The computer-mediated communication (CMC) classroom: a challenge of medium, presence, interaction, identity, and relationship

This was an awesom article, well written, citations for future reference and made me want to read more. Ranks #1 for the additional readings bar none. Probably should have been an initial reading at the beginning of the class so it could help us who are doing CMC education research for our final projects.

My thoughts: However I would have to question the authenticity of his initial quote about CMC being anointed “a concern for its negative psychosocial consequences and or lack of effectiveness as an instructional tool. “ It almost sounds like an analogy similar to the coining of the word “counter-culture” that described in the social movement 1960’s. Or defining music such as “alternative rock”, well what was alternative rock an alternative too?

The Carrell and Menzel citation is too old to be relevant in this study as technology has rapidly advanced they found ‘‘no proof that the new technologies offer anything to the educational process to warrant the time and expense that conversion to these technologies requires’’ New technology back in 2001 was a video conference room at a Kinko’s with a Mac lab complete with Netscape 2.0.

Schwartzman hit the nail on the head with his quote on 498. Effective teaching relies on effective planning on the teachers part, or lack thereof. Teachers must be proactive and set forth principles of using technology. Not reactive when the technology is already upon us and ready to change.

Rice and Markey summarize a recent review stating simply that the psychological effects of CMC ‘‘can sometimes be a positive . . . and can sometimes be a negative experience’’ Well that’s a 50/50 split in the odds so it could be worse in terms of CMC being utilized. Any educator would agree that any lesson has the probability at the worst case scenario fits this rate of success.

An Instructional Paradigm for the Teaching of Computer-mediated Communication

My thoughts. From all of the readings reading this article as a whole, it is an interesting concept of research, the abstract alone is quite unique. We all feel intimidated joining into something that is mysterious. However risk taking also exists in our extended vocabulary so we must be accomplishing something.  Thus, taking note of our ventures if we can live to tell about it.  Howard stated: “Knowing how to communicate well online is important and should be taught, so it should be included in course objectives where appropriate.” However students are teaching each other faster forms of communication, before we can define what they are doing wrong in SNS as well as CMC arena. Teaching reading skills is an interesting concept, I think educators need some insights on how kids are teaching themselves these fast tracked communication trends.

What about: How could sarcasm or puns be interpreted in CMC in this same study? 

Microblogs in Higher Education – A chance to facilitate informal and process-oriented learning?

The authors of this article explain the success of Web 2.0 as a communication platform for e-learning and global communications. Their article specifically highlights weblogs and microblogs as important tools of the new Internet. Both tools accommodate several forms of input from phones, apps, IM, SMS, and Internet.

My thoughts: This article reminds me of Dr. Pfaffman’s IT566 class I was enrolled in the Spring of 2011. He postulated a radical change in the way he instructed this class for his final semester at the University of Tennessee. He would utilize Twitter as a platform to announce assignments for us to solve in Ubuntu. His also added a redundant feature where he had another webpage that served as a homebase for questions, links, and a preview of future assignments that would be tweeted at undetermined dates.  The supreme intent of his curricular approach was as a game format where points were to be tabulated when we finished a task, participants would have posted points totals. However Dr. Pfaffman misjudged how long tweets would last on Twitter, and he did not figure out a way to tabulate our tweets into a master database.

I don’t think it was entirely impossible for a database to be programmed to tabulate our classes tweets. Dr. Pfaffman figured as much but did not know a programmer would have enough time to put something together by the time class was over.   So as the class went on he determined we would keep our own points for a later comparison with our classmates. The rest of the class proceeded as planned.

This class was a total learner-center learning intent. We had our own Twitter and blog page linked by CSS to Dr. Pfaffmans Twitter account. We had instant communications from his tweets. When we completed an assignment we would tweet our results as well as write a short story how we accomplished task. 

I liked this class format very  much as it helped us understand, Ubuntu, Twitter, php, LAMP, and several other software and application solutions. However some students in the class grew to question of this class format as they complained about not enough tasks or professor direction. As per Dr. Pfaffmans wry response to them, I rationalized that it was up to the individual student to learn or gather enough content to satisfy the user.

Using a social networking site for experiential learning: Appropriating, lurking, modeling and community building.

This article pontificates on the use of SNS for the classroom or learning environment. Social networking sites have an ever growing sense of community and emphasis for learning. Due to the nil to nothing cost of being a member in most SNS domains, it could reasoned that it is more cost effective by hosting classrooms in virtual environments. Authors Arnold and Paulus create a great case study about interactions.

My thoughts: The use of SNS for classroom instruction will only grow. I rationalize this as anytime a member in facebook post or comments to something it is diplayed on their network friend’s wall.  Even if the friends are not enrolled in that virtual class, even a casual glance at a class comment that a friend posts demonstrates a precedent about the normality of classrooms in SNS. I think the major social networks and search engine Google will catch on and eventually create their own socio-learning versions of Blackboard software to sway teacher’s opinions about social networking and education.  Some court issues have been filed since 2000 about Blackboards patents. More specifically patent issues have occurred with Blackboard filing suit against other software education systems Sakai, Atutor, and Desire2Learn.

Using Blogs by Paulus & Spence

Author’s Paulus and Spence explain the use of blogs in the university setting as an educational tool. This tool may help student for reflecting upon prior knowledge or revert to preconceptions about understanding and failing to grasp new concepts. The nutrition education department welcomed the new insights about technology being utilized more as prior conceptions for online activities included tutorials, or tests. So blogs were an opportunity for socialization interaction with peers as well as reflecting or sharing upon knowledge from classes. Research from Deng and Yuen provide three potential of implementing blogs: course structure, purposeful dialogue, and learner autonomy. Paulus and Spence felt blogging was more engaging, and motivating as well as utilizing media options. So the discussion was the emphasis, spawning subsequent reflection and peer situations for the students. However through their research much more has to be figured out to find a balance of reflection and student interaction.

My thoughts: with the advent of Web2.0 more high schools will have students creating blogs for their classes. Since blogs are template based and design friendly, the individual does not have to think about creating a blog from scratch from HTML. Now they have almost a dashboard of informational tools at their desire such as CSS feeds, application for phones, and linking to other blogs. With this in mind the more students graduate from the secondary school systems, they will take their blog with them to higher education. It almost may be a benefit for universities to require students to create a blog upon entrance or during the application process.  It may take some of the inhibitions out of interacting with others in a blog situation, like the one mentioned in this article. Blogs may even help college freshman adjust better to working autonomously, reflecting on experiences, talking to other freshman, and finally knowing how to successfully work at asynchronous level for the first time in their educational endeavors.

Critical Inquiry in a Text-Based Environment by Garrison, Anderson & Archer

Garrison, Anderson, and Archer rationale is to highlight the use of computer conferencing as an important tool for bridging gaps in our educational knowledge base. The authors outline the traditional educational experience in relation with modes of indicators of cognitive, social, and teaching presence. Yet the devices of verbal or linguistic exchange are always based on oral or text based communication. Each has positive and negative attributes but neither can be considered faulty. Oral communications can be fast paced spontaneous, text can be documented, referenced, archived and more reflective.  The authors state written may be more higher order thinking skills, and critical thinking. The findings of their research indicates that computer conferencing has potential for creating an educational critical of inquiry. Yet as stated in their earlier paragraphs, there still remains work to be done before it is fully worthwhile endeavor.

My thoughts: Computer conferencing first came to the public’s attention with the company formerly known as Kinko’s back in the mid 1990’s. They advertised the new trend of video or live stream talk to anywhere around the world. With businesses all over the United States, Kinko’s thought their marketing of this plan was a pretty sound structure. However it didn’t work as many people in smaller cities and towns did not have contacts they wished to video conference in other regions. Or they were not educated on the full potentials. Anytime I went into a Kinko’s their computer conference rooms were mute and silent. Hardly ever used for the intended purpose. It may have been they were ahead of their time and we would have better solutions for using this media.  

What Students Find Appropriate by Teclehaimanot & Hickman

Author's Teclehaimanot and Hickman write about the perceptions about interactions between students and teachers in Facebook or other social media websites.  Teachers must understand how to interact with their students in a way that promotes positive perception of the teacher and classroom environment. Students may not wish to have a social relationship with teachers, but if the student contacts a teacher for friending it is generally considered acceptable, not the other way around. Since social media promotes social interation, the actions of active learning, social learning, knowledge construction are all components of a constructivist environment. This is similar to the research of  Lev Vygotsky’s theory of sociocultural perspective, cognitive growth is societal and not individual. It also may be more specific to Vygotsky’s proximal development scheme of MKO (more knowledgeable than others).  Research generally supports the acceptance of teachers to be on Facebook from surveys. However the biggest difference in acceptance of teachers using Facebook  was in the gender survey that revealed a large difference of opinion. Students generally had positive perception about teachers personal information, however a possibility of losing their professionalism also was apparent.

My thoughts: I have utilized social media for my own personal means, as well as hosting art image galleries for interested individual who share art ideas on the web. Free server space and the ability to control art images and privileges is a better choice than web hosting such as Flickr as I can have my profile attached to my work. My profile is not set to private, like some teachers opt to use so no one will find them on a search. My profile is available to my friends, relatives, students, or former students. I have a personality that is similar to my online profile that does not create compromise me in the classroom. I know of certain teachers who have 300+ current and former students on their Facebook. Their classroom charisma corresponds with their online personality. My students know who I am, things that I have accomplished, and the hobbies or activities I am interested in. If they want to reach out to me for a friend add (I do not reach out to friend them for a friend add), I am worthy of their trust and admiration.