A
White Paper on Internet-based
Literacy Delivery Tools for The 5th
Conference on E-Learning Applications ( Submitted
by Mahmoud
Elsayess and Introduction The Arabic world, particularly the area that we refer to as the
Middle or Limited investment in all elements of education – facilities,
instructors, teaching materials, etc. – has led to an acceleration of
illiteracy in most Arab countries. This,
in turn, has resulted in inordinate unemployment due in part to the inability
of significant portions of that society to perform skills required for the new
jobs created by global trade; thus, the anger, frustration and disaffection of
the masses. Energetic, unemployed, young
people without hope of improving their desperate, economic status can be
manipulated by persuasive dogma promising them a better future. Unless there is change, the Arab world will
forever be “on the eve of modernity.” It is the contention of the
writers of this paper that enhancing Arabic language reading and writing skills
of all Arabic language students–illiterate, semi-illiterate and advanced- will
contribute to world peace and multi-cultural understanding and acceptance by
improving their lives, thereby lessening their despair. This paper addresses the problem in greater detail and describes
an advanced, computerized tool for accomplishing the worthy goals of increasing
literacy and multi-cultural understanding in the Muslim world. Read~VerseFirst, what is Read~Verse Company?
Read~Verse is an association
of computer software specialists - Jews, Christians and Muslims - dedicated to
building mutual understanding and respect among all people and all
denominations. Focused on Internet tools
that will upgrade the reading levels of millions of Arabic speaking people
throughout the world, we have developed and are offering state-of-the-art
software tools that will enable users to find relevant topics in the
Koran/Quran in either Arabic or English.
These tools are intended not only to enhance all levels of Arabic
reading skills – from illiteracy to proficiency - but to encourage a proper
understanding of the positive elements of The Quran as well. These Internet software tools can be effective for teaching all
levels of education including under and post graduate studies. Instructors
can use the software with its cutting-edge phonetic audio feature to teach
students anywhere in the world. Of
significant importance is the capability of our tools to assist thousands of
students to study Arabic from their homes or schools. We believe our software tools can contribute to and significantly
complement the progressive programs that organizations like yours are
supporting. As trade and job
opportunities expand globally for those who are studying Arabic both here and
abroad, better Internet software tools must be available to effectively meet
their accelerating demands. We believe
that our Read~Verse software fulfills that need. The multiple benefits Read~Verse offers include: ·
Schools will be better able to manage,
administer and evaluate the quality of their course curriculum, and will be
able, by offering widening online classes, to expand their respective student bases and, when feasible, to enhance
revenue. ·
Instructors will gain efficiency not
only in not having to constantly repeat proper pronunciations, but in being
able to replicate their successful class materials as well. ·
Students will be able to repeat a lesson
where and as often as they wish. In
addition they can take quizzes with the software correcting their answers. In addition, our Internet tools will include relevant reference
material to assist interested people worldwide in comprehending Islamic
culture. Augmenting the study of Arabic language with Islamic literature will
not only enhance students’ comprehension of Arabic, but will give them a
deeper, broader understanding and appreciation of the Muslim world and psyche
as well. This will make students more
successful in Arabic and the Muslim world. We contend that access to such
information is mandatory for both instructors and students in order to
successfully deal and negotiate in the Muslim world. While our focus is on improving Arabic language education, we have
more meaningful, long-term goals. We believe that such tools can extricate
millions of desperate, unemployable young, Middle Eastern people to a
productive life through education. We
further believe that in time this will relieve the explosive pressures of discontent
and mistrust towards the modern world, and will lead to peace and respect
between the cultures. We strongly
believe this, and are committed to its fulfillment. The
Problem
To gain an understanding of the
problem, we need only refer to and extrapolate from a consideration of
illiteracy in “Because as many as 16 percent
of Egyptian children were receiving no education in the 1980s, the literacy
rate lagged behind the expansion in enrollments; in 1990 only 45 percent of the
population could read and write. At the
time of the revolution in 1952 fewer than 50 percent of all primary-school-age
children attended school, and the majority of the children who were enrolled
were boys. Nearly 75 percent of the population over ten years of age was
illiterate. More than 90 percent of the females in this age group were
illiterate.” http://countrystudies.us/egypt/71.htm The lack of investment in new teaching tools contributed to an
acceleration of illiteracy in “85 percent of the Ministry of
Education's budget has been designated for salaries.” http://countrystudies.us/egypt/71.htm “20% of the Egyptians live below poverty
line” https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/eg.html The lack of qualified teachers worsens the literacy rate in “In 1985-86, The difficulties detailed herein are evident in every Mid East
country. In determining how best to
attack them, it is helpful to review the findings of the William Gates
Foundation. From their comprehensive
studies they have concluded that conventional methods of teaching have a
negative impact on education globally.
Diane Ravitch, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a professor
of education at New Your University, wrote in the Los Angeles Times, It is the assertion of the writers of this paper that Read~Verse
innovative, interactive software systems can significantly assist in enhancing
the Arabic language reading and writing skills of all students – illiterate,
semi-illiterate and advanced. This will
contribute significantly in improving the lives and lessening the despair felt
by millions throughout the Muslim world.
A description of this system for accomplishing those goals follows. The Tools
Read~Verse
language instruction systems include several key components. One of the most important of these is ALI (Arabic language Interactive
System).
What is ALI
system? ALI System is a new, Internet-based, software system that offers
significant benefits to Arabic instructors, students, and school
administration. Developed using leading edge, Internet-based software, ALI is
designed to alleviate many of the tedious and costly aspects of teaching. Once
an instructor composes class material (lessons, tests with answers, etc.), the
data is entered into the ALI system. ALI automatically codes the information,
and at the instructor’s command, sends the material to each respective student.
The student completes the lesson, and then takes a test. ALI then grades the
test, and sends the results back to the instructor or, if the instructor so
wishes, to the instructor and the student. Stringent protective security
measures are built into the system; students will not be able to access quiz
answers unless permitted by the instructor. Lessons can be modified and
enhanced at the discretion of the instructor whenever and as often as he/she
feels necessary. ALI will simply note and incorporate the change(s) into the
updated material. Thus, without the delays, the costs of reproduction and
distribution, and the time spent marking examinations, instructors can reduce
costs and utilize their professional time more effectively in planning and improving
course material and instruction methods ALI
includes these functions: ·
The complete contents of a lesson. A
list of questions (multiple choices, fill in, true or false). ·
The correct answers. ALI automatically
marks and grades the test(s) with options to send the results to an instructor
only, the student and instructor, or to other recipients. ·
ALI keeps track of all of the lessons
that a student takes with date, time, and grades. It will keep track of
all of the lessons an instructor created with date and time. ·
An instructor can copy an Arabic text,
English text, or Arabic/English text, and paste and store it. ·
An instructor will be able to copy an
existing lesson, and/or create new ones. ·
The system also includes Arabic /
English vocabulary lists. ALI will provide
the following services: ·
An instructor can create a new lesson,
update an existing lesson(s), or copy and paste to create a new one. ·
Practice sessions to drill students can
be created with ALI System. ·
Student placement tests can be created
by instructors. ·
An author of a lesson can charge a
royalty fee for lessons. ·
An instructor can edit a lesson before
publishing them. ·
An instructor can print one or many
lessons. ·
Access to each lesson must be authorized
by the instructor. ·
Plus many additional services ALI
has various additional operational efficiency features that include: Deployment: Assuming a significant number of copies of Arabic text software
are globally maintained on your network, it is very costly and time consuming
to keep user systems current on the latest release(s) of each Arabic software
text editor. ALI need be updated only once on the Internet at which point it is
available globally for all users. Compatibility: There are 16 different character sets that Microsoft supports for
each of different Arabic speaking countries. If, to cite an example, a user in Cost:
The production and distribution of class materials usually involve
considerable costs. With ALI and its
utilization of the Internet, these costs are minimized. Instructors can compose, update, manipulate,
and distribute course materials without prohibitive, conventional costs Standard: Each Arabic text editor has it’s own standard procedures and
"short cuts" that make maintaining one standard very difficult. With ALI a standard is built into the
system. Accessibility: A stand-alone PC system that has an Arabic text editor will
require accessing that computer to compose an Arabic document. With ALI, it is accessible globally via the
Internet. Training: Moving staff from one country to another in the In summary: ·
A school administration will be better
able to manage, administer and evaluate the quality of its course curriculum,
and by offering widening online classes, to expand its student base and enhance
revenue. ·
Instructors can design and build class
curriculums and update them instantly, thereby avoiding reprinting cost. ·
Instructors, with the responsibility of
"delivering" class curriculums, will gain efficiency by not only not
having to constantly repeat proper pronunciation and usage of Arabic sentence
structure, but in being able to replicate their successful class materials as
well. ·
Students will be able to repeat a lesson
where and as often as they wish. In
addition, with instructor approval, they can take quizzes with the software correcting
their answers. This will facilitate and expedite the learning process. The Koran (Quran) Databases For more advanced students
Read~Verse system includes a huge database that comprises the entire Koran
(Quran). By far the most widely
consulted book in the Read~Verse has several search
engines that can help students find correct information about the Quran
immediately in real time. Instructors
can assign a translation task to one or many students to critique the translations
of 4 different authors against the Arabic text.
There are up to 6236 unique, critiquing tests for students. This unique
teaching tool with its huge database was designed to provide Arabic instructors
with a very large volume of materials for testing the competence of
Arabic-learning students at any level. The huge database is based on what is
considered the ultimate testing document in Arabic, the Quran. Students who can
proficiently translate a verse from the Quran to English can be said to have a
command of the Arabic Language. For more
detailed description of ALI please visit http://www.readverse.com/ali/ About the Authors: Mahmoud Elsayess, President: Mr.
Elsayess has over 35 years as a Data Processing professional. His technical and
managerial background include expertise and experience with IE/IEF(CASE),
IMS/DB/DC, IDMS/R, ORACLE, DB2, MS ACCESS, COBOL, Visual Basic, MQSeries
(Client \ Server) HTML, Java, C++, and ASP. He is also proficient in PHP,
MYSQL, Apache, and Flash. Senior responsibilities with an impressive array of
renowned organizations including The Auto Club of Southern California, Mr.
Silverman brings to Read~Verse over 40-years of computer systems experience.
His knowledge and expertise with application software gained from senior
management responsibilities with some of the world's largest companies provide
a rich resource for Read~Verse. His national and international senior Sales and
Marketing responsibilities for several renowned companies including Amendment
Comments and feedback are
welcome, and should be directed to: Mahmoud Elsayess, President Mahmoud_Elsayess@READVERSE.COM Or Read~Verse Company Telephone (714) 376-4862 |