Hi, thanks for getting this far. This page is a temporary "open letter" and guide.

Here's what's here so far:

• marriage story (fill in blank)
• cave story (fill in blank)
  • optional format of cave story (muliple choice with feedback)
• hospital story (fill in blank)
  • follow-up to hospital (click locations on a map)
  • help with the paragraphs from above (guided tutorial on anaphoric reference)
• focus on language: "of" (using a concordance-style display of 15 excerpts from the three stories above, choose meaning, feedback provided)

Please send me your feedback

In Development
There will be some kind of navigation between the activities. Also, a short tutorial on what's needed, which also functions as a user's guide for Explorer users, as some buttons and all image-related activities only work on Netscape. If you know a better script for Explorer for "flash" icons, please let me know.

New
The entrace has a JavaScript check so that users without JavaScript are directed to a tutorial if needed on how to enable JavaScript. If you want to check it out, then turn off your JavaScript and go back to the index page.

Further notes
This is all still being built. What I'm attempting is a series of activities, but the aim is a type of CR activity rather than the test-type activities or "PPP" we see so much of. In other words, I want to make something which allows learners to process the form for meaning. At present the attempt is limited to mainly production-based quizzes, yet students are meant to already have some prior working knowledge of the way participles are used. Further activities should involve further rehash of the articles, with an eye towards seeing if the participles are passive or adjectival, or viewing the collocations or fixed phrases.

A good reference for the approach to language, learning and teaching is Challenge and Change in Language Teaching, Willis, J. & Willis, D. (eds), 1996, Heinemann. The challenge at the moment is to create web-based learning activities which do the approach justice.

Comments are needed. Thanks in advance for any feedback you can offer.

Copyright
The scripts are not originally my own. I developed the prototypes using Martin's Half-Baked Software (for Windows), and "hacked" it from there to use on my Mac. Along the way I learned how they work, so if you're on a Mac and you want to develop your own stuff, I may have the time to lend a hand with advice. Other things were done via trial and error, such as the onClick images and such. In short, I hold no claims to copyright on code, and I encourage you to try your own adaptions. Copyright is claimed on the materials themselves, though.

- Bill
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Bill Pellowe