Chat rooms or “chats” are one of the most interactive
areas on the Internet and they are regularly visited by children and teenagers. Putting it plainly and simply, a chat room is a place on the Internet where people meet to talk about various subjects. Conversation is simultaneous,synchronous and written. A user writes a message onto the computer and the message is immediately displayed on another computer. From a teacher’s point of view, chat rooms may turn out to be one of the best places to engage our students in real and meaningful language practice. From a student’s point of view, chats are an exciting means of communication and an enriching opportunity to communicate with native or non-native speakers in English.
Generally speaking, chat rooms provide students with a stress-free and uninhibited language practice but most importantly they foment linguistic interaction. Much has already been said and written about the utter importance of interaction in the learning and acquisition of a second language. It has already been proved that the more the student (meaningfully) interacts, the more opportunities he/she will have to learn language and the more language the student learns, more input can he/she can solicit in order to learn more language
So, in order to increase students’s interaction in the English language, we can include chat rooms in our lessons. Students’s active participation will allow them to experience and experiment language as a real thing. This type of interaction, although written and not face-to-face, will prove more authentic than a conversation with the teacher, especially because in a chat
room language is no longer a goal but an instrument to pursue other (real) goals
Precautions
However, despite the inherent advantages of using chat rooms for educational purposes, one must be conscious of some dangers:
Students often have a difficult time using computers, which might endanger the activity. A good solution is to provide students with the basic computer skills (using the keyboard, reading from the screen) Chat rooms users often use acronyms and slang that students may fail to understand. A good way to solve this problem is to introduce students to those particular expressions (for instance, prepare a lesson based on Netiquette, which includes specific vocabulary items used on the Internet). Students may be confronted with harassment situations and/or verbal confrontations. This is why it is of utter importance to develop your activities in a moderated chat room and to create your own chat room. A chat room for educational purposes should have published a list of main topics and subjects currently under discussion.
Activities
As an activity, the use of chat rooms has to be considered fluency work; thus, the teacher should only intervene if the students’ mistakes jeopardise communication. It is also necessary to keep in mind that the teacher should only act (during the activity) as a prompter and a resource, in order to allow real interaction.
Activity 1: Who’s who?
Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students should have:
acquired the necessary knowledge about the basic functioning of a chat room (log in, write and read a message, log out); used the English language in a communicative way; demonstrated the necessary skills to make and answer questions; demonstrated their understanding of the dialogue; reflected on their use of the English language.
Procedure:
Students will be told that they will dialog with their classmates in a chat room and that they will play a game called “Who’s who?”. Each student will have a nickname, e.g., a fake identity, and that the objective of the game is to guess the true identity behind the nick. Students must also be instructed to keep their nicknames secret. Students will then be told the address of the chat room they’ll be accessing and, individually, their nicknames. The teacher should help students to log in and make sure everyone is able to send, read and write messages. Students should then approach their colleagues and try to find out who is behind the nicknames. In the end, students will be asked to come to the blackboard and write down the names behind the nicks. It is also very interesting to print and hand out the transcript of one or two dialogues and lead a brief reflection on how students used the English language.
License to Chat – Using Chat Rooms in EFL Teaching
15-10-2010 by adminPosters – Is it For You?
12-09-2010 by admin
Poster printing has been a staple in the world of marketing for a very long time, but that does not mean everyone knows exactly what posters can do, or what the best situations are to use them in. Hopefully I can answer some of the more basic questions here.
What exactly do posters do?
Custom posters send a basic message to a broad audience of people. The best posters are the ones that have very colorful or have interesting design, increasing the odds of people looking at them. They are placed in specific locations where the largest audience possible will be able to see them. Because you do not actually hand a poster to people, the location will be one of the most important aspects when it comes to who will see it. If you have a bad location you might find that no one is actually looking at the poster you spent so much time and money implementing.
It should also be noted that posters are capable of working for long after you first put them up. You might have your poster up for an entire year and get solid marketing exposure during that entire time if your poster holds up. No other marketing can make the same claim as that.
How much does poster marketing cost you?
The design costs will vary depending on the amount of work you put into it, obviously, and some posters will require a lot of design work in order to be as powerful as they can be. The poster printing will not run quite as high when compared to many other types of advertising because you will need less posters than you would brochures or postcards. You are not handing them out to people, after all, so you do not need to get as many done.
How hard is it to start up a poster marketing campaign?
There are two major time investments when first starting out with your posters. The first is the time it takes to design them, and the second is doing the research into the best places to put them. Both are of equal importance and you will need to put a lot of time into each if you want to have the most success from your poster marketing push.
What are the disadvantages of posters?
You have less control over who sees your posters than you do with other types of marketing. Yes, you can put your poster up in a great spot, but you have no way of knowing that anyone will actually look over at them. If you have done great design work and you have great locations, the odds are good that you would not have to worry, but you still cannot know.
The message you give with posters is also typically shorter so you can get it to a person as quickly as possible. If you need more time to explain something, posters might not be the best way to go.
Finding Cheap Home Improvement Loans
23-02-2010 by admin
Finding cheap home improvement loans may not be as easy as one may think. You will be required to do a bit of investigation into where to find to the loans. Your investigation will pay off in the long run and save you money that can be better used somewhere else.
Deciding on which lender to use is probably the first step you need to take. While large lenders are easy to find they do not always make the best choice when searching for loans. These lenders not only require your time at their convenience, but also have so many customers that they might not decide to give you the loan that you desire. Smaller lenders can offer more in the way of loans. These lenders are looking to increase their clientele and are more apt to give borrowers a better chance
One of the best places to do research for loans is on the Internet. Online lenders can offer borrowers a great way to search for the best loans for them. You will be able to utilize many free online tools and even get free quotes all from the comfort of your own home. This makes finding loans very quick and simple. With online lenders you will also be able to apply to many lenders at the same time to get the best offers available. Let the lenders compete for your business.
The Role Of Equity
The true deciding factor when it comes to cheap loans is the equity you have. Your equity is the actual amount you have paid off on your property at the time of applying for loans. This will show the lender how much money that you have invested in your home so far. Lenders use this information to determine how much your will be allowed to borrow. The more you have paid toward the property, the more you will be offered, the lower the interest rate, and the less money you will end up paying in the long run. For those with less than ideal credit, cheap home improvement loans are also possible due to the fact that the equity is usually the deciding factor.
It is wise to always ask for less than what your property is worth. If you are borrowing the maximum you may not be eligible for the lowest interest rates. Cheap home improvement loans taken out at a lower amount than the equity will save you the most money on the improvements you plan to do. The more money you have already put in your home will indicate that you are less of a risk of default on cheap home equity loans. This is because you would not want to lose your property for a lesser amount than what it is worth.
Types of Ipath Skate Shoes
08-08-2009 by adminIpath skate shoes are not just one more brand in the vast seas of shoes and skate shoes. They are a brand that has their very own style. Their style is an earthy one that anybody can see as unique. Ipath skate shoes also happen to be one of the most comfortable skate shoes you can by.
There are a number of different styles of Ipath skate shoes. They are said to be the most comfortable shoes on the market. Don’t believe me? Try them yourself. And that’s not all, they have a great look to them too.
Some of the different types Ipath skate shoes are the Shearling shoes. They are warm for those cold days and will reassure you that you will not freeze. They have awesome leather with a cushioned insole and reinforced heel and logos in all the best places.
Another shoe is called the Ipath cat. It has a lightly padded inside for a good fit and balance and support. This is the shoe for you especially runners. It would be good for you because they are light and are not heavily padded leaving you room for air.
Next is the Ipath ras. It is a very clean grip skate to make sure you don’t fall and the top has a leather/suede combination. It is triple stitched for strength. It also includes durable rubber outsoles. So if you like what you here this may be the shoe for you.
Another incredible shoe is called the Ipath grasshopper. The colors come in black/Rasta hemp, Mocha/brown leather, and brown hemp. This colorful shoe is made with Velcro so it is easy to get on and off. It is also padded on the inside for comfort and is breathable. This skate shoe is made with rubber soles for flexibility and is triple stitched leaving you a pleasant feeling of security.
Made with suede and leather is the Centennial. Along with its great looks this shoe is a triple stitched comfort with awesome color combinations. How do they do this? It has breathable material on the toes to make sure the smell can get out and to keep you nice and cool when you work or play hard inside or out. Also made of this soft fabric for a long lasting time is the tongue of this amazing shoe that will leave you speechless from the texture and you would be happy about you’re decision of this wonderful shoe.
The Ipath skate shoe is a great shoe for all of your skateboarding needs. You can find them in stores and online. When you do decide to buy your Ipath skate shoes you need to be sure to pick a pair that fit and will be stylish with anything that you plan to wear. If you shop online you should find out what their return policy on shoes that don’t fit is so that you can be sure that there is no possibility that you get stuck with something you can’t use.
Features of Wireless Home ADT Alarm Systems
03-05-2009 by admin
Wireless home ADT alarm systems are some of the more advanced ways to protect your home and safeguard your family. Wireless home ADT alarm systems have many features and are easy to install, operate, and maintain. They are a great way to secure your home and do not require drilling, wiring, or changes to your home’s structure.
The major feature of a wireless home ADT alarm system is the fact that you do not need cables or wires to connect all the sensors, connectors, alarms, and the control panel. This gives you freedom to set up the alarm components anywhere in your home, without having to worry about running wires and drilling holes. This makes it especially easy to place motion activated sensors and cameras in the best places without having to worry about running cables first. It will also allow you to discretely place sensors where they cannot be seen or place them in areas that are more obvious without having to see unsightly wires. Your options for sensor and component placement are unlimited with a wireless home alarm system and not confined to the corner of the ceiling and other areas easily accessible by wires.
Many newer alarm systems include video and audio monitoring capabilities. A wireless ADT home alarm system gives you endless possibilities as to where you can place audio and video recording components. You can place them outside, inside, or both. You are not restricted to locations with wires, and you can monitor your entire house and property with the least amount of sensors.
Another great feature of a wireless home ADT alarm system is that you can set up your alarm components in areas where they can’t be seen. This greatly reduces the chances that an intruder will tamper with your equipment and gives your alarm system the best chance to function properly. There are also no wires for an experienced intruder to cut with a wireless system, ensuring that your wireless home alarm system will function properly if there is an intruder in your home. Wireless home ADT alarm systems can emit an audible alarm when sensors are triggered as well as be monitored by local police and fire authorities just like a conventional alarm system.
A wireless home ADT alarm system is a great choice for home defense. Most wireless home alarm systems work on batteries so you do not have to worry about hard wiring them to your electrical system and will have peace of mind even in a power outage. A wireless ADT home alarm system is a great choice to protect your home, family, and possessions. There are many great features that make it the ideal choice for home protection.