Electronic Communication
or
Computer-Mediated Communication
Prerequisite:
Required version of Web browser on your computer
Purpose:
To communicate with other participant(s) and
facilitator(s) in different formats
Instructions:
Talk Now or Talk Later
CMC or Computer-Mediated Communication enables
the participant to conference with others using different
formats. The purpose of communicating with one another is to
share ideas and information, answer questions from both the
facilitator and the participants, and encourage team chatting.
The methods we are discussing for online communication are:
- Synchronous communication: Participants
communicate at a designated time determined by the person
requesting the conference. This conference is similar to
"chat rooms." At Fermilab, we have chosen to use MS Chat as our chat tool for
PC users and ChatNet
as our chat tool for Macintosh users. Your specifc course may
choose different tools. Consult your facilitator or course
home page.
- Asynchronous communication is better for more than
two participants, especially when you do not need an
immediate response. Unlike synchronized communication, the
participants can communicate at any time or place. The person
initiating the communication sets up a topic for the rest of
the participants. Then the participants type their responses
whenever they want. Each participant may decide to respond or
to read other participant's responses on the topic. This
conference is similar to a "bulletin board service." At
Fermilab, we have chosen to use COW, available as
freeware from the Internet. To follow our modifications when
using COW see the tutorial. Your specifc course may
choose a different tool. Consult your facilitator or course
home page.
- Listservs or mailing lists are used to communicate
with larger groups. All the participants of a class could
become part of a listserv group. Anyone may send questions,
information, etc. to other people in the group through
e-mail. The responses may be sent to the individual who
initiated the topic or to the entire listserv. To see general
listserv information, LInC Online Listserv. Your
specifc course may or may not choose to use this type of
tool. Consult your facilitator or your course home page.
In any of these formats, good netiquette is expected. Read
this page and especially read the link on
chatiquette.