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This study is first step toward being able to determining whether non-posting participation in online discussion, such as reading and reflecting, impact student learning. In turn, the answer to this question may lead to establishing methods of learning and assessment for online discussion activities that may be used on a widespread basis.

This approach may actually be ideal for learners who are grappling with a new topic because it lowers their cognitive and emotional load, taking the pressure off them to somehow perform or articulate and instead allowing them to focus on the content itself (McKendree, Stenning, Mayes, Lee, & Cox, 1998).

The concept of community voyeurs also may make some active participants feel uneasy.

Students who posted messages solely to meet course requirements and who did not read more than the bare minimum required to post were unlikely to feel like the discussion was a meaningful learning activity.

However, students who engaged in non-posting participation – such as reading messages to find a model and point of entry into the conversation and returning to review ideas raised in earlier discussion – tended to also indicate that the discussion activity was worthwhile.

advanced features, such as group video calls, require users to pay a fee and upgrade to a premium account to get the service. Calling fees vary depending on the countries the user calls and the amount of time spent on calls. Subscribing to a premium account, which will allow users to use services such as group video chats, currently costs US$59.88 for 12 months. US$4.99 per month is not very expensive.

Limitations Although Skype and Skype in the classroom provide an intriguing option for language teaching and learning, there are some limitations as well. First, there are minimum download/upload speeds required for using Skype. For example, video calling and screen sharing require 128kbps/128kbps as the minimum download/upload speed; group video calling requires 4Mbps/128kbps as the minimum download/upload speed. Therefore, Skype users need to check whether their Internet connection meets such requirements to avoid video and audio lag during Skype lessons.

Second, Skype and Skype in the classroom promote authentic learning. According to Lombardi (2007), authentic learning emphasizes “real-world, complex problems and their solutions, using role-playing exercises, problem-based activities, case studies, and participation in a virtual community of practice” (p.2). Thus, authentic learning happens as learners participate in real-world relevant tasks that require their judgment to distinguish information, patience to participate, ability to adapt themselves to unfamiliar contexts, and flexibility to work with people from different cultures. In this view, Skype and Skype in the classroom allow language teachers and learners to participate in a context of authentic learning.

The ACTIONS model, proposed by Bates (1995), is a practical guide for educators and policymakers to select and evaluate the use of technologies for teaching and learning. The ACTIONS model involves the following criteria: Access: How accessible is a particular technology for learners? Costs: What is the cost structure of a particular technology? Teaching and learning: How does a particular technology support teaching and learning? Interactivity and user-friendliness: How does a particular technology facilitate interaction among learners? How easy is a particular technology to use? Organizational issues: Are any class organizational changes needed? Novelty: How new is this particular technology? Speed: How quickly can courses be taught and learned via this particular technology?

We speculated that it might be worth trying to engage these students with "their technology," and in this paper we explore if and how Web 2.0 technologies can support student journal writing behaviours in outdoor education.

With the advent of Web 2.0 tools, additional language educators can extend their classrooms beyond the traditional brick-and-mortar walls to communicate with the world. One of the best ways to do so is to introduce VoiceThread into language lessons. In doing so, students can create conversations that extend across the classroom or across the globe.

This review takes a look at current digital storytelling protocols and strategies currently displayed through VoiceThread creations, as well as detailed strategies conducive for a powerful digital storytelling tool such as VoiceThread.

This article documents the curricular decisions made by a teacher educator research team whose guiding theoretical focus for intern practice is dialogic instruction. Over a 2-year sequence, teaching interns used video and Web 2.0 technologies to respond critically to and revise their teaching practices in collaboration with peers and instructors.

It was hypothesised that, in comparison to synchronous conversations, more accurate output would be generated in semi-synchronous dialogues, as this would allow students with a little more time to organise their output while waiting for their partner’s responses. Furthermore, we hoped that semi-synchronous interaction would function as scaffolding for synchronous conversation, as most of the participants had not yet achieved an advanced level of speaking proficiency in their target languages.

facilitated the development of their speaking proficiency.

more feedback and more accurate output emerged,

check their WeChat messages at least once a day and reply as soon as possible; • learn to be a helpful tutor and provide as much feedback as possible; • ask their language partner to repeat and/or explain anything they did not understand; • ask their language partner to express the same thing in different words, if failing to understand; • not be afraid of making mistakes; • correct each other’s mistakes; and • speak clearly at a normal speed.

suggested that tasks “start from specific questions to more open-ended discussion” as students became more familiar with each other and with the learning environment.

the majority of students preferred the recorded speech and the writing task in comparison to the semi-synchronous conversation

The university has a severe shortage of classroom space.

The university remains 40 percent short on classroom space. One of its coping strategies is invisible on a campus dotted with new buildings—football stadium, basketball arena, pastel dorms—that scream Traditional State U. UCF has become a hybrid university.

Blended classes generate the highest student evaluations of any learning mode at Central Florida, and, like her classmates, Ms. Black is a fan.

One of her mixed-mode professors, Youngsoo Choi, likes the online component for another reason: It makes students grapple with material before they meet for class.

ther students customize their own unofficial blends

Some students show up more than an hour early for a seat, but attendance isn't mandatory. Students can also watch online videos of the lectures any time. Mr. Harrison catches some lectures and skips others. He likes the freedom of these video classes.

There's a lot of distractions that come with putting courses on the Internet."

His first experience with an online course was a struggle. He got lazy. He'd tell himself, I'll watch the lecture between 2 and 4 p.m. Something would come up. He'd say, I'll watch two tomorrow. He fell behind. There was no help. He got a C.

"I tell them, 'Listen, I don't want you to think that I'm stalking you or anything, but I will certainly try to get ahold of you if you're not turning in work and participating,'" she says. Some are adolescents, she notes. Most don't have online experience.