About This Site
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“It takes two to speak the truth — one to speak and another to hear.” — Henry Thoreau
Mission. ClappingTrees is the blog (or ezine) of NETCoachAsia.com (a corporate and elearning portal). It provides summaries and perspectives on learning, design and open technologies. Currently, we focus on helping companies and educational institutions leverage on the power of online word-of-mouth marketing and collaborative problem solving through effective use of the right Web 2.0 technologies (also known as free / open / read-write / social software on the Web).
Philosophy. We believe that people learn effectively and efficiently in the form most appropriate for them. In other words, we need to meet them right where they are — physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially.
Our learning activities could be based on instructivist theories (e.g. lessons, quizzes), constructivist theories (e.g. discussions, workshops, assignments, community projects), or some new-fangled theories. The medium employed could be online asynchronous (e.g., forums), online synchronous (e.g. chats), face-to-face (e.g. classrooms, labs), or a combination of all three. The software tools used could be Web 1.0 (e.g. presentations, quizzes, surveys), Web 2.0 (e.g. blogs, wikis, SkypeCasting), or some bleeding-edge technologies (e.g. virtual reality).
Basically, each methodology, medium and/or tool has its own set of problems and possibilities, which are commonly known as “affordances” in academic parlance. Each organization, group or individual has its own set of prior knowledge, constraints, needs and preferences. We believe in selecting and applying the right method and tool to suit our target audience.
Methodology. For details, please see ASPRIe for CoPs.
Why ClappingTrees? The name of this website was chosen in the year 2001. It is based on Isaiah 55:12, a favorite verse in the bible:
“For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap [their] hands.”
Over the years, “ClappingTrees” has become more and more meaningful. There’re just too much fear, uncertainty, doubt, ignorance, skepticism, negativity, ecetera, within us and the people around us. “ClappingTrees” has been a powerful and timely reminder to us to strive continually to be what God would want us to be — a joyful, peaceful and purposeful network of mutually supporting ‘trees’ who, while mindful of problems, always leverage on the possibilities.
Truly, “how blessed is the man who… delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers.” (Psalm 1:1-4)
