Communications Methods
in Distance Education
A presentation at the West Chester University
1999 Resources for the Electronic Classroom Symposium
Paula Edmiston
Georgia Tech Research Institute
See also the hypertext tutorial that was presented at this
conference and later incorporated into the
Handouts section of this web site.
Introduction
Much has been written about video conferencing and the value of
sound in distance education. But to date many people can't afford
the equipment to sustain such a bandwidth-intensive interaction.
Other methods are available which cost less, yet by using
standard Internet protocols that can be supported in any
available bandwidth, you can provide an exceptional environment for
learning, collaboration, and creativity. Today I'll discuss four
low bandwidth methods and illustrate current applications: mailing
lists, webboards, talkers and moos.
Mailing lists and webboards are asynchronous approaches to communication.
Aasynchronous communication doesn't happenin "real time". Instead a
message is posted and the author may then go offline. Readers of the
message may receive and read the post immediately, or some time later.
Usually the author and reader are not online at the same time (but on
occasion, when the author and reader are online simultaneously, this type
of communication can occur so responsively as to be synchronous. They
don't support real-time interaction but do provide an approach that
encourages more thoughtful interaction. Messages are posted which may or
may not solicit response.
Moos and talkers, based in the telnet protocol, do provide a
synchronous connection for real time interaction, as well as
providing an environment for creativity and building upon lessons
learned.
Mailing Lists and Webboards
These are the asynchronous approaches to communication. The
messages exist on their own, perhaps not read until the author is
long offline. Since the postings are not meant to be responded to
in real time, time is on side of the author.
Mailing Lists
I think most people are familiar with the concept of mailing lists. The
great advantage is that the messages come right to your mail box. You
don't have to expend any effort other than to check your mail. Lists are a
great tool for sending out class announcements, assignments, changes to
schedules and the syllabus. They are very useful as a forum for
troubleshooting. If a student is having difficulty with an assignment or
new concept, she can post her question to a class list and the teacher or,
even better, another student can respond with an answer. Mailing lists can
be a terrific medium to encourage collaboration among students.
It's possible to archive mailing lists, providing a record of the
discussions, both for research purposes and for grading student
participation. This archive of explore-net, a mailing list for an Internet class,
illustrates the versatility of the Hypermail Program. You can
arrange the posts by subject, in order to follow the flow of
discussion, or by author, allowing one to track the participation
of individual students.
Yahoo [TM] links a large collection of mailing list
software. The Usenet FAQ on mailing lists discusses a wide variety of list programs
to help you select the right one. Hypermail is freely available at the
Hypermail Development Center.
Webboards
Webboards are similar to mailing lists in that people post
messages that are readable by many, and replies can be posted,
even threaded. A threaded archive sows the relationship between an
original post and the replies made to that specific post. The primary
difference is that, like Usenet,
the messages do not come to a person's mail box; the
person must go to the board. This can be an
ideal arrangement if the intended audience has unstable email
access, but dependable Internet access, or if you want the posts
to be immediately available to people "outside" of membership in
a closer group such as a mailing list.
Dr. Treadwell, here at WCUPA runs a series of webboards for his
collaborative psychology class. You can see the messages are threaded, and using an
administrative script, the professor can arrange the posts by student
name.
This webboard script is available from
Matt's Script Archives.
Talkers and Moos
Talker sites and Moos are environments that support synchronous,
real time interaction. Both allow people to connect
simultaneously and to carry on conversations by typing at the
keyboard.
Moos and talker sites are generally accessed via
telnet, an Internet protocol. If you're on a
Mac, I recommend Better Telnet.
For a Windows machine, try Netterm. Lately
I've been enjoying a program called Pueblo which enhances the telnet
experience (Windows only).
Moos
MOO has been given a variety of definitions and I favor
multi-user object oriented. Multi-user, because
many people can connect at once. Object oriented, because of the type of
programming you can do there. Programming is not
required, but in this type of environment it can enhance the
learning process, both from the teacher's point of view, and the
students.
There are many educational moos, the best developed is
Diversity University Moo.
ith only a few moo
commands you can find your way around the mooscape. Here are
some of the most impressive projects underway at DU moo.
Telnet into DU Moo
telnet moo.du.org 7777
- The Rainforest @go #8134
- A biology project illustrating the fauna and flora of ainforest.
- The Poetry Cube @go #17499
- The poetry cube has four levels and four rooms on each level
and the poems are woven in amongst the levels.
- DMC's Elementary Education Classroom @go
#18764
- The current class is on dinosaurs.
Talkers
Traditionally, talker sites have been built for recreational
purposes. But their simple command structure makes them ideal for
discussion and office hours. Talkers are an environment built for pure
communication. Athenaeum was built to
support the Internet and other computer classes I taught at
UNC-Asheville and Warren Wilson College. It's based on
N.U.T.s code, slightly modified by me. I have added rooms for other
professors, including your own Dr. Tom Treadwell of the
Psychology Department. There are a series of rooms for Alan
Sondheim's communication and writing classes that he's teaching
as a virtual artist in residence at a UK university.
|
1994 - 2008
Paula Edmiston
