Distance language teaching has evolved largely in response to developments in technology. Nowadays, there are so many digital opportunities for education that everyone can join the lessons as an online. For example, web 2.0 tools, Second life, interactive multimedia, educational broadcast through television, and computer technologies. A number of different generational models of distance language teaching have been identified from print-based courses, to broadcast education, multiple media courses, information and communication technology(ICT) courses including asynchronous learning opportunities, then synchronous virtual learning environments.
Learning Management Systems:
Provides management, documentation and reporting processes of a distance education system, educator-student, student-student communication, publishing of course content and distance measurement and evaluation functions; It is computer software that usually offers services over the web.
Moodle: One of these teaching management systems, especially moodle is an open source free software, it is used as a basic learning management system in many distance education systems as a cost-effective platform with various support opportunities.
Telecollaboration:
Virtual exchange (also referred to as online intercultural exchange among other names) is an instructional approach or practice for language learning. It broadly refers to the "notion of 'connecting' language learners in pedagogically structured interaction and collaboration"through computer-mediated communication for the purpose of improving their language skills, intercultural communicative competence,and digital literacies. In addition, Telecollaborative pedagogies provide a setting where learners interact and negotiate meaning not only with the instructor and classroom peers, but also with a group of learners at another school, multiplying the number and variety of available communication partners.
Web 2.0 Tools:
What are the web 2.0 tools for language teaching? The most common Web 2.0 tools include blogs, wikis, Skype, and multi- user virtual environment (MUVE). Web 2.0 are websites and applications that make use of user-generated content for end users. Web 2.0 is characterized by greater user interactivity and collaboration, more pervasive network connectivity and enhanced communication channels. The functionalities of blogs suggest that they could play an important role in distance language courses: they have an accessible interface and include opportunities to revisit, update, and comment on texts.
Web 2.0 Examples:
Since the advent of Web 2.0, the social aspects of internet communications have changed. Internet users can tag, share and tweet their opinions and engage in conversations.
The following are some popular examples of Web 2.0:
Wikis. These websites enable web users to contribute, collaborate and edit site content. Wikipedia is one of the oldest wiki-based sites.
Web applications. These include software as a service, web apps and cloud computing rather than locally installed programs and services.
Mobile computing. Also known as nomadicity, mobile computing is the trend toward users connecting from wherever they may be. This trend is enabled by the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, in conjunction with readily accessible Wi-Fi networks.
Mashups. These include webpages or applications that integrate complementary elements from two or more sources.
Social networking. This is the practice of expanding the number of business and/or social contacts by making connections through individuals. Social networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Collaborative efforts. These are based on the ability to reach large numbers of participants and their collective resources, such as crowdsourcing, crowdfunding and crowdsource testing.
User-generated content. This includes writing, images, audio and video content -- among other possibilities -- made freely available online by the individuals who create it.
Unified communications (UC). UC integrates multiple forms of multimedia and cross-media message management functions controlled by an individual user for both business and social purposes.
Social curation. This is the collaborative sharing of content organized around one or more themes or topics. Social web content curation sites include Reddit, Digg, Pinterest and Instagram.
Blogs. Blogs can be single pages or groups of pages. They share various forms of text and stories with users and have the capability of receiving feedback from internet users, as well as gaining followers.
Video hosting sites. Users can upload and share various audiovisual content on video hosting platforms, such as YouTube, as well as host their own video channels to grow a fan following.
Advantages and disadvantages of Web 2.0
Web 2.0 offers the following pros:
Dynamic content. Web 2.0 showcases dynamic content that users can interact with and modify, unlike the restricted, read-only format of Web 1.0.
Increased social networking. Web 2.0 enables people to participate in discussions, share information with friends and family, and stay in touch with people all around the globe.
Ease of use and information sharing. With Web 2.0, users can easily use, update and share information with a few clicks. Any editing done on the internet can also be tracked.
Improved marketability. Web 2.0 enables business owners to improve user experience by creating responsive websites. They can also promote their products online and increase their marketability through interactive advertisement campaigns.
Improved quality of education. Web 2.0 opens doors to interactive learning and virtual classrooms. For example, students can extend their range of learning by using online calculators while solving math problems.
Web 2.0 offers the following cons:
Cybersecurity risks. The increased online collaboration that comes with Web 2.0 puts users at increased risk of downloading malicious viruses and adware and getting afflicted by various cyber attacks, such as spam and phishing attacks.
Information overload. Web 2.0 is a sea of information that grows incessantly. This can confuse readers and affect the reliability of the content, as the variety and volume of the information are vast.
Ethics and credibility. Critics of Web 2.0 maintain that it makes it too easy for the average person to affect online content, which can impact the credibility, ethics and even legality of web content. The extent of data sharing and gathering also raises concerns about privacy and security.
Web 2.0 technologies
Most of the technologies used to deliver Web 2.0 are rich web technologies, such as Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight and JavaScript, in addition to Ajax, RSS and Eclipse. Web 2.0 applications are often based on the decentralized download methodology that made BitTorrent so successful, in which each downloader of content is also a server, sharing the workload and making heavily demanded content more accessible than it would be in the centralized model, where demand can lead to overwhelmed servers and pages.
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