NetsurfLearning:
Learn English with Interactive Worksheets!

http://www.netsurflearning.com

Reviewed by
Kim Min Jae ("Jack")
<kkammandk@hanmail.net>
Shin Jong-ho ("Mickey")
<sik019@hanmail.net>
Jang Chul-hoon
<photojj@hanmail.net>

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I. Introduction

Let us ask you a question. Where do you get a lot of information from? If you know, at least, how to use the computer, you will surf the Internet to obtain news, knowledge, information and something like that. So we spent lots of time in searching this site to give you some information about English practice.

This Web site is intended for EFL, ESL or native speakers, and much information used on this site is provided for teachers and for students. But the most interesting link is English Level 1, which seems to be very interesting for children or elementary school students. Well describe this in the following section.

This site is designed and managed by Brays English Centres, Spain. The home page is very simple. The first page includes 10 English levels, with 100 steps (worksheets) per level, from beginner to advanced, and a short introduction below the table of contents. This site consists of one thousand various steps, and each step has some specific content adequate for students in different levels, such as vocabulary, reading comprehension, listening skills, grammar, writing, and many kinds of games and quizzes. New materials for each level on this site are updated weekly.

Because this site has so much information, it is not easy for us to describe the whole thing. So we will try to explain the characteristics of some parts briefly.
 

II. Description

1. Characteristics of NetsurfLearning.com

The main characteristic of this Web site is that anyone can choose his or her own proper level and practice it. Besides, accessing every function link is so easy that though you are a stranger here, you will be able to find their sources. If you click STEP 504 in English Level 6 - Intermediate 2, for example, you will see some practice content: Guides, Buzzwords, Grammar, Adventures, Listening and Reading. From these links, you can choose anything you want to practice. You need, especially, Real Audio Player with your system to practice these listening exercises. It is also possible for you to practice reading or writing. And if you think your ability is adequate for the Advanced Level, you can practice other content which is a little different from, and more difficult than, that of the Intermediate Level.

When you think that some exercises you are practicing are a little difficult for yourself, you can go to a lower level any time. The contrary is also possible. If your weakest skill is Listening Comprehension, you may practice listening exercises in the Elementary or Intermediate Level, and if you like to read some particular stories, you may choose Reading in the Advanced Level. As you see in the following table, Beginners, every Level consists of this structure. On every worksheet, if you click one of the numbers, you can enjoy some various programs.

English Level 1 - Beginners

Steps: 111 - 112 - 113 - 114 - 115 - 116 - 117 - 118 - 119 - 110 - 111 - 112 - 113
Steps: 114 - 015 - 016 - 017 - 018 - 019 - 020 - 021 - 022 - 023 - 024 - 025 - 026
Steps: 127 - 028 - 029 - 030 - 031 - 032 - 033 - 034 - 035 - 036 - 037 - 038 - 039
Steps: 140 - 041 - 042 - 043 - 044 - 045 - 046 - 047 - 048 - 049 - 050 - 051 - 052
Steps: 153 - 054 - 055 - 056 - 057 - 058 - 059 - 060 - 061 - 062 - 063 - 064 - 065
Steps: 166 - 067 - 068 - 069 - 070 - 071 - 072 - 073 - 074 - 075 - 076 - 077 - 078
Steps: 179 - 080 - 081 - 082 - 083 - 084 - 085 - 086 - 087 - 088 - 089 - 090 - 091
Steps: 192 - 093 - 094 - 095 - 096 - 097 - 098 - 099 - 100

Voices:     "Chicken"     "Sandwich"     "Tiger"     "Turkey"

Furthermore, this site has over 130 useful links to other sites. Of these sites, "Aesops Fables" could be interesting to the beginners because they can listen to the story with a script. And you dont have to wander about the Web to search for them because NetsurfLearning.com has a lot of links to other English practice sites.

2. Aspects to Be Improved

Although materials of this Web site are very enormous and useful, we think that some things could be improved. To begin with, anyone who visits the site for the first time has to choose his or her level, but the site doesnt provide them with any level test program. So someone may not know his own level of English ability and may hesitate.

Second, each step includes the functional materials of listening, reading, writing and so on, but the home page doesnt have additional links to them. So we cannot access materials for listening or writing directly from the first page. If these aspects were added to this site, we think it would be a more useful Web site.

Third, the most important problem of this Web site is that there is no consistency in all of the content of each step. You cant find some content in the Advanced Level, which you find in the Elementary or in the Intermediate Level, and you cant find the equal content even in some steps of the same Level. For instance, while some steps include Listening and Reading and Idioms, other steps include Buzzwords and Adventure. So if you want to practice some Listening Comprehension programs, you may have to go round two or three steps before you reach your destination.

Finally, NetsurfLearning has a Translation link, but you must pay to use that function. It would be better if the service were provided for free, and then more people would be able to use the Translation section, we think.

Besides these problems, we think that you may find other inconveniences which we couldnt find while you practice the materials of this Web site. However, we know that there is no perfect site, and it is more important how usefully the users practice the programs.
 

I. Conclusion

We are very pleased to recommend this useful English practice site to students trying to learn English as a second language. Nowadays, as most people are accustomed to the Internet, they can use a great deal of information easily. You can study about computers and learn English on the Internet. Furthermore, if you practice those things on the Internet, actually, you can save money and cost, and you dont have to go to an institute.

NetsurfLearning.com has a great deal of useful materials. So we can practice any English field which we want to learn with one click. You can practice the sections which are adequate for your ability, and after you complete the materials of one level, you can also practice other programs in more advanced levels. We assure you that your English ability will be gradually advanced with this site.

There are, of course, some problems to be improved, such as no level test, no direct links to listening and writing materials, etc. on the home page, but if these problems are improved, users who visit this site will be able to practice a great deal of English materials more easily. We really hope that this Web site will be very helpful to many students trying to learn English as a second language.