Chapter 7 Response

Chapter Seven covered Communicating with Technologies. I think this chapter was very relevant in and outside the classroom. However, there was one thing I disagreed with. I do not agree with the author when he states: Communication in an online forum is different from and, in serveral important ways, better than face-to-face communication and other technology-based forms (e.g., telephone conversation and videoconferencing). It does not have the ‘richness’ of actual face to face conversation. We do lose body language, tone of voice, accents, dialects, pace, pauses, and other important cues to meaning. The author says that instead writers will have to pay close attention to the way the communicate through text. The small things that make up communication like body language, accents, and pauses is what makes communication so effective and valuable. I believe things like discussion boards can be beneficial and convenient but are far from the best way of communication all around.

I never really think about the fact that online communication is asychronous. It could be because I know that subconsciously. It makes me think of what I possibly thought of online communication when I was first introduced to the Internet. I like how the author brings up Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This is especially important in the classroom. The book says that instead of asking HOW SMART ARE YOU? Teachers should ask HOW ARE YOU SMART? The simple switching of words means totally different things. This gives each student different ways to present their knowledge. The internet focuses on verbal intelligence. While others may be effective replying instantly, other may prefer to think more in-depth to specific questions and predicaments.

Computer conferencing can supply several advantages. It can support discussions, debates, and other collaborative efforts. Students can reflect on their ideas and responses to others. One very important tool that the book mentions that enlightened me is the ability for students to focus on how to constructively converse. Some students have a difficult time communicating their ideas in a clean manner. Giving students time to think about their next sentence or paragraph can help them think about what it is exactly they want to say. Conferening systems provide separate conferences for different topics (very helpful in the classroom), informative topic lists that shows posting dates, number of responses, and titles of topics, and search and filter tools allowing students to search messages by date, author, or key word. These attributes seem to fit hand in hand with the classroom.

The author mentions a few neat things to consider that concerns the classroom. Online communication presumes that students can communicate… effectively. Students have to be able to interpret messages, consider appropriate responses, and construct coherent replies. Its important for the teacher to oversee student respnoseses. You want students to avoid conversation that is brief and unfocused. This can easily happen when students are occupied. This can show that students have misconceptions of a topic, are uncertain or have ‘imprecise’ thinking. Signs of this can include one or two word answers. Depending on the topic, replies should be more in-depth. You do not want to restrict student’s replies to a specific length but its important that you, the teacher, explicitly states the expectations.

Internet Relay Chat conversations can be a little confusing. This is because different discussions can be goin on at one time. Instanat Messaging allows easy collaboration. It is more focused than internet relay chat. Once again the author mentiones community oriented websites (Tapped In, ePals, Global Schoolhouse, and iEarn).

Of course, before having students surf the internet for anything you should review the safety precautions. The chapter lists 7 that are very useful. Students should use a pseudonym instead of their real name. They should not give out personal information, share passwords, or meet with anyone. Talk to students about the possibility of someone pretending to be someone else. Always keep good coversations. It is ok to disaggree but bad language and rudeness is not acceptable. Notify the teacher if someone sends in inappropriate message. They should ask for parental guidance when at home.

I agree with the author when he states that Videoconfrencing improves communication and presentation skills, allows students to learn to ask better questions. Students who are used to using a general textbook will increase their motivation for the academic topic. Podcasting enables anyone to ‘become an independent producer and distributor of audio and/or video content that can be offered worldwide through the Internet’. Podcasting is a more valuable experience for students to create their own broadcasts, says this book’s author. It is a valid statement. A well thought out podcast demands many different skills. Throughout the whole chapter the biggest thing that bothered me initially is clarified at the end once more: Online discussion boards, chats, blogs and instant messages are not meant to replace face-to-face interactions.