LEARNING ENGLISH TROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKS

A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for analyzing the structure of whole social entities as well as a variety of theories explaining the patterns observed in these structures. The study of these structures uses social network analysis to identify local and global patterns, locate influential entities, and examine network dynamics.

Group webpages, blog, wikis, and Twitter allow learners and educators to post thoughts, ideas, and comments on a website in an interactive learning environment. Social networking sites are virtual communities for people interested in a particular subject to communicate by voice, chat, instant message, video conference, or blogs. 

Computer networks combined with social networking software produces a new medium for social interaction. A relationship over a computerized social networking service can be characterized by context, direction, and strength. The content of a relation refers to the resource that is exchanged. In a computer mediated communication context, social pairs exchange different kinds of information, including sending a data file or a computer program as well as providing emotional support or arranging a meeting. With the rise of electronic commerce, information exchanged may also correspond to exchanges of money, goods or services in the "real" world. Social network analysis methods have become essential to examining these types of computer mediated communication.

In practice, as technology has advanced, the particular "narrowly defined" terminological aspect that was initially emphasized by name has blended into the general field of educational technology.^[11] Initially, "virtual learning" as narrowly defined in a semantic sense implied entering an environmental simulation within a virtual world.

 A "virtual education course" refers to any instructional course in which all, or at least a significant portion, is delivered by internet. "Virtual" is used in that broader way to describe a course that is not taught in a classroom face-to-face but through a substitute mode that can conceptually be associated "virtually" with classroom teaching, which means that people do not have to go to the physical classroom to learn.

Accordingly, virtual education refers to a form of distance learning in which course content is delivered by various methods such as course management multimedia, multimedia resources, and videoconferencing

References :

"Nurse education in second life at Glasgow Caledonian University demo". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-10-22.

Wasserman, Stanley; Faust, Katherine (1994). "Social Network Analysis in the Social and Behavioral Sciences". Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–27. ISBN 9780521387071.

EDUCATION AND MULTIMEDIA APPLICATION

Technological demand in this era has become a way of life, especially in education and business. Educational technology refers to the use of both physical hardware and educational theoretics. It encompasses several domains, including learning theory, computer based training, online learning and, where mobile technologies are used. There are several discrete aspects to describing the intellectual and technical development of educational technology:

·         Educational technology as the theory and practice of educational approaches to learning.

·         Educational technology as technological tools and media that assist in the communication of knowledge, and its development and exchange

·         educational technology for learning management system (LMS), such as tools for student and curriculum management, and education management information systems (EMIS)

·         educational technology itself as an educational subject; such courses may be called "Computer Studies" or “ information and communication technology (ICT)".

Multimedia is content that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, video and interactive content. Multimedia contrasts with media that use only rudimentary computer displays such as text-only or traditional forms of printed or hand produced material.

Multimedia can be recorded and played, displayed, interacted with or accessed by information content processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices, but can also be part of a live performance. Multimedia devices are electronic devices used to store and experience multimedia content. Multimedia is distinguished from mixed media in fine art ; by including audio, for example, it has a broader scope.

As Oliver (1994) notes, the term multimedia has not always designated computer-based media, as it does now, but originally referred to combinations of audio, visual, and print materials delivered by various media.  Now, however, “the term has been adopted by the computer industry and re-defined to mean 'the integration of video, audio, graphics, and data within a single computer workstation.

While multimedia applications offer advantages and benefits, these do not come without costs, awareness of which may help users to make informed decisions about the true advantages of the medium (Grabe &Grabe, 1996). The key concerns include unnecessary duplication of existing instructional materials; teachers untrained in design becoming bogged down in the production of low-quality multimedia; problems of assessment using multimedia materials, which occur because learners using hyperlinks in multimedia do not always cover the same material in the same sequence; and high technical demands, with technical difficulties arising because of the complexity of some multimedia applications.

Obstacles to the widespread use of multimedia are myriad, and arise in part from the fact that multimedia applications, even if instituted carefully and with the intention of altering the learners' experiences, are an example of change and innovation, and so may provoke resistance, including such obstacles as (Helm & McClements, 1996):

1.      reluctance on the part of teachers to see materials transformed.

2.      the fear felt by users (staff and learners) over the level of technical knowledge required to get involved.

3.      the need of many tutors for special training (which may or may not be conveniently available) to use multimedia effectively.

4.      the significant challenge and expense of “adapting and transforming material intended for traditional delivery methods into new media”.

5.      the desire to tinker endlessly and mindlessly on presentations, with negative results for productivity.

The impact of multimedia in teaching is ultimately dependent upon the incorporation of certain principles that govern its usefulness and effects. Mayer (2001) has suggested seven such principles, based on empirical evidence from his ongoing research on multimedia and actual learning. These principles not only describe the various impacts of multimedia on learning, they also constitute a good basic primer for instructional designers working with media generally.

1. Multimedia principle: Students learn better from words and graphics or pictures than from words alone .
2. Spatial contiguity principle: Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented near rather than far from each other on the page or screen.
3. Temporal contiguity principle: Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively.
4. Coherence principle: Students learn better when extraneous words, pictures,  and sounds.
5. Modality principle: Students learn better from animation and audible narration than from animation and on-screen text .
6. Redundancy principle: People have only limited capacity to process visual and auditory material presented simultaneously; therefore, students learn better from animation and narration than from a combination of animation, generation, and onscreen text.
7.  Individual differences principle: Design effects are stronger for low-knowledge learners than for high-knowledge learners, and for high-spatial-ability learners than for low-spatial-ability learners .

 Education today is inseparable of technology especially multimedia. With the use of multimedia projects, students can utilise the knowledge presented to them by the teacher, and represent them in a more meaningful way, using different media elements. These media elements can be converted into digital form and modified and customised for the final project.

By incorporating digital media elements into the project, the students are able to learn better since they use multiple sensory modalities, which would make them more motivated to pay more attention to the information presented and better retain the information.

References :

Grabe, C., & Grabe, M. (1996). Integrating technology for meaningful learning. Toronto: Houghton Mifflin.

Helm, P., & McClements, R. (1996). Multimedia business training: The big thing or the next best thing? In J. Frankl & B. O'Reilly (Eds.). 1996EDEN Conference: Lifelong learning, open learning, distance learning(pp. 134-137). Poitiers, France: European Distance Education Network.

Oliver, E. L. (1994). Video tools for distance education. In B. Willis (Ed.), Distance education strategies and tools (pp. 165-173). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

TEACHING BY USING VIDEO

Educational approaches today are technological approaches or educational technology. Educational technology is "the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources (Robinson : 2016).

Educational technology refers to the use of both physical hardware and educational theoretics. It encompasses several domains, including learning theory, computer based training, online learning, and, where mobile technologies are used, m learning.

One of the technological facilities is video, which suffers from the same kinds of limitations as audio, but to an even greater degree; bandwidth is the primary limitation to greater video use online.

 According to Roberts (1998), video can :

1.      Adds a sense of direct involvement and physical presence among geographically dispersed learners.

2.      Provides quality learning opportunities (as good as or better than those offered by other methods and technologies).

3.      Gives distant sites live, interactive learning opportunities.

4.      Enables the delivery of global expertise to remote learners.

5.      Eliminates or reduces travel time and time away from jobs and family.

The following strengths of video for learning and teaching can be exploited, with appropriate instructional strategies. The social presence and cohesion that video fosters among users is often valued, especially by participants new to distance education, and may improve motivation.

The technology permits the sharing of various visual resources. Group-based learning activities may be more attractive and feasible with video technology support. Well-designed and appropriately implemented uses of video can help in the teaching of abstract, time-protracted, hazardous, or unfamiliar concepts.

The advantages in actual practice of various forms of video continue to be debated. In some studies, animation has been shown to result in a reduction in study time, “suggesting that animation results in more efficient learning” (Szabo, 1998, p. 30), with learning effects persisting over time (Mayton, in Szabo, 1998, p. 30). There is, however, also some indication that, when compared with “highly imaginative examples and illustrations,” the advantages of animated simulations were less obvious (Rieber &Boyce, in Szabo, 1998, p. 30). Szabo concluded from his analysis that “any widespread belief in the superiority of animation over non-animated instruction within the context of computer-based instruction is at odds with the research” (1998, p. 31).

According to Roberts (1998), critical issues in the delivery of video-based training include those listed below.

1.  Proper training of instructors.

2.  User self-consciousness.

3.  Integration of other media into video presentations.

4.  Optimum length of sessions and size of groups.

5.  Session variety.

6.  Technical design and support.

7.  Professional quality visual elements. (p. 96)

Obviously, video delivery is complex, potentially costly, and of uncertain benefit for some teaching tasks over simpler, more economical media. A clear pedagogic and business case is obviously needed for its use.

References :

Roberts, J. (1998). Compressed video learning: Creating active learners. Toronto: Cheneliére/McGraw-Hill.

Robinson, Rhonda; Molenda, Michael; Rezabek, Landra. “Facilitating Learning” (PDF). Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Retrieved 18 March 2016.

Szabo, M. (1998). Survey of educational technology research. The Educational Technology Professional Development Project (ETPDP) Series. Edmonton, AB: Grant MacEwan Community College and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

CONSTRUCTIVISM, MEDIA AND LEARNING TECHNOLOGY

Technology is the most important media in teaching learning process. Technological era and demand imply world of education. Science and knowledge today are based on technological system that make the education system need technological application.

Teaching learning process will be more effective if there is technological application system. Haughey and Anderson state that the use of media for teaching assumes that learning, as both an individual and a social activity (Haughey & Anderson, 1998), may be facilitated by intentional interaction. 

Constructivism theory offers some principles for educational system, Constructivism suggests that Teaching and learning process must be integrative, holistic, collaborative, and learners centered.

Constructivism is a general term for the view that the world is often too complex for general principles to be useful in teaching, and that the best learning results when the learner processes and integrates new experiences into his or her existing constructs (Coleman, Perry, & Schwen, 1997). Constructivist teaching tends to be more holistic, more collaborative in method, and more encouraging and accepting of learner initiatives, including greater freedom and variety in assignments and assessments (Henriques, 1997). The role of the instructor also changes in constructivist teaching from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side,” or coach (Burge & Roberts, 1993; French, Hale, Johnson, &Farr, 1999). .

The uses of technology may vary, too, in different constructivist  environments. Social and radical constructivists view interaction as of greater importance to learning than mere access to information, while information processing and interactive constructivists view information, facts, and contact with a wide circle of informed people as critical to the student's development of a fully adequate construction of the world (Henriques, 1997).

In common, constructivists tend to use technologies for purposes such as those identified by Jonassen (1998):

•   acquainting and involving students with real-world problems and situations.

•   modeling the analytic and thinking skills of the instructor and other experts, which learners then apply, with appropriate feedback, to their own problems and constructs.

•   working within an authentic problem context that reflects as much as possible the problem's real context and characteristics.

Overall, the contribution online media often make to constructivist teaching is in expanding the range and variety of experiences usually available in classroom-based learning. Because online media are by definition linked to networks of external resources, they can provide access to people, ideas, and information beyond those found in the classroom. Whether the result is a nearly self-sufficient collaborative learning environment (Jonassen, 1998), or, more simply, a forum for problem-based learning (Bridges, 1992), the result is an opening-up of the learning space to a wider variety of ideas and points of view.

References:

Haughey, M., & Anderson, T. (1998). Networked learning: The pedagogy of the Internet. Montreal: Cheneliére/McGraw-Hill.

Coleman, S., Perry, J., & Schwen, T. (1997). Constructivist instructional development: Reflecting on practice from an alternative paradigm. In A. J. Romiszowski (Ed.), Instructional development paradigms (pp. 269-282). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Henriques, L. (1997). Constructivist teaching and learning. Retrieved April 29, 2004, from http://www.educ.uvic.ca/depts/snsc/temporary/
cnstrct.htm. Note: This URL was no longer active on May 7, 2004.

Burge E. J., & Roberts, J. M. (1993). Classrooms with a difference: A practical guide to the use of conferencing technologies. Toronto: University of Toronto, OISE Distance Learning Office.

SKYPE AND LONG DISTANCE LEARNING

Skype  is an application that provides video chat and voice call services. Users may exchange such digital documents as images, text, video and any other, and may transmit both text and video messages. Skype allows the creation of video conference calls.

Skype is based on a freemium model. Much of the service is free, but Skype Credit or a subscription is required to call a landline or a mobile phone number. At the end of 2010, there were over 660 million worldwide users, with over 300 million estimated active each month as of August 2015. At one point in February 2012, there were thirty four million users concurrently online on Skype.

Social interaction allows the learner to reflect and reconsider, get help and support, and participate in authentic problem solving. Benefits for learners include:

·         improved learning strategies

·         greater perseverance, and reduced need for help from the instructor

·         Social interaction provides critical opportunities for learners who are learning at a distance

·         The types of social interactions that would normally occur in a face-to-face setting (discussion, sharing, peer review, group activities, etc.) need to occur via online technologies and tools in online learning environments

·         Internet technologies offer opportunities to connect people and objects that are not in the immediate physical environment.  Using Skype in the online classroom improves social interaction and helps to create an authentic peer review environment.

Using Skype in the Classroom
Videoconferencing in the Classroom – Utilising experts, authors, and guest instructors who would never otherwise be able to visit the school.
Virtual Field Trips – Using video chatting to bring the field trip into the classroom – for example, visiting a TV production site guided by one of the student´s parents who works there, which includes all students despite budgetary or distance constraints.
Foreign Language Learning and Cultural Exchange – Teachers use Skype to connect local students with native speaking students from other countires.
After School Help – Tutors and teachers can provide after school help to students needing extra attention via Skype.
Student Inclusion – Helping an ill classmate join the classroom from home.
Foreign Culture Lessons – Skype allows students to see in real-time what people’s lives, homes, schools, weather, and more look like in other countries.
Volunteer to help kids in India learn English – Connect with schools in developing countries for both cultural connections and educational benefits

Final Thought
There are so many stellar learning opportunities out there when you open up the world to your classroom. There will always be the rare individual who is against new technology or who suffers from techn0-panic. Often, they are simply concerned for the well-being of their children and are probably unaware of how things work. As teachers, we are not only educating our students, but quite often, the parents as well.

Reference

 http://www.ecu.edu/cs-itcs/thinkin/upload/Ellis.pdf

 http://blog.educaedu.com/en/2011/03/09/skype-in-the-classroom/

"Global social networks by users 2015 | Statistic". Statista. Retrieved 4 November 2015.

ANIMATION IN TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS

Animation is the process of making the illusion of motion and the illusion of change. Animation comes from the Latin word Animare, which means to give life or to give soul. Learning animation is like learning a new language – the language of new media and the language of modern life. The language relates to the Internet, games and films and it plays a significant part in the lives of children and young people of today.

The popularity of using animations to help learners understand and remember information has greatly increased since the advent of powerful graphics-oriented computers. This technology allows animations to be produced much more easily and cheaply than in former years. Previously, traditional animation required specialised labour-intensive techniques that were both time-consuming and expensive. In contrast, software is now available that makes it possible for individual educators to author their own animations without the need for specialist expertise. Teachers are no longer limited to relying on static graphics but can readily convert them into educational animations.

The Teaching with Animation Guide has been made to enable the teachers to explore and be acquainted with the technological and audiovisual communication specific resources of animation techniques and use them in the classroom. The guide provides you, as a teacher, with a tool that makes you capable of teaching by the use of animation.

In this guide you will find a step by step guide to do mainly computer-assisted animation and everything you will need to get you started to teach with animation. You will find advice on how to create a good story, make a storyboard on how to shoot and edit your animation. Furthermore, there are examples of how animation has previously been used in a teaching environment as well as suggestions on how to use animation.

There are short descriptions and practical examples of the different animation techniques. You will find technical support on how to set up your equipment, how to choose software and how to make a sound. Finally, you will also get an overview of the history of animation.

Animations may lack educational effectiveness if target learners can not process the presented information adequately. For example, it seems that when the subject matter is complex, learners may be overwhelmed by animated presentations. This is related to the role of visual perception and cognition in human information processing. Our human perceptual and cognitive systems have limited capacities for processing information. If these limits are exceeded, learning may be compromised. For example, the pace at which the animation presents its information may exceed the speed at which the learner can process it effectively. The accompanying animation (part of a pumping system) is problematic for this reason.

 Reference

www.animwork.dk/twa/

Lowe, R.K. (2003). Animation and learning: Selective processing of information in dynamic graphics

TELECONFERENCE Oleh : Mohamad Ijudin

Teleconferencing is one of the most people modern way in taking communication, especially in mass or public communication. Teleconferencing is one of the needs for modern mass media that using internet connection.

Teleconference is one kind of Telecommunication which is the transmission of signs, signals, messages, writings, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems . Telecommunication occurs when the exchange of information between communication participants includes the use of technology.

Based on technological facilities, the telecommunications system may support the teleconference by providing one or more of the following: audio, video, and/or data services by one or more means, such as telephone, computer, teletypewriter, radio, and television. 

Teleconferencing as an online technological mass media means meeting through a telecommunications medium. It is a generic term for linking people between two or more locations by electronics. The methods used differ in the technology, but common factors contribute to the shared definition of teleconferencing:

• -          Use a telecommunications channel
• -          Link people at multiple locations
• -          Interactive to provide two-way communications
• -          Dynamic to require users' active participation

Interactive Technologies

The new systems have varying degrees of interactivity - the capability to talk back to the user. They are enabling and satellites, computers, teletext, viewdata, cassettes, cable, and videodiscs all fit the same emerging pattern. They provide ways for individuals to step out of the mass audiences and take an active role in the process by which information is transmitted. The new technologies are de-massified so that a special message can be exchanged with each individual in a large audience. They are the opposite o mass media and shift control to the user.

Many are asynchronous and can send or receive a message at a time convenient for individuals without being in communication at the same time. This overcomes time as a variable affecting communication. A video, data and voice delivery system reduces travel costs. When the material is retrieved and saved to a video tape or disc, the material can be used at anytime or anyplace.

As more interactive technologies emerge, the value of being an independent learner will increase. Research shows that learning from new technologies is as effective as traditional methods. Large groups are cost-effective and everyone gets the same information.

 Types of Teleconferences

Audio Teleconference: Voice-only; sometimes called conference calling. Interactively links people in remote locations via telephone lines. Audio bridges tie all lines together. Meetings can be conducted via audio conference. Preplanning is necessary which includes naming a chair, setting an agenda, and providing printed materials to participants ahead of time so that they can be reviewed.

Distance learning can be conducted by audio conference. In fact, it is one of the most underutilized, yet cost effective methods available to education. Instructors should receive training on how to best utilize audio conferences to augment other forms of distance learning.

Audiographics Teleconference: Uses narrowband telecommunications channels to transmit visual information such as graphics, alpha-numerics, documents, and video pictures as an adjunct to voice communication. Other terms are desk-top computer conferencing and enhanced audio. Devices include electronic tablets/boards, freeze-frame video terminals, integrated graphics systems (as part of personal computers), Fax, remote-access microfiche and slide projectors, optical graphic scanners, and voice/data terminals.

Audiographics can be used for meetings and distance learning.

Computer Teleconference: Uses telephone lines to connect two or more computers and modems. Anything that can be done on a computer can be sent over the lines. It can be synchronous or asynchronous. An example of an asychronous mode is electronic mail. Using electronic mail (E-Mail), memos, reports, updates, newsletters can be sent to anyone on the local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). Items generated on computer which are normally printed and then sent by facsimile can be sent by E-Mail.

Video Teleconference: Combines audio and video to provide voice communications and video images. Can be one-way video/two-way audio, or two-way video/two-way audio. It can display anything that can be captured by a TV camera. The advantage is the capability to display moving images. In two-way audio/video systems, a common application is to show people which creates a social presence that resembles face-to-face meetings and classes and enables participants to see the facial expressions and physical demeanor of participants at remote sites. Graphics are used to enhance understanding. There are three basic systems: freeze frame, compressed, and full-motion video.

Teleconference and Teaching Learning Process

Students and instructors are usually required to log on for a prescribed number of days during the week. Interaction is a large component of the students' grades.  Through computers, faculty, students and administrators have easy access to one another as well as access to database resources provided through libraries. The academic resources of libraries and special resources can be accessed such as OCLC, ERIC, and Internet.  Administrators can access student files, retrieve institutional information from central repositories such as district or system offices, government agencies, or communicate with one another. Other resources can be created such as updates on state or federal legislation.

Students and instructors are usually required to log on for a prescribed number of days during the week. Interaction is a large component of the students' grades.  Through computers, faculty, students and administrators have easy access to one another as well as access to database resources provided through libraries. The academic resources of libraries and special resources can be accessed such as OCLC, ERIC, and Internet.  Administrators can access student files, retrieve institutional information from central repositories such as district or system offices, government agencies, or communicate with one another. Other resources can be created such as updates on state or federal legislation.

Video conferencing is an effective way to use one teacher who teaches to a number of sites. It is very cost effective for classes which may have a small number of students enrolled at each site. In many cases, video conferencing enables the institution or a group of institutions to provide courses which would be canceled due to low enrollment or which could not be supported otherwise because of the cost of providing an instructor in an unusual subject area. Rural areas benefit particularly from classes provided through video conferencing when they work with a larger metropolitan institution that has full-time faculty. Through teleconferencing, institutions are able to serve all students equitably.

REFERENCE

Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union, Annex, Geneva, 1992

www.tecweb.org/eddevel/edtech/teleconf.htm