EVO Week 4: Teaching oral communication skills online

Hello all

I've been busy preparing material for my online college writing classes that start next week. I should also be working on my EVO presentations for the teaching tips and tricks next, but I've barely spent any time even thinking about it, let alone writing something. When I do get started, I'll probably test my material on you and ask for your suggestions from the learner's perspective. Since our focus is using computer based resources /internet tools for class and course management,

Course management includes: processing applications, enrolling students, record keeping and general course relate email correspondence as well as delivering course materials and moderating discussion,

Our focus is on writing. I added reading because I developed and taught a online reading class for EFI a few years back. Unfortunately,ALL my online reading resources are on an inaccessible computer, so that's something else I will have to work on. But whether or not specifically built into the course, reading is an inescapable part of any web page, internet forum, listserv or email based online class. There are no lectures: student must read study materials. The same holds for writing. Discussion is in writing, so students must write.

The following is from the Week 3 session on teaching oral communication online. Please spend some time visiting and comparing the following websites then answer the following questions:

• http://www.cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/
• http://international.ouc.bc.ca/pronunciation/

The first one is certainly an attractive design, but I can't get into the phonetics tests and other resources. The instructions tell me to "click the buttons" but I can't find any buttons that are active links. Anything I can click just takes me in a circle. What about you?  The other is not as attractive but at least works the way it is suppose to.

1. What are the strong points of each website?
2. What are their weak points?
3. If you could add two things to improve one or both pages for your own use, what would these be?

If you have other pronunciation websites to recommend, please post them,

Vanessa