1) Brief descriptions of the tools and links to their websites
Synchronous CMC Tool : Tokbox (OpenTok live Vedio apps )
If there are a webcam and a microphone, anyone can talk each other on the Tokbox. We can crate a room and invite friends and talk through it. This face-to-face communication tool can be used for a conference call, group discussion and social gathering. Whatever the purpose is, it's definitely cool.
Link to Tokbox : http://www.tokbox.com/platform
Asynchronous CMC Tool : VoiceThread
Voicethread is a cloud based application allows us to upload many different types of media such as images, video, documents,etc. Once we upload these media, they work like a slide show. We can share this voicethread with others or embed in a webpage. Those people that we share the voicethread can make a comment through various ways like microphone, webcam, phone, text or by uploading an audio file at anytime, anywhere.
Link to Voicethread : 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?
Both synchronous CMC tool and the asynchronous CMC tool are effective tools to support learning and the development of language skills.
First, synchronous CMC tools like Tokbox and scribblar are fun. Tokbox, you can see your classmates' faces on your computer screen all at once. It's like you look at the bingo filled with your friends' faces. Then, they start to talk. It's very useful when students are not in the same place, but it's also can be effective in the offline class, either. Why? Because of the freshness it can bring to the class. Students love new things to stimulate them. Therefore Tokbox can make them interesed in class more than they were in the regular offline class. In the same way, Scribblar is a very useful tool for students to cooperate each other. On that one canvas, everyone in the class can draw, type a text, raise their hands and so on. It feels like we're in a virtual classroom because almost everything we can do in the real classroom is possible in scribblar. Also, because students are familiar with computers and applications these days, it will be easier for them to draw and type through scribblar even though they are shy.
Secondly, Asynchronous CMC tool like voicethread, it's good for students to continue learning by themselvs after the class, and outside of class. Students can make a video about anything they want in English, and their friends can make a comment in a various way like video, audio, text, ect. Making a video by themselve is fun and challenging for them, and it's really helpful to learn foreign languages.Plus, they can maximize their exposed time to English by sharing that voicethread with others and making comments on friends' voicethread.
Both synchronous CMC tool and the asynchronous CMC tool are fun to use and easy to deal with. It's also a powerful tool to learn and practice languages. They are different in the way of timing and synchronism, but both of them do the complementary role for each other.
In the class the teacher can give a starting sentence like 'There was a boy who wants to be a soccer player.". Then the students make their own story within a group by using scribblar and tokbox by talking each other.Once they complete the story they can record it or make a video out of it. After the class, each group share their recording and video including the capture image of scribblar and some of their discussion video recorded through tokbox with others. In that way, students can present their own story and see others' works. This whole process is all learning.
Therefore, synchronous CMC tool and the asynchronous CMC tool are very effective for students to imagine and think in class. It can even force them to participate in class without telling them to do. Students participate spontaneously and do it for fun.
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