¡Habla Más!

Website Evaluation #2 - Quia

Software/Website Title: Quia

Website URL: www.quia.com

Grade/Age Level: Any grade/age can use this resource!

Language & Content: (This can be used for many languages, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Latin, and Japanese.)

1) What is the intended purpose of the software or website
The intended purpose of the website is to enhance teacher to teacher interaction, student/teacher to content interaction and student to teacher interaction in the subject you are learning in Quia. (Spanish for me) The website does this by allowing the instructor to create 16 types of games and learning activities, create quizzes any of 10 types of questions ( Multiple choice, True-false, Pop-up, Multiple correct, Fill-in, Initial answer, Short answer, Essay, Matching, Ordering), create classes and track quiz results, create class pages for communicating with students, maintain an online schedule and calendar, upload images and audio clips, copy and modify any of Quia's two million activities to suit your own needs, and finally share your activities with students, friends, colleagues, anyone in the world.

2) What is the content of the software or website and how is it presented?

The content listed above is presented on the website through tabs and other links that are very easy to use. Mainly the content is presented by subject area first, then insructer/student, and then type of content desired (quiz, game, grammar exercise, etc..). It is very easy to navigate through the site.


3) What external documents does the software or website include? Are they effective?
This website does not have many external documents. The only thing that comes close is a list of related textbooks in your subject area that you are allowed to test out in your classroom. Besides that there is really nothing in terms of external documents.

4) In what ways is the software or website interesting to the target audience?
It is interesting to the teachers because it provides a network of people that you can learn from and share ideas with. For the students I think it is interesting because they can learn and test themselves in their subject areas through games and activities that interest them. They can take the same list of 40 vocabulary words and practice them using up to 15 variations of activities. They also receive very quick feed back as Quia grades their quizzes and games on the spot.

5) For what language goal(s) is this software or website useful/effective?
In regard to Spanish language goals, this website is mainly useful for practice in vocabulary, grammar, and some writing skills. For other subjects it may be useful for memory, retention, writing and critical thinking skills, etc….

6) Does this program or website offer practice? Assessment? Feedback? Of what kinds? (give examples)
Quia offers practice of the subject areas through activities and games. These games/activities provide feedback through scoring the games and quizzes and providing correct answers. Quia also sends your scores to the teacher as requested. Finally, Quia allows you to communicate to your professor through the website so that your teacher can also offer you feedback based on your scores and activities.


7) Is this software or website easy to use? (i.e., navigation, layout, etc.)
Yes it is very easy to navigate through. There is a section for Instructors and a section for Students. Each section is laid out in a way that makes it very easy to find what you are looking for. The search engines are thorough and the tabs are very clear. Even if you are just visiting the site to find out what it is about, you will be very pleased with the Q & A section as well as the shared activities.

8) What are the strengths of this software or website?
One major strength of this website is the ability to share or receive shared materials/quizzes/activities with other teachers. There are hundreds of files under the “Spanish” section that teachers have created and are willing to share with other teachers. These shared files make it very easy to develop your curriculum using the internet and you can expand and add to the files to make them even stronger. Because of this you also have a built in network of people to gather ideas from, ask questions to, and share experiences. Another strength of this website is the way that student-teacher-content can all interact in a seamless motion. Students can go to the computer lab, practice their vocabulary or grammar and take a quiz. Quia then grades the quiz and sends the scores with areas of strengths and weakness to the teacher. The teacher then can have a better idea of what needs to be re-taught and what can be praised. Finally this website allows information to be shared across a variety of subjects, including but not limited to…Art, English, Spanish, French, German, Math, Science, Astronomy, History, Technology, Music, Medicine and Geography.

9) How can this software or website be improved?
This software can be improved by allowing other “formats” of language learning to be shared besides quizzes and games, maybe power point presentations, external documents, and other helpful websites, links etc…

posted by Christine Parker @ 1:19 AM