Synchromous tools

Synchromous tool enables real-time communication and collaboration in a "same time-different place" mode. these tools allow people to connectat a single point in time, at the same time. Synchronous tools possess the advantage of being able to engage people instantly and at the same point in time. The primary drawback of synchronous tools is that, by definition,they require same-time participation-different time zones and comflicting schedules can create communication challenges. In addition, they tend to be costly and may reqsuire significant bandwidth to be efficient. 



Resource :  http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/articledetail.cfm?itemnumber=13572

Tool	Useful for	Drawbacks
Audio conferencing	Discussions and dialogue	Cost, especially when international participation is involved
Web conferencing	Sharing presentations and information	Cost, bandwidth; may also require audio conferencing to be useful
Video conferencing	In-depth discussions with higher-touch interactions	Cost, limited availability of video conferencing systems
Chat	Information sharing of low-complexity issues	Usually requires typing, "lower touch" experience
Instant messaging	Ad hoc quick communications	All users must use compatible system, usually best for 1:1 interactions
White boarding	Co-development of ideas	Cost, bandwidth; may also require audio conferencing to be useful
Application sharing	Co-development of documents	Cost, bandwidth; may also require audio conferencing to be useful

Asynchronous tools

Asynchronous tools enable communication and collaboration over a period of time through a "different time-different place" mode. These tools allow people to connect together at each person's own convenience and own schedule. Asynchronous tools are useful for sustaining dialogue and collaboration over a period of time and providing people with resources and information that are instantly accessible, day or night. Asynchronous tools possess the advantage of being able to involve people from multiple time zones. In addition, asynchronous tools are helpful in capturing the history of the interactions of a group, allowing for collective knowledge to be more easily shared and distributed. The primary drawback of asynchronous technologies is that they require some discipline to use when used for ongoing communities of practice (e.g., people typically must take the initiative to "login" to participate) and they may feel "impersonal" to those who prefer higher-touch synchronous technologies.

 

Tool	Useful for	Drawbacks
Discussion boards	Dialogue that takes place over a period of time	May take longer to arrive at decisions or conclusions
Web logs (Blogs)	Sharing ideas and comments	May take longer to arrive at decisions or conclusions
Messaging (e-mail)	One-to-one or one-to-many communications	May be misused as a "collaboration tool" and become overwhelming
Streaming audio	Communicating or teaching	Static and typically does not provide option to answer questions or expand on ideas
Streaming video	Communicating or teaching	Static and typically does not provide option to answer questions or expand on ideas
Narrated slideshows	Communicating or teaching	Static and typically does not provide option to answer questions or expand on ideas
"Learning objects" (Web-based training)	Teaching and training	Typically does not provide option to answer questions or expand on ideas in detail
Document libraries	Managing resources	Version control can be an issue unless check-in / check-out functionality is enabled
Databases	Managing information and knowledge	Requires clear definition and skillful administration
Web books	Teaching and training	Not dynamic and may lose interest of users
Surveys and polls	Capturing information and trends	Requires clear definition and ongoing coordination
Shared Calendars	Coordinating activities	System compatibility
Web site links	Providing resources and references	May become outdated and "broken"

A significant step beyond this smorgasbord of individual tools are web-based platforms that aim to provide some or most of the functionality of these standalone tools, but do so within a single integrated collaborative environment. The integration and synthesis of these tools creates a container that turns out to be far greater than the sum of its parts and can become the single portal for all community activities. Going beyond the hodgepodge of individual technologies can elevate members' experiences by encouraging collaborative learning and knowledge sharing.

Resource : http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/articledetail.cfm?itemnumber=13572

Acronyms

Directions: Find words or phrases standing for the following acronyms with  short descriptions.

1. IT              
Information Technology /Instructional Teachnology /  Innovative Technology

2. ICT            
Information and Communication Technology

3. CAI          
Computer-Aided Instruction

4. CALL      
Center for Army Lessons Learned / Computer Language  Learning

5. WBI         
Web Based Instruction

6. CBI          
Computer Based Instruction

7. CMC        
Computer-Mediated Communications

8. TELL       
Teaching English Language Learners
9. MUD        
Multiple User Dialogue
10. MOO     
Matter of Opinion

Resorce: http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/

Teaching English Blogging for ELT

TeachingEnglish

Blogging for ELT

Submitted by TE Editor on 6 March, 2005 - 13:00

This article takes a look at blogging, which is becoming increasingly popular as a language learning tool. It gives an overview of blogging websites, suggests why you might want to use them, and gives some practical advice on setting up blogs for use with your own classes.
What is a blog?
A blog (short for weblog) is a frequently updated website that often resembles an online journal. It's so easy to create and update a blog - it requires only basic access to the Internet, and a minimum of technical know-how. Because of this, it is one of the easiest ways to publish student writing on the WWW. It's almost as easy as sending an email.

Nowadays, blogs can also display photos and some people are using them with audio and even video, but this article will concentrate on the basics, showing how a simple text-based blog can be used to great effect with your English language learners.Types of blogs used in language teachingAaron Campbell (2003) has outlined three types of blogs for use with language classes:

• The Tutor Blog is run by the teacher of a class. The content of this type of blog can be limited to syllabus, course information, homework, assignments, etc. Or the teacher may choose to write about his or her life, sharing reflections about the local culture, target culture and language to stimulate online and in-class discussion. In this type of blog, students are normally restricted to being able to write comments to the teacher's posts. A great example of this is Aaron Campbell's own 'The New Tanuki' http://thenewtanuki.blogspot.com/

• The Class Blog is a shared space, with teacher and students being able to write to the main area. It is best used as a collaborative discussion space, an extra-curricular extension of the classroom. Students can be encouraged to reflect in more depth, in writing, on themes touched upon in class. Students are given a greater sense of freedom and involvement than with the tutor blog. A very good example of what has been done with this type of blog is Barbara Dieu's 'Bee Online' http://beeonline.blogspot.com/) and 'Bee Online 2' http://beeonline2.blogspot.com/

• The Learner Blog is the third type of blog and it requires more time and effort from the teacher to both set up and moderate, but is probably the most rewarding. It involves giving each student an individual blog. The benefit of this is that this becomes the student's own personal online space. Students can be encouraged to write frequently about what interests them, and can post comments on other students' blogs. For examples, see the links to learner blogs from the class blog and tutor blog examples above.

Of course, teachers who decide to use blogs often use a combination of Tutor or Class blog and Learner blogs, with hyperlinks connecting them.

Tips for managing learner blog settings

• Use the 'Settings' in Blogger to add yourself (under Members) as Administrator of the learner blog. This is invaluable if students later forget usernames or passwords, and can also help if inappropriate posts are published

• Make sure you change the setting and turn the 'Comments' feature on. This will allow the others to respond to things the students write on their learner blogs.

• Also in 'Settings', you will find an option to receive an email whenever a student publishes their blog. This will save you time regularly checking learner blogs to see if any of your students have posted. Another way of being informed of this is to use the 'Site Feed' function (discussed further below).

Keeping students interested
Many teachers who start to use blogs find the novelty factor is enough to create student interest in starting to use them. However, blogs work best when learners get into the habit of using them. If learners are not encouraged to post to their blogs frequently, then they can quickly be abandoned. A failed experiment. Here, the teacher in the role of facilitator is vital for maintaining student interest. Here are some ideas to how this can be done:

• Respond to student posts quickly, writing a short comment related to the content. Ask questions about what the learner writes to create stimulus for writing.

• Students should be actively encouraged to read and respond (through the commenting feature of the blog) to their classmates.

• Writing to the blog could be required, and it may form part of the class assessment. Students should be encouraged to post their writing homework on the blog instead of only giving it to the teacher.

Some ideas for activities

• Mystery guest. Invite another teacher or someone from another school or country as a mystery guest to your blog. Ask the students to engage him or her in dialogue and guess their identity.

• Project work. A blog is an ideal space for developing a project, especially if the project is a shared one between several classes or even classes in different countries.

• International link-ups. Contact another educational establishment to see if they are interested in a joint blogging project. Students can write about their lives, culture, interests, etc, and be encouraged to read about the other class and respond by writing comments.

• Photoblog. If you plan on using photographs in your blog, there are lots of tools available to help you. Flickr (http://www.flickr.com) makes publishing photographs to blogs easy. If you want to make photographs central to the blog, however, it is better to use a blogging tool such as Buzznet (http://www.buzznet.com), which is a photo publishing tool and blog rolled into one.

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/blogging-elt

What is a blog and why do we need them?

What is a blog and why do we need them?September 23, 2003

by Trudy W. Schuett

There's a brilliant solution on the horizon for bringing the movement to the mainstream. Because it requires little or no money, and minimal tech savvy, all of you who now send e-mails all over with less and less response; or don't have as much time anymore to update and promote your website can be at the forefront of a growing trend.

You probably realize that the e-mail industry (which includes anyone who sends a newsletter or notices of any kind) is in the midst of a crisis from which it may never recover. Spammers, spam filters, and nanny software, are just a few of the problems for anyone legitimately trying to communicate with a group of people. There's got to be a better way to get the word out; and right now there is.

http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/s/schuett/03/schuett092303.htm

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My Proverbs !

A life without a friend is a life without a sun.
ชีวิตที่อยู่อย่างขาดมิตรสหายก็เหมือนชีวิตที่ไร้แสงสว่าง

Make hay while the sun shines.
น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก

It's no use crying over spilt milk.
ไม่พึงโศกเศร้าในสิ่งที่เสียไปแล้ว

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
สิ่งที่คุณมีอยู่แล้วย่อมดีกว่าสิ่งที่คุณคาดหวังไว้ในอนาคต

All that glitters is not gold.
สิ่งที่ดูดีไม่ใช่ว่าจะเป็นสิ่งที่ดีเสมอไป

A little knowledge is dangerous.
การรู้เพียงน้อยนิดอาจเป็นอันตรายได้

Be quick to hear and slow to speak.
จงเป็นคนหูเบาแต่ปากหนัก

Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
อย่าหวังพึ่งนํ้าบ่อหน้า

Hard work but no play, makes Jack a dull boy.
อย่ามัวแต่ทำงานจนทำให้ชีวิตของคุณน่าเบื่อ

Keep something for a rainy day.
จงเก็บออมเงินเผื่อยามที่ไม่มี

Life is full of surprises.
ชีวิตนี้เต็มไปด้วยความแปลกประหลาดทั้งสิ้น

Let bygones be bygones.
ที่แล้วมาแล้วก็แล้วกันไป อย่าฟื้นฝอยหาตะเข็บ

 http://www.yindii.com/ref/proverbs/proverb12.htm

The importance of blog.

There's a brilliant solution on the horizon for bringing the movement to the mainstream. Because it requires little or no money, and minimal tech savvy, all of you who now send e-mails all over with less and less response; or don't have as much time anymore to update and promote your website can be at the forefront of a growing trend.

You probably realize that the e-mail industry (which includes anyone who sends a newsletter or notices of any kind) is in the midst of a crisis from which it may never recover. Spammers, spam filters, and nanny software, are just a few of the problems for anyone legitimately trying to communicate with a group of people. There's got to be a better way to get the word out; and right now there is.


http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/s/schuett/03/schuett092303.htm

Do you know Blogger ?

Blogger (service)

Blogger is a blog-publishing service that allows private or multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. It was created by Pyra Labs, which was bought by Google in 2003. Generally, the blogs are hosted by Google at a subdomain of blogspot.com. Up until May 1, 2010 Blogger allowed users to publish blogs on other hosts, via FTP. All such blogs had (or still have) to be moved to Google's own servers, with domains other than blogspot.com allowed via Custom URLs.^[3] In July of 2011 a news outlet revealed that Google intends to change the name of the service from "Blogger" to "Google Blogs," as part of a larger plan to re-brand or retire all non-Google brands in its portfolio of products and services.
^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogger_(service)}