was delivered in April 2013 at an IATEFL conference in Liverpool.



The talk centers around the criteria used when evaluating tools and apps. On Nik Peachey's blog you can find his whole criteria. Here you have my version, with some comments on why I'm including a certain criterion or not. Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts.

Technical

Accessibility - Will all the students have the necessary equipment to use it? Will it work across all / most mobile platforms and also work within a desktop web browser? 

Here I would also add the question of whether the bandwidth we will be working with sill support so many devices using the app.

User friendly - Will students be able to learn how to use it reasonably quickly?

I agree! Even though most of our learners might be digital natives, depending on their age and their regular contact with technology, they might not all have the same intuitive management of apps and devices.

Registration - Do students need to register to use it?

Nik makes a point that getting students to register and remember passwords can be laborious and time consuming. However, there are apps, such as LastPass that help you keep track of your accounts and can be set to log you in automatically to all the sites that require registration. 

Security - Is the app secure?

This is especially important when working with children. Make sure you check your school Internet and privacy policy before making students use any app.

FinancialPrice - Is it free or affordable?

NB!! To avoid trouble, make sure you are using a free app.

Business model - Is there a business model to support the app? Is it clear how it makes money?

MotivationalDigital literacy - Does learning and using the app help students to develop a useful or transferable digital literacy?

I think this is one of the most important criteria. We should make sure there is a purpose behind using certain app and it will be useful for students in the future. Otherwise, why are we making them waste time learning something that they will never use again? 

Authenticity - Does it have an authentic purpose beyond language learning? Is it an app that a native speaker would use for a genuine purpose outside of a classroom?

I don't think apps used by native speakers for a genuine purpose are the only valid ones. In some cases there might be apps that will specifically help a second language learner. I think that in some cases it is OK to have learners use apps whose only purpose is language learning. Why not?  

PedagogicalLearning goal / outcome - Is there a a possible learning outcome that use of the app will lead to?

Interaction / communication - Does it support interaction and communication between users?

This goes back to a discussion in a previous post. Are we going to use the app for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification or Redefinition?

Prolonged use - Does the app need prolonged use to achieve a satisfactory outcome?

I think this  applies to all classroom tasks; not only working with apps or Web based tools.

Assessment - Is the work on the app assessable by the teacher? Does the app support the delivery of teacher response and feedback?

Context - In what context would the app be useful? For whom is the app more useful?