A Description and Evaluation of Hot Potatoes Web-authoring Software in Educational Settings

Abstract

In the late twentieth century, information and communication technologies (ICTs) came to the service of education in order to change and facilitate the learning process in pedagogical settings. In order to support the learning process of children and/or students, teachers –along with implying effective teaching principles and techniques in their classrooms −may benefit the potential of the computer and the web-based programs. The educational program Hot Potatoes, innovated by Half-Baked Software, Inc., was designed to allow educators to create interactive, Web-based exercises that can be used by learners at any Internet terminal with a standard Web browser. The software favors six different applications, namely: J Quiz, J Cloze, J Match, J Mix, J Cross and Masher; Moreover, Hot Potatoes program has also the capability to create interactive Web exercises without programming knowledge. With the help of the above mentioned six modules, educators are able to create different interactive web-based exercises and to combine them into one unit and publish them as Web Page. As such, the current study sheds more light on the use and application of Hot Potatoes software and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of this interactive, Web authoring, pedagogical program.