Synchronous and asynchronous communication tools: Text /Audio/Video

(Week 2: Jan 16 - 22)

Moderators:  Ayat Tawel (Egypt), Helen Davies (France), Jose Antonio da Silva (Brazil), Maria Bossa (Argentina), & Marijana Smolcec (Croatia)

Guest presenter: Michael Coghlan

Please click on the image below to listen to a Voxopop message about this week's activities: 

Objectives

Activities 

Task 1

• Download and install Yahoo Messenger (YM) and Skype, (concerning Skype, if you already have it, you might consider going to Skype and see what is new for the latest version) if you haven't done so yet; then,
• Create a Friend (buddy) List (YM) / Contacts (Skype) using the participants' Yahoo and Skype IDs available at our Participants page; or in our Yahoo Group Database (write your ID's in the database so you can be contacted by other participants);
• Explore these tools and their features, including voice chat, by joining any of the moderators and other participants for chats or conferences (group chats), and reflect on their potential in TEFL/TESL;  

Task 2 

• Join Michael Coghlan's live session of the week about "Using Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication Tools in Teaching" at YM on 18th Jan. 

         The session will be at noon GMT (Check local times in Qlock or The world clock).

Information on Live Sessions are found here.

Here's a tutorial on how to use the different features of Yahoo Messenger (YM). If you have questions, please post them to the BaW Yahoo Group.

• Here's a video that Michael sent us on January 17. Take a listen:

• Add your comments and reflections about the session here 

Task 3 

• Add your recording to the Voxopop thread above, sharing with us how you would use audio or video tools in teaching.

(You will be able to make links to or embed your audio/video recordings in the blog/wiki which you will create in week 3). 

Tools to explore

Suggested readings

• Almeida d'Eça, T. (2004). Online Communication Tools that Promote Language Learning. Polifonia.  "The paper is in English though the abstract is in Portuguese." (This article is based on my year-and-a-half experience with the Webheads in Action, an online community of practice... After referring the main features of each tool (Tapped In, Yahoo Messenger and Yahoo Groups), as well as some advantages, disadvantages and practical applications to the teaching-learning process and to online professional development, the article ends with advice and conclusions based on my practical experience with the Webheads.)

• Lai, Chun and Zhao, Yong (2006). Noticing and Text Based Chat, Language Learning & Technology, Vol.10, No.3, September 2006, pp. 102-120. (This study examines the capacity of text-based online chat to promote learners’ noticing of their problematic language productions and of the interactional feedback from their interlocutors.)

• Gonzalez, D. & Esteves, L. (2006). Enhancing Collaboration Through Chat in ESP: A Conversation Analysis. IATEFL Poland Computer SIG Journal, May 2006. (Chat rooms are ideal spaces for interaction, collaboration and negotiation of meaning, crucial aspects in language learning. However, they have not been fully exploited in language teaching. This study shows the results of a conversation analysis of 30 transcriptions of chat sessions where architecture students were carrying out collaborative group work. The researchers wanted to discover the discourse patterns and conversational strategies used by the students in this online context to study their possible repercussions in English learning. The results seem to indicate that the students were building the kind of discourse that is thought to lead to language learning.)

• Peachey, Nik (2012) Tech Tools for Teachers: Podcasting. (A comprehensive overview article on podcasting and how it can be used to help students develop their listening and speaking skills both inside and outside the classroom)

•  Vilà, A. C. (2010) Skype in the EFL Class. Humanising Language Teaching, Year 12, Issue 4, August 2010. (Skype has become a very popular tool for making calls on the web. In this article, Cristina Arnau Vilà briefly explains what Skype is, how it works, and gives some tips on ways to use it in the classroom.)