Everwrite- The Web-tool for Writing

Everwrite is a web-based learning tool that promotes the self-exploration of reading and writing skills which mostly appropriate for the pre-intermediate learners. This tool has been designed and managed by the ‘VPG Integrated Media’ of Boston, USA. However, this learning tool can also act as a platform for the learners where the phantom of digital technology based learning takes place followed by a lucrative evaluation. 

It is a CD-ROM accompany to ‘Evergreen’ (7^th edition) that consists of six different practice and test contents.  The factors or contents are editing exercises, identify rhetorical paragraphs, working with transitions, organizing your thoughts, recognizing your thesis statements and practicing grammar. There are two types of tasks in this software e. g. practice and test where practices help students to practice more and enhance their writing skill and tests emphasize on the feedback and evaluation. The evaluation results is published in such a way that a learner can takes the print of the result page and thus can maintain a case history of his performance level.

Editing Exercises part comprises of proof reading tasks where student read through texts and corrects different parts of language. The learners can always check their answers in the practice sessions. Identifying rhetorical paragraphs part coaches the divergent types of paragraphs where the learners need to detect the correct option. The next part focuses on the transitional verbs by allowing pedagogues to select words from the attached texts. Fourth part consists of rearranging sentences to choose the correct answer. The rest of the two parts also gives some M.C.Q. questions where the test-takers need to choose the correct option of the thesis statement and practice grammar respectively. Here are some examples of Everwrite excercises:
                                                                                                                                    

 

                         

                                                                             

                                                                                                   
Now I would like to discuss about the Everwrite software, according to some factors like learner motivation and interest, user friendliness, interaction and some other minor aspects.

According to Howard Gardner’s (1983) multiple intelligence the various types of apparatus help students to perceive more in terms of language learning. Here, the software EverWrite has the writing tests and practices but in a different way that related to technology. And a student himself/herself can learn through it without any interference. That is why students of tertiary level in our country will be interested and motivated to use this software. 

Moreover, it is a CD-ROM type software that has no link with internet. So, the students of rural areas and without internet service can use this software. It is also another issue that can motivate students. This particular learning aid can be considered as an authentic material for the learners where they can explore by themselves by following the given directions.

This learning tool is made up of some exercises which bears communicative value and therefore promotes learning the target language, English. And it also gives the scores to the students that will also motivate students to explore it and learn more as well. The prompt feedback that it provides can motivate the learners to take the test for several times until they have achieved their expected level of competence. Therefore, repeated drill and practice sessions can help the learners to sharpen their confidence in using English in the real-life context.

In terms of user friendliness, Everwrite is a very easy to access software where a learner needs to write his user name and starts to explore the practices and tests. The each and every practice sessions are put separately and the areas are also stated separately and it is helpful for the learners to choose his/her weak part and practice those. In addition, the instructions of the tests and practices and the eye soothing background color of the software home page is also another user friendliness aspect for the learners.

In the case of interaction, this software is not interaction based software. It is based on learner autonomy and here learners are responsible for their learning. But teacher can provide some writing task e.g. writing essay or paragraph after exploring the software. And this software is not free software like some other software, it is quite costly and students need to buy it from the Evergreen website. And there is no time limitation for the practices and tests in this software that is another weakness. However, this software follows the notional-functional approach to manage the tests and practices which is interrelated to communication language teaching which is an important factor.

Above all the discussions, we can say that this is  an excellent and quick conversion software for language learning especially for writing skill. It can be suitable for the rural and urban context with adult and younger students. And teachers can use it for the students to teach grammar to follow notional-functional instructions of language teaching.