| Web-based Instruction - Annotations |
The Web is a communication medium and should be used as such. There is a common misperception among those who have not taught Web courses that there is less interaction and personal contact via the Internet. The anecdotal evidence points to the opposite - there is an enormous amount of interaction via the Internet. This applies to courses run at a distance but also to courses run on campus with Web components.
Communication
breaks up into two kinds - asynchronous and quasi-synchronous.
Asynchronous means that there is no attempt made to synchronize communication.
Examples of this are email and "threaded discussion groups" (also
called forums or bulletin boards). Here is an example of what a forum looks
like: this one is run by Domino, an IBM product.
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Things like chat (IRC = Internet Relay Chat) or MUD's (originally dungeons & dragons games played over the Internet) are quasi-synchronous in that responses follow more or less immediately on the heels of an action. They have the same form as a telephone conversation, but usually with longer delays.
It is easy to concentrate on the disadvantages of Internet communication, and the one we usually quickly come to is the inability to see our conversation partner's face and to react to body language. But a more positive and fruitful way of thinking is to look at the advantages. One of the major shortcomings with conversation is that most of us do not listen very well. However, when we read we listen, and I believe that students are more likely to go back over a written passage for understanding than they are to stop a live speaker. There is also a cost to typing email - it takes time and effort. Because of this email messages tend to be more concise. Furthermore, it is easy to go through multiple drafts of an email message, and doing this teaches basic principles of composition. The anytime/anywhere availability is another advantage, and for some, not having to speak up in class is a tremendously liberating experience.
For the teacher, using email in the form of a class mailing list allows easy access to all of the class members. A comment on a common mistake or fine point can be sent to everyone in the class. It is also possible in some situations to take on the persona of a student. This is a valuable experience for a teacher.
A lot of teachers are starting to use "conferencing" software to hold classes on-line. Here is a typical view of conferencing versus asynchronous communication expressed by an instructional designer on the (excellent) wwwdev listserve:
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I agree with you Jeanette. Synchronous conferencing is best for spontaneous response that doesn't warrant the reflective thought associated with an asynchronous mode. In addition to the goals you mentioned, chat is also good for brainstorming ideas. It's also effective as a presentational tool for 'guest speakers' who wouldn't have the time to visit a class. In this case an auditorium style chat is beneficial as long as it is organized with specific 'representatives' asking the questions so that the result doesn't look too jumbled. Asynchronous discussion is reflective but still needs some design and skill in structuring and/or facilitating the discussions. I've seen both highly effective discussions as well as discussions that have waned because it wasn't organized or analyzed well beforehand. Carol >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Carol Washburn Ed.D. Center
for Instructional Development |
I have included an extensive section on QuestWriter communications activities because they serve as a good example of technology serving pedagogy and because I have yet to find the same functionality replicated in the more popular course management systems. I also use them extensively in my classes.
The idea is simply to pair up students and have them conduct an asynchronous conversation on-line. For example, in a class I might ask the students to write out a proof of a theorem and then exchange papers and critique each others' proofs. I do this on-line.
Communications activities turn any course into a "writing intensive course".
If structured correctly, they are much more flexible and concise than essays.
The technology takes care of ALL the bookkeeping - starting with pairing off
the students and ending with recording their answers. It sends email reminders
to students who are late and enforces deadlines. The presentation has a concrete
example of an activityand
the results from it.
The last type of communication discussed are MUD's, MOOs, and WOO's. In a MUD, you are given textual descriptions of your surroundings and you respond with commands like "left", "right", "drop" left over from the early days of adventure gaming on a VT100 terminal -- or TTY. The main educational use of which I have heard is to provide context and place to a learning experience. If done right, turning a course into an adventure game sounds attractive as well.
The links in the presentation should be used with caution. To use one of these properly, you need at least a working telnet client and usually an additional piece of software that provides a better interface. For Woo's this is always necessary. I have not had a lot of luck getting them to work correctly.
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