#3: Synchronous and Asynchronous CMC Tools

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

   - A synchronous tool: Among synchronous CMC tools, I am sometimes using skype to have a conversation with my friends in the U.S. with whom I made friends last year. When I log on to skype, I can see the list of my friends on the left side of the log on page. If I click one of friends on the contact list, there comes the button said, "video call." Clicking this, I can make a video call to my friend and we also see each other through the webcams.

http://skype.daesung.com/eng/

  - An asynchronous tool: I chose to visit "voicethread." I knew about the site earlier during the first term of this TESOL program. When I sign in, I can see three main taps categorized as browse, create, my voice. In browse section, I am freely able to leave a comment on the room already made by someone. If I go into a "create" tap, I can make a new room for a specific topic. When I leave a comment, there are several ways of recording: using phone, webcam, typing, or recording. While recording my opinion, I can draw something on the screen. Also, there are some other opinions already recorded on the both sides of a room. So I can listen to the opinions of other classmates by clicking their section. 

http://voicethread.com/

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?

  - I think both CMC tools can get people have a communication mediated by computer. So, they are convenient to use because they are not bounded to space: we can share our opinions with people all around the world just by sitting in front of PC. But in the aspect of time, there are some differences between them. 

    Synchronous CMC tools like skype, and Tokbox has time limit. In other words, they are based on instant communication so everybody can get an immediate feedback. In this situation, speakers might get nervous, being worried about making grammatical mistakes while they are talking. 

    Asynchronous CMC tools like Voice thread, and Vocaroo has unlimited time because it is based on recording. So people can have enough time for preparation such as trying to look good on webcam, or talking perfectly without any mistakes. So everybody can express their opinion concisely.

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 opinion, I can include the both tools within one class activity. I will apply a problem-solving task to this activity. At first, I will present a particular problem that is closely related to our life: a social or an environmental problems.
    And I will let the students brainstorm cooperatively using a synchronous CMC tool by creating a Scribblar room. I think that since a synchronous CMC tool requires a prompt communication, brainstorming that is a result of a quick and instant thinking process  can be well done through this kind of tool.
    Next, I will use an asynchronous CMC tool by having the students express their solutions on the Voicethread. I believe that an asynchronous CMC tool that allows unlimited time for students to think, so it will enable students to ponder and devise the solution to a particular problem.
     Finally, I will have some time to share each solution with students. This will be also feasible by using an asynchronous CMC tool, which is a complete result of possible solutions designed by each students.

#2. Presentation Tools & Screencasting Tools

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

- I used "Prezi" for making my presentation. When you visit the site, you can simply sign up. Then you will be able to create a presentation. First, you can select a template among several ones. and type in the editing page. If you don't have enough frame, it can be added if you insert new frames. Also, arrows or direct lines  can be drawn. When you finish making the presentation, click disc-shaped button to save your presentation. Or you can have it as a form of PDF file. In the section named "your prezis", the list of presentations made by you will come up.

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.

- Using Prezi, I made the presentation which introduces five basic sentence patterns of English. It is geared to being used by teachers of a grammar class and it is for the beginners. My presentation consists of five frames  and each frame, contains the structure of an English sentence, the definition of terms, and the examples of each sentence.

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


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

- I always used to use Microsoft Office Powerpoint whenever I was to make a presentation. It was because the presentation tool which all that I knew was the only one before I took the third class of CALL. Actually, I saw one of the students in my class use Prezi, but I had no idea what that tool exactly was and how to made it. What I liked the most about Prezi was that it already had a several ready-made templates so I didn't need to spend time decorating the presentation. In other words, it was very convenient to use because all I did was simply to type what I wanted to say about the topic. Also, Prezi had more vivid visual effects than Powerpoint in that it is fun to see slides move to the next slide: it sweeps across somewhere. But the fact that I could not access the more contents unless I pay monthly was the only demerit of Prezi.

  Despite the one shortcoming of Prezi, I would recommend to other teachers to use Prezi because it is simple and easy to use, has a lot of beautiful templates, has vivid and funny visual effects.

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

- Considering that the learners are EFL students, they might not have more interest in learning English than ESL students because the former group have less necessity of learning the language than the latter one. As a result, I think that there are a lot of possibilities of getting bored if EFL students just listen to a teacher without any visual aids during the class.

   In this situation, it would be helpful for teachers to make use of Prezi. As I mentioned above in answering question number 3, Prezi has more visuality than Powerpoint. According to my previous experience as a listener of the presentation made by Prezi, I could concentrate more on it because of the vivid visual aids. Likewise, if teachers use this presentation tool in EFL classroom, it would help draw learners' attention more so they could listen up.
   In the aspect of the property of Prezi, it could be perfectly used when teachers are to explain a new concept, especially in a deductive way. It is because I noticed that many of Prezi's templates had a structure that showed categorization. Or since some other templates had a step-by-step process, it also could be effective when a teachers are planning to show the history of English language or else.