Date: 12/20/1999
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Publication: The Nation
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Section: Headlines
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MEDIA AND IT VENUE: Learning English with Yindii
''THERE are few websites dedicated to teaching
English to Thai students. And to fill that void, my husband and I created Yindii.com,''
says Nongyao Quartz, a former secondary school teacher in Surin.
Nongyao and her husband David are now giving
students the opportunity of learning English online and they both have what it takes to
create a website for that purpose.
Nongyao has her teaching experience to offer
and David works for the English Resource Instruction Centre that comes under the Education
Ministry. The love of teaching is in their blood.
The couple started developing the Yindii website (Yindii means ''pleasure'' in Thai) in
June this year at their own expense before launching it earlier this month.
They had hoped to set it up earlier but only found time to do so after Nongyao resigned
from her teaching post in order to look after her child, which gave her more time at home.
The website deserves attention and gets it. It offers three main pages -- the Yindii
School Zone, the Yindii English Club and the Cool Club.
The School Zone is linked to other webpages and is similar to the National Electronic
and Computer Technology Centre's SchoolNet site. Both teach subjects in the secondary
school curriculum.
For example, when students click on the mathematics link, they will come across several
weblinks: Enclycopedia of Mathematics, WebMath, Interactive Mathmania and Algebra Online.
''We search through cyberspace to identify what will benefit the students and link it
with our website,'' said Nongyao.
In Yindii English Club, the students will find games and quizzes which makes it fun to
learn the English language.
The page also offers samples of entrance examinations that enable students to practice
before sitting for the real thing.
As its name suggests, Yindii Cool Club will provide subscribers with information about
the latest and ''coolest'' websites through e-mail.
''So far our Cool Club and School Zone have about 400 subscribers. We will keep on
improving Yindii to provide the best for students,'' said Nongyao.
The cost of developing the website is currently being borne by the family, but Nongyao
hopes to find sponsors to reduce the financial burden.
When asked about their plans for the website, Nongyao said that her husband had
requested funds from the English Resource Instruction Centre to develop the website. The
aim would be to help provincial teachers use the Internet as a medium for teaching English
to students.
BY SIRIVISH TOOMGUM
The Nation
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