2.3 Use of ICT in developing collaborative networks for sharing and learning such as Internet – E-mail, Tele-teaching, Tele-conference

Teleconferencing means meeting through a telecommunications medium. It is a generic term for linking people between two or more locations by electronics. There are at least six types of teleconferencing: audio, audiographic, computer, video, business television (BTV), and distance education. The methods used differ in the technology, but common factors contribute to the shared definition of teleconferencing:

• Use of a telecommunications channel

• Link people at multiple locations

• Interactive to provide two-way communications

• Dynamic to require users' active participation

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 audioconference. 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 audioconference. 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 audioconferences to augment other forms of distance learning.

Audiographics Teleconference:
Uses narrowband telecommunications channels to transmit visual information such as graphics, alphanumerics, documents, and video pictures as an adjunct to voice communication. Other terms are desktop 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 graphics 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 asynchronous mode is electronic mail (E-mail). Using electronic mail (E-mail), memos, reports, updates, and newsletters can be sent to anyone on the local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). Items generated on a computer, which are normally printed and then sent by facsimile, can be sent by E-mail.
Computer conferencing is an emerging area for distance education. Some institutions offer credit programs completely by computer. Students receive texts and workbooks via mail. Through common files assigned to a class which each student can access, teachers upload syllabi, lectures, grades, and remarks. Students download these files, compose their assignments and remarks offline, then upload them to the common files.
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 the 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 Teleconference:
Combines audio and video to provide voice communications and video images. It 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.
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 that 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.

Teleteaching:

• Teleteaching can be considered as a form of e-learning or distance teaching. Most often, it implements a sort of direct instruction approach.

• Sometimes it is also used as a synonym for educational video conferencing, i.e., as a component of a design, not a design by itself.

A key feature of a teleteaching instructional design model is e-instruction. Teleteaching is most often done in a class context (i.e., learners connect at the same time and can interact with the instructor). But they also may choose to look at archived sessions they can download.
In addition, each learner will have to work on his own.
Teleteaching is an online instructional technology specially used in massive open online courses (MOOCs) for providing services such as live, recorded lectures as video streams. It also includes some intelligent integration methods for enhancing student learning outcomes and experiences.

Examples of instructional media include traditional means of delivering instruction (chalkboards, textbooks, overhead projectors, and teachers), mass media used for education (newspapers, movies, radio, and television), and the newer "electronic" instructional media (computers, interactive video, and multimedia systems).

E-instruction can be defined as computer-mediated instruction by a teacher (e.g., via videoconferencing).
E-tutoring refers to online learning apps that allow tutors to educate students with one-on-one sessions and also allows students to resolve their queries in real-time.
E-moderation refers to organizing online group work.
E-coaching refers to coaching students in more project-oriented contexts.

Classroom teaching and learning is a complex, multilayered, and social experience. Many things happen at the same time, and the students and teacher must interpret and process these events with considerable rapidity. Teaching is not a one-way transmission of information, for students influence the process as much as the teacher. The teacher plays an extremely important role in establishing a meaningful classroom environment for students, but in the final analysis, it is the social and psychological activities and responses of each student that determine what he or she learns.

Peer learning is the process of students learning with and from each other. This is usually facilitated through teaching and learning activities such as student-led workshops, study groups, peer-to-peer learning partnerships, and group work.
Self-learning is an approach to learning where the individual makes the effort to identify their own learning needs, set learning goals, find the necessary resources, and evaluate their own knowledge.
A presentation delivers content through oral, audio, and visual channels, allowing teacher-learner interaction and making the learning process more attractive.

"Dialogic Teaching" means using talk most effectively for carrying out teaching and learning. Dialogic teaching involves ongoing talk between teacher and students, not just teacher presentation.
Students can develop content that strengthens their comprehension of information. Students can develop content that allows them to strengthen their critical thinking skills.

These include:

• Blogs

• Wikis

• Podcasts

• RSS feeds

• Social networks

• Video and photo sharing sites

• Tagging of information

Internet – Email
Millions of computers all over the world are connected through the Internet. Computer users on the internet can contact one another anywhere in the world.

Uses and advantages of the Internet:

1. Reach to the world-wide viewers.

2. Effective, easier, faster, and cheaper promotion of products or services.

Misuses and disadvantages of the Internet:

1. Stealing, modifying, or destroying data.

2. Piracy of software, audio, video, or other intellectual contents.

Electronic mail (email) is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more persons. Email operates across the Internet or other computer networks.
Many people sign up for internet services just so that they can send and receive email messages. It is probably the most used feature of the web.

Use of ICT in Developing Collaborative networks for sharing and Learning Internet

•         The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer

networks that transmit data using the standard Internet Protocol (IP).

•         It’s a worldwide network of computers that allows the "sharing" or "networking" of information at remote sites from other academic institutions, research institutes, private companies, government agencies, and individuals.

•         It allows people to send and receive data wherever they are in the world if they have internet access

•         Everyone will find that they use the internet in one way or another, whether it is to research some information or simply talk to friends

•         Today, the Web and the Internet allow connectivity from literally everywhere on earth— even ships at sea and in outer space.

Top Ten Internet Uses in Education

1.  News & Current Events

The internet provides real-time information on current events around the world. There are many sources that provide current news:Local news: National news:International news:

2.      Blogs

Blogs (also known as web logs) are interactive websites where users can provide commentary about some information, news on a topic, or online journals. Unique to blogs is the ability to interact with other people by posting comments and information on the blog. This is a great communication and discussion tool for teachers to use with their students. Teachers can post information on the blog and students can interact with the teacher and with one another on the blog.

3.      Email

Email continues to be one of the most popular ways to communicate online. Teachers and students can quickly communicate with each other and teachers can send out mass emails to all their students or parents. And now, parents and teachers can be assured that their kids are safe with email services specifically for children.

4.      Shopping

The internet is a vast resource of materials for educators. It is often easier to purchase educational items on the internet that are hard to find in local stores. It can also be a time-saver for busy teachers.

5, Streaming Video

Another great tool for educators is streaming video. As the technology for online video grows, so do the possibilities for its use in education. Some ways that video streaming is already being used are: Virtual Field Trips, Educational Videos, Online Science Experiments

6.      Online Schooling

With so many working people looking to further their education, online schooling has become very popular with educators. Teachers, librarians, and administrators can work during the day and “go” to school at night via online schooling.

7.      Resources

In order to be successful as an educator, you must have the appropriate resources at hand. Success as a teacher means being prepared. That is why the internet is such a great resource for teachers. Practically anything you would need to teach a great lesson is available at your fingertips. There are many great sites that provide educational resources.

8.      Social Networking

Social networking has become a major way for groups of people to communicate, share ideas, learn about one another, and build relationships. This internet tool can be handy for students to help one another and for teachers to communicate with their students and parents. This aspect of the internet will continue to grow as more uses for it are discovered.

9.      Information

The internet has become the single largest source of information in the world. That makes it a very important tool for the educator to use in the classroom. With careful filtering and diligence on the part of the teacher, children can harness the power of the world wide web to learn about any topic that might be taught in the classroom.

10.  Professional Development

The internet is a useful tool for training educators. Administrators can train teachers and other educators right where they are at using web-based training. Trainers can provide cheaper training more often without the cost of travel and school systems save money. The internet also provides a wider variety of training options that would not otherwise be available for all educational systems.

Tele-Teacher:

A teacher who teaches physically remote students by means of telecommunication or computer networks.

Digital Library (also referred to as digital library or digital repository) is a special library with a focused collection of digital objects that can include text, visual material, audio material, video material, stored as electronic media formats (as opposed to print, microform, or other media), along with means for organizing, storing, and retrieving the files and media contained in the library collection. Digital libraries can vary immensely in size and scope, and can be maintained by individuals, organizations, or affiliated with established physical library buildings or institutions, or with academic institutions. The electronic content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely   via computer   networks.   An   electronic library   is   a   type of information retrieval system.

E-Resource: An electronic resource is any information source that the library provides access to in an electronic format. The library has purchased subscriptions to many electronic information resources in order to provide you with access to them free of charge. E-resources is short term for Electronic Resources or electronic information resources. These are collections of information in electronic or digital format that are accessed on an electronic device, such as a mobile phone, computer, etc.

E- resources is distribution of information in any electronic form such as CD- ROM, Floppy Disk or Magnetic tape or across a computer network like e-journals, E-Books, ETD etc. accessible dial-up bulletin board or on-line services.

M-learning or mobile learning is defined as "learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices. A form of distance education, m- learners use mobile device educational technology at their time convenience.

M-learning technologies include handheld computers, MP3 players, notebooks, mobile phones and tablets. M-learning focuses on the mobility of the learner, interacting with portable technologies. Using mobile tools for creating learning aids and materials becomes an important part of informal learning.

M-learning is convenient in that it is accessible from virtually anywhere. Sharing is almost instantaneous among everyone using the same content, which leads to the reception of instant feedback and tips. M-learning also brings strong portability by replacing books and notes with small devices, filled with tailored learning contents.

E-Book: An electronic book (variously: e-book, eBook, e-Book, ebook, digital book, or even e- edition) is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on computers or other electronic devices.

E-Journals: Electronic journals, also known as e-journals, e-journals, and electronic serials, are scholarly journals or intellectual magazines that can be accessed via electronic transmission. In practice, this means that they are usually published on the Web.

Online learning is a way of studying for an internationally recognised qualification without needing to attend classes on campus. It is aimed at those who wish to study for a postgraduate qualification alongside work or other commitments.

A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a Web-based platform for the digital aspects of courses of study, usually within educational institutions. VLEs typically: allow participants to be

organised into cohorts, groups and roles; present resources, activities and interactions within a course structure; provide for the different stages of assessment; report on participation; and have some level of integration with other institutional systems.[1][2] For those who edit them VLEs may have a de facto role as authoring and design environments.[3] VLEs have been adopted by almost all higher education institutions in the anglosphere.

Teleconferencing

The word ‘tele’ means distance. The word ‘conference’ means consultations, discussions. Through teleconferencing two or more locations situated at a distance are connected so that they can hear or both see and hear each other.

It allows the distant sites to interact with each other and with the teaching end through phone, fax, and e-mail. The interactions occur in real time. This means that the learners/participants and the resource persons are present at the same time in different locations and are able to communicate with each other. In some situations, questions can be faxed/e-mailed early for response by the resource persons

Types of Teleconferencing

Audio Conferencing:Audio Conferencing is a two way voice communication among multiple locations in real time. This generally operates through public telephone network. Individual microphones for participants and external speakers at each location are employed in professional systems to carry out conferences in hands free manner

Video Conferencing:Video conferencing in its most basic form is the transmission of image (video) and speech (audio) back and forth between two or more physically separate locations.”

Video Conferencing Components:

·         Cameras (to capture and send video from your local endpoint)

·         Video displays (to display video received from remote endpoints)

·         Microphones (to capture and send audio from your local endpoint)

·         Speakers (to play audio received from remote endpoints)

Web Conferencing:A Web teleconferencing system uses Internet as its communication backbone, web-browser as its client-interface, and web-servers as its server that intercepts and processes the client requests.

Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet. In a web conference, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the internet. This can be either a downloaded application on each of the

attendees' computers or a web-based application where the attendees access the meeting by clicking on a link distributed by e-mail (meeting invitation) to enter the conference

Social networking is the practice of expanding the number of one's business and/or social contacts by making connections through individuals.

While social networking has gone on almost as long as societies themselves have existed, the unparalleled potential of the Web to facilitate such connections is only now being fully recognized and exploited, through Web-based groups established for that purpose.

Based on the six degrees of separation concept (the idea that any two people on the planet could make contact through a chain of no more than five intermediaries), social networking establishes interconnected online communities (sometimes known as social graphs) that help people make contacts that would be good for them to know, but that they would be unlikely to have met otherwise.

Depending on the social media platform, members may be able to contact any other member. In other cases, members can contact anyone they have a connection to, and subsequently anyone that contact has a connection to, and so on. Some services require members to have a pre- existing connection to contact other members.

Social media sites include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

Blog

A website containing a writer's or group of writers'own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other websites.

What is Blogging?

Blogging is the act of posting content on a blog (a Web log or online journal) or posting comments on someone else's blog.

Why Blogging is so Popular

Blogging is very popular today because it allows people to interact with each other. Blogging has also become a popular search engine optimization (SEO) tool because search engines like Google and Yahoo know that a blog is frequently updated with content or visitor comments, so their spiders visit blogs frequently looking for new content to include in their index.

Additionally, blog content can be delivered automatically via electronic RSS (Really Simple Syndication) data feeds. Visitors subscribe to a blog's feeds in order to stay up to date with content that's being posted on subjects that interest them. Blog feeds are then read by what's known as blog feed reader software, widely available for free, so users can scan for recent blog posts of interest on the blogs to which they subscribe.

Finally, blogging doesn't require that writers and contributors know a lot about HTML (Web page code). If a blogger or visitor can fill in an online form, they can blog and post comments on other blogs.

Webinar: Short for Web-based seminar, it is a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web using video conferencing software. A key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements -- the ability to give,   receive   and   discuss   information.   Contrast with Webcast, in which the data transmission is one way and does not allow interaction between the presenter and the audience.

A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of electronic educational technology (also called e-learning) education courses or training programs.

LMSs range from systems for managing training and educational records to software for distributing online or blended/hybrid college courses over the Internet with features for online collaboration. Colleges, universities, school districts, and schools use LMSs to deliver online courses and augment on-campus courses. LMSs also act to augment the lessons the teacher is giving in a brick and mortar environment not just replace them. Corporate training departments use LMSs to deliver online training, as well as to automate record-keeping and employee registration.

A course management system (CMS) is a collection of software tools providing an online environment for course interactions. A CMS typically includes a variety of online tools and environments, such as: An area for faculty posting of class materials such as course syllabus and handouts.