Week 9 LBSC 690 Information Technology Computer Mediated Communications

Agenda Questions Computer mediated communications Computer-Supported Cooperative Work Educational computing Project presentations

Computer Mediated Communication CMC refers to human communication via computers--including computer network communication on the Internet and the World Wide Web. People interested in CMC study a range of phenomena--from the dynamics of group communication in Usenet news articles to how people use hypertext to shape meaning. from

Describing CMC Applications How many participants? –One or many When? –Synchronous or asynchronous Where? –Local or remote

Cooperative systems Same Time (synchronous) Different Times (asynchronous) Same place (local) face to face, classroom tools postit notes, meeting support systems Different places (remote) IM, Chat Rooms, NetMeeting, VTC, Access Grid , Usenet news Inspired by the table in Shneiderman’s “Designing user interfaces”

Asynchronous Remote centralized storage –Individual –Mailing lists Usenet: distributed storage –Hierarchical organization comp.edu.languages.natural –Archive: groups.google.com –Analysis: research.microsoft.com/~masmith/ Threaded discussion lists –Example:

Synchronous Remote Instant Messaging (IM) –e.g., AIM, MSN Messenger Chat Rooms –Whole lines are sent at a time –e.g., chat.yahoo.com NetMeeting –IM+audio+video+whiteboard+shared applications –MSN Messenger now includes these capabilities

Glass Wall Unplanned interactions Informal communication

Synchronous Local Meeting support systems –Brainstorming –Online review –Annotated minutes Example –Teaching theater student tools

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) Work –Grounded in the study of work processes Cooperative –Assumes a shared objective, task Technology-supported –Computers are just one type of tools used –“Groupware”

Key Issues in CSCW Shared information space Group awareness Coordination Concurrency control Multi-user interfaces Heterogeneous environments

Case Study: Virtual Reference Required functions System architecture Adoption

Case Study 2: Your Project Team! Face to face meetings Teleconferences Shared workspace on WAM IM-synchronized work sessions NetMeeting?

Educational Computing Computer Assisted Education –What most people think of first Computer Managed Instruction –What most people really do first! Computer Mediated Communication –All that CSCW stuff applied to education Computer-Based Multimedia –Just another filmstrip machine?

Rationales Pedagogic –Use computers to teach Vocational –Computer programming is a skill like typing Social –Computers are a part of the fabric of society Catalytic –Computers are symbols of progress

Conditions for Success Most prerequisites are not computer-specific –Need, know-how, time, commitment, leadership, incentives, expectations The most important barrier is time –Teacher time is by far the most important factor

Alternatives Facilities –Computer classrooms (e.g., teaching theaters) –Computers IN classrooms (e.g., HBK 2119) Objectives –“Computer Literacy” –Not so in the Maryland teaching theaters Comparatively few technology classes

Discussion Point: Computers as Educational Media What are the most salient characteristics –Books –Video –Computers

Distance Education Correspondence courses –Focus on dissemination and evaluation Instructional television –Dissemination, interaction, and evaluation Computer-Assisted Instruction –Same three functions w/ubiquitous technology