Computermediated communication November 3 rd 2004 Dr Gillian

Computer-mediated communication November 3 rd 2004 Dr. Gillian Lord

Background

What is CMC? • Computer-mediated communication is any communication that is enabled or aided through the use of computers. • We distinguish between two primary modes of CMC: synchronous and asynchronous. • For example: – Asynchronous: E-mail, Listserv, bulletin board – Synchronous: IM, Chat, MOO

CMC tools • Using www. webopedia. com, look up the following topics in order to better understand the CMC tools available to us. • IRC • IM • E-mail • bulletin board • listserv • moo

IRC • Short for Internet Relay Chat, a chat system developed by Jarkko Oikarinen in Finland in the late 1980 s. IRC has become very popular as more people get connected to the Internet because it enables people connected anywhere on the Internet to join in live discussions. Unlike older chat systems, IRC is not limited to just two participants.

IM • Short for instant message, a type of communications service that enables you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real time over the Internet, analogous to a telephone conversation but using textbased, not voice-based, communication. Typically, the instant messaging system alerts you whenever somebody on your private list is online. You can then initiate a chat session with that particular individual.

E-mail • Short for electronic mail, the transmission of messages over communications networks. The messages can be notes entered from the keyboard or electronic files stored on disk. Most mainframes, minicomputers, and computer networks have an email system. Some electronic-mail systems are confined to a single computer system or network, but others have gateways to other computer systems, enabling users to send electronic mail anywhere in the world. Companies that are fully computerized make extensive use of e-mail because it is fast, flexible, and reliable.

Bulletin board • An electronic message center. Most bulletin boards serve specific interest groups. They allow you to dial in with a modem, review messages left by others, and leave your own message if you want. In the United States alone, there are tens of thousands of BBSs.

Listserv • An automatic mailing list server developed by Eric Thomas for BITNET in 1986. When e-mail is addressed to a LISTSERV mailing list, it is automatically broadcast to everyone on the list. The result is similar to a newsgroup or forum, except that the messages are transmitted as e-mail and are therefore available only to individuals on the list. LISTSERV is currently a commercial product marketed by L-Soft International. Although LISTSERV refers to a specific mailing list server, the term is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to any mailing list server. Another popular mailing list server is Majordomo, which is freeware.

MOO • Short for Mud, Object Oriented, a specific implementation of a MUD system developed by Stephen White. MOO is in the public domain and can be freely downloaded and executed. • Short for Multi-User Dungeon (or Multi-User Dimension) a cyberspace where users can take on an identity in the form of an avatar and interact with one another. Originally, MUDs tended to be adventure games played within enormous old castles with hidden rooms, trap-doors, exotic beasts, and magical items. Nowadays, the term is used more generically to refer to any cyberspace.

Discussion • Discuss in pairs the following questions relating to CMC tools in general: – What are the primary advantages and disadvantages of each tool, both from a student/teacher perspective and a language perspective? – Consider synchronous CMC versus face-to-face oral communication: similarities and differences? Are the differences important in terms of our goals here, namely foreign language education? – How might you use these tools in class? – Other issues?

Hands-on practice

E-mail • What email program do you use? • What are the advantages/disadvantages to different types of programs, i. e. , Eudora versus Webmail? • What are some technical advantages/disadvantages to using email in your language classroom?

Bulletin boards • Go to: http: //www. clas. ufl. edu/boards/f 04 -3582/ to visit the bulletin board built just for you. • There, you can practice posting by introducing yourself. • Then discuss the questions that I posted… • Other examples of bulletin boards: http: //www. 1 stop-language. com/discus/ http: //www. eltnewsletter. com/forum/messages/bo ard-topics. html http: //www. eslcafe. com/discussion/dt/ http: //home. earthlink. net/~elbond/ladisc. htm

Chat and IM services • What chat options are available to us? – – Yahoo. Messenger AOL IM and the like Net. Meeting (requires IP#) Etc. • With the Yahoo. Messenger name and password you have created, log on and prepare to have a discussion. I will assign the groups

Yahoo Messenger • Discuss the following in your groups: – What are advantages/disadvantages to synchronous CMC? – How could this tool, or others like it, be beneficial to language learners? – Have you ever participated in a chat or in an instant message exchange? What are your reactions to it?

More on synchronous CMC • Although challenging, synchronous CMC interaction in language classes has proven to foster many of the qualities of “good learning” that we strive for. • Using the transcript excerpt I provide, look for the specified aspects of learning. • Also consider: If we have transcripts of CMC interaction, how do we evaluate them? We grade compositions and other written assignments, but is the same grading scheme appropriate for CMC transcripts? Why or why not? What are other options?

Follow-Up • You now have some first-hand experience using a variety of CMC tools. • I will assign you each a tool that is commonly available to us here at UF (chat, e-mail, bulletin board). For your tool, brainstorm ideas for the classroom that make specific use of the technological nature of the tool and its inherent advantages/disadvantages. • Be sure to consider the following: use of target language, punctuation/orthography, development of critical skills, development of cultural knowledge, etc.

Other resources: MOOs • Spanish language moos http: //www. umsl. edu/~moosproj/mundo. html http: //www 1. las. es/~martos/arda/ • French language moo http: //www. umsl. edu/%7 Emoosproj/moofrancai s. html • ESL moo http: //schmooze. hunter. cuny. edu/

Other resources: Listservs • FLTeach listserv http: //www. cortland. edu/flteach/ • I suggest you consider joining!

Conclusions • Future plans? • Technological questions? • Other questions?