Business English and the World Wide Web:

An E-commerce Web Page Project

Anthony Crooks

Sendai Board of Education

Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken, Japan

Outline

Introduction Rationale behind the project Background of students Procedure - week by week Product Problems, issues and solutions

Rationale

5 week computer class – what to do? Maintaining of interest for students. Application of acquired skills. Internet-competent class members.

Background of Students

Participating students were:– enrolled at an Intensive English program (IEP) in

Melbourne, Australia.– in the final weeks of a Business English course.– close to upper-intermediate in English competence.– computer and Internet literate.– had completed a web page in the past.– in their mid-twenties.– from Asia.

Week 1

Examination and analysis of commercial Internet sites.

Revision of students’ web page design techniques.

Re-familiarization with web page design package (HotDog).

Provision of primary assignment.

Primary Assignment

In groups of four, students were to advertise a local business with a website.

Their websites should comprise three linked web pages and featuring some of the characteristics found in commercial websites.

Their websites should make viewers’ interested in using or buying the businesses’ products and services.

Week 1 (continued)

Students compiled relevant interview questions for business proprietors in the community close to the IEP center.

By Week 2 they were to have found a business to use as a website client, and have arranged a time to meet the proprietor.

Week 2

Before class, students:– had identified a business and obtained some data. – arranged to meet proprietors for interview about

their businesses.

Initial interview questions were narrowed and refined.

Basic web page design skills were further revised.

Weeks 3 & 4

Preparation of the web pages - discussion on content and design.

Opportunity for me to inspect their progress and offer suggestions and advice.

Some students used class time to re-interview proprietors and take photos of their businesses.

Week 5

Websites ‘tweaked’ and then inspected and critiqued by class.

Assessment by class members and myself. General feedback about the value of the

project.

Baba’s Kebabs

Menu Location

Introduction/Index

The Book Nook

ContactDetails

Location

Introduction/Index

HistoryOpening

Hours

Advantages of the Project

Students were engaged in a wide range of language acts.– Reading (web pages, business brochures).– Speaking and listening (to each other, to business

proprietors).– Writing (web pages).– Working collaboratively in English towards products

of which they were genuinely proud.

Problems

In a number of cases:– students used fliers from restaurants to compile

their web pages resulting in little English usage.– students had difficulty finding compliant proprietors.– members of the groups ‘took a back seat’ and were

merely observers rather than participants in the creation process.

Solutions

Find compliant proprietors and set up interviews for students.

Have students create their own products and services to advertise.

Upload the files to the Internet for ‘completion.’ Reduce groups to pairs. Ensure that students have specific roles to play

in each group.

Japan-Specific Issues

Conducting this project in Japan would reduce the demand on the students to speak English.

Greater emphasis needs to be placed on:– the students’ interaction in English in class.– the preliminary tasks and discussions (e.g. web

page examination).– the presentation of the final page in English.

Foreign businesses in Japan could be used.

Requirements

A computer room with sufficient computers for student use (i.e. one computer per pair).

Computers with power enough to handle web design processing tasks (e.g. Pentium+ models).

An Internet connection. Web space – free servers such as Homestead,

Geocities & NBCi.

Resources - Software

At a minimum, Microsoft Word (saving pages at HTML files) or Netscape Composer.

Shareware and freeware packages such as CoffeeCup Free HTML or Arachnophilia (both available at http://www.tucows.com).

Online page-building at Geocities and Homestead (suitable for those institutions with with dedicated Internet access).

Resources - Software

Programs to edit and view images:– Paint Shop Pro - http://www.jasc.com– ACDSee - http://www.acdsystems.com/english

Programs to upload files to the Internet:– WS_FTP LE - http://www.ipswitch.com– CuteFTP - http://www.cuteftp.com

Resources - Webspace

Free webspace is available at the following sites:– Geocities: http://www.geocities.com– Homestead: http://www.homestead.com– NBCi: http://www.nbci.com– Tripod: http://www.tripod.lycos.com– Angelfire: http://www.angelfire.lycos.com

Resources - Web Page Guides

McFredies, Paul (2000) The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Web Page, fourth edition, Macmillan.

Smith, Bud E. (2000) Creating Web Pages for Dummies, fifth edition, IDG Books Worldwide.

http:///www.ehow.com (free online training).

Where to Find This Information…

To examine this presentation, including web pages, weblinks, The Language Teacher article and suggested resources, go to:

http://www.anthonycrooks.com

Thank you!!!