e-chronicle

“The fact that something is technologically possible does not imply that it is also educationally desirable”

- Salomon, 1999, p. 36, cited in Tutty & Klein, JD 2008, ‘Computer-mediated instruction: a comparison of online and face-to-face collaboration’, Education Tech Research Dev, vol. 56, pp. 101-124.

“Beware of inert ideas - ideas that are merely received into the mind without being utilised, or tested, or thrown into fresh combinations.”

- Whitehead 1929, cited in Barkley et al. 2005, Collaborative learning techniques: a handbook for college faculty, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco.

“The key challenges the Internet community will face in the future is not simply technological, but also sociological.”

- Kollock 1996, p. 1, cited in Dixon et al. 2006, ‘Breaking the ice: supporting collaboration and the development of community online’, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, vol. 32 no. 2, Spring.

“When there is trust among people, relationships flourish; without it, they wither.”

- Preece 2000, p. 191, cited in Rovia, A 2002, ‘Building sense of community at a distance’, International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, vol. 3 no. 1.

E-mail is the most commonly used tool for asynchronous one-on-one communication between the online instructor and student. It is easily accessible at low or no cost; provides the student a sense of connectedness and privacy, ability for convenient and quick transfer of information, and quick response time to their queries; and studies have demonstrated improved student involvement and motivation through e-mail use, as well as improved student writing. However, e-mail communication can involve an extensive amount of time for the instructor, and untimely responses can be detrimental to student connectedness. To use e-mail effectively, the author suggested a number of basic principles to follow, e.g. establish boundaries for how often and when e-mails will be responded, sensitivity to e-mail netiquette, and asynchronous communication norms; use e-mail to provide individual feedback, and use a phone call if an in-depth response is needed; before giving a negative comment constructively, share something positive first; and keep the e-mail positive and personalised.

Dawley, L 2007, ‘E-mail’, in The tools for successful online teaching, Information Science Publishing, Hershey, pp. 50–69. 

I’ve recently read two articles co-authored by Seely Brown that were written almost a decade apart: the former was written in 1999 with his visions of how the Web would transform us (in particular, as knowledge producers and knowledge consumers); the latter was published early this year, with his observations and research on the status of Internet today, and how learning is taking place in the current climate. Click here or on the page of the same title for my summary and reflection. You are welcomed to comment on it.