#4: Podcast Review

1. Give general information about the content and quality.

                                   ESL Podcast provides amazing audio files. : click the image. 

 

•  Review Podcast "Fit or Fat"

           http://www.eslpod.com/eslpod_blog/2013/06/27/fit-or-fat/

- content

    Fit or fat is the title of an interesting little book by Covert Bailey, a well-known fitness expert. He said that obese people usually have less energy and they can easily sick. So we need at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week – 30 minutes a day for five days. Aerobic exercise includes activities like jogging (gentle running), running, swimming, cycling, and walking. 

- quality

   The title is quite interesting for these days and he wrote various benefits of exercises with easy words. Also it has 6 responses,  so it is informative for ESL leaners to be aware of others thoughts.

2. What do you think about the podcast?  Which type of learners could benefit from the podcast?

- I love the podcast. We learn English by using everyday phrases and expressions spoken at a slow rate of speech, followed by explanations of what these expressions mean and how to use them. And we access the podcast for free on the website or smartphone. I think it is better for intermediate and advanced level  learners 

#3: Synchronous and Asynchronous CMC Tools

1) Brief descriptions of the tools and links to their websites

  Synchronous CMC: allows teachers and students to interact at the same time.

scribblar provides people with an easily accessible, collaborative white board tool. It allows people total freedom in creating a chart, diagram or other tool to help with a project or other tasks. Scribblar also allows users to use text chat for instant questions, answers and input. Teacher can draw their own pictures and send messages and photos to communicate with all other students at the same time. For these functions, teachers can teach the students without gathering in the real classroom. 

Asynchronous CMC:  allows teachers and students to interact. but not at the same time
.

Voice Thread can post visual media, instructors can comment, and peers can offer verbal or text-based assessments. After making their own video, they can upload it and can get comments from others And users can also share their videos with others.

2) Your thoughts about how the Synchronous CMC tool and the Asynchronous CMC tool could support learning and the development of language skills.  Are there any similarities and differences in how they could support language learning?

One of the most good point of using CMC tools is that they are beyond the limitation of a place or time. Students can access and learn by being in a virtual place. That's why it can be very effective for people who doesn't have time to go to school or institute.

In really class, teacher are not easy to take care of all the students individually because of the number of students. But using CMC teacher give them a feed back in detail. If teacher uses the synchronous cmc tool like scribblar, students encourage learners to speak and write and give them appropriate feedback directly. The Asynchronous CMC tool as Voice Thread, people do not even have to access it at the same time which means it helps to feel relax during speech. For students especially who are reluctant to speak out loud, using Voice Thread students record or videotape alone and re-do it until the satisfactory one comes out. Definitely, It helps an affective filter go down, students are learn better.

Similarities of Synchronous CMC tool and the Asynchronous CMC tool are given cooperative learning environment and they are based on online learning so teachers and leaners can contact each other anywhere and anytime. There is differences of Synchronous CMC tool and the Asynchronous CMC tool. The interaction between teachers and learners using synchronous tool happens immediately and simultaneously. The other hand, asynchronous tool is used, then it will take some time for teachers to check students' comprehension and their assignment.

3) Some of your ideas of possible activities and ways that the tools could be used in a language class to supplement in-class content and instruction.

 In my school, we have a speaking and listening performance assessment two times a year. There are two many students who have different level and a different character. It wasn't easy to make a test form. But using scribblar it can easily do the test.

Students work creative brainstorming, interviews, and product demonstrations.

#2 - Presentation Tools & Screencasting Tools

 1. Describe the Presentation Tool or Screencasting Tool you used.  Provide a link to the website. 

  Prezi is a cloud based presentation software and storytelling tool for presenting ideas on a virtual canvas. This program opens up a new world between whiteboards and slides.  We can say goodbye to boring slides and set our best ideas for free.

     http://prezi.com

2. Describe the presentation or activity you created using the tool.  Provide a link to the location of your embedded presentation on your Google Site.   I made a presentation using prezi, the title is "the merits of traveling abroad" that suggests 3benefits of traveling together with pictures and a youtube video. If the sutdents view this, they can get a motivation on the reason of studying and going on a trip to other country.

  https://sites.google.com/site/timbitsnova/homework

 

3. Describe your experience using the tool.  Would you recommend it to other teachers?  Why or why not?

 To be honest, this is quite an amazing presentation tool. It gives huge amount of flashes. When I made a presentation, it usually took a long time to make it but not with Prezi. It has many forms of presentation so I can choose whatever I want and add frames as well. Furthermore, Prezi is a web based, which means you can access to the file anywhere, anytime if you have an access to the internet.

 4.  Describe potential uses the tool could have in the Korean EFL learning context.

  When people saw the prezi at  first, they were often focused on it because of its brillant visual. I think it is the same with the students. The students can  easily concentrate on  class with prezi. Also, most of the classes have computers and can access to internet freely. If a teacher opens a Google site and links to a site, students could look over them and share freely to others. It doesn't take long time which is the benefit for the teachers. Even though the teacher who doesn't have good computer skills will not have a hard time handling this tool, the  prezi.