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Computer-Mediated Communications

Critically Reflective Teacher Dialogue In Asynchronous Computer-Mediated Communication Mark Hawkes, Ph.D. Dakota State University International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, August 2001. Computer-Mediated Communications.

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Computer-Mediated Communications

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  1. Critically Reflective Teacher Dialogue In Asynchronous Computer-Mediated CommunicationMark Hawkes, Ph.D.Dakota State UniversityInternational Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, August 2001

  2. Computer-Mediated Communications The use of computers and computer networks as communication tools by people who are collaborating with each other to achieve a shared goal, which do not require the physical presence or co-location of participants, and which can provide a forum for continuous communication free of time constraints. (Kaye, 1991, p. 5)

  3. Synchronous Communication • Takes place in real time, just as if two people were talking on the telephone • Examples: group decision support systems, virtual hallways, network video conferencing, Internet relay chat, and MUDs (Multiple User Dimensions)

  4. Asynchronous Communications • These communications are sent to an intended receiver but are not delivered until the receiver physically accesses them. • Examples: Internet, e-mail, newsgroups, listservs, electronic bulletin boards

  5. Characteristics of Asynchronous Communications • Interactivity • Time Independence • Place Independence • Multi-participant Capacity • Communication Storage and Retrievability • Text Orientation

  6. Study Purpose

  7. Key Questions

  8. Characteristics of Study Participants Electronic PBL Districtwide Statewide N % N % N % Number of Teachers 28 100 975 100 116,574 100 Gender Female 25 89 845 87 87,664 75 Male 3 11 130 13 28,910 25 Teaching Tenure 18  15  14 Average School Size 623  657  424 Teacher Ethnicity Asian 0 0 10 1 816 1 Black 0 0 7 1 13,172 11 Hispanic 0 0 10 1 3,613 3 White 28 100 948 97 96,649 85

  9. District Characteristics • 27 Schools • 4 Junior High Schools • 23 Elementary Schools • 15,765 Students (K-8) • Ethnicity: • Asian: 11 % • Black: 5 % • Hispanic: 5% • White: 78 %

  10. Technology Characteristics • Each of the 1,051 classrooms is connected to the district network • 64 kilobyte line connectivity • One networked computer for every 12 students • Of computers available for student use, approximately 38 percent are laptops and 62 percent are desktops • District annual technology budget: $4.75 million per year

  11. Project Goals

  12. Project Goals (cont.)

  13. Data Sources • Electronic communications archives • Teacher team meetings • Teacher Interviews • Classroom artifacts • Teacher curriculum plans • Student products • Assessment tools

  14. Methods • Discourse analysis • Server log file analysis • Inferential statistical analysis • Qualitative thematic analysis • Survey

  15. Face-to-face and CMC dialogue content comparison

  16. Chi-square values on discourse interaction variablesCMC (n) FTF (n) 12 P Involvement Strategies “Wh” clauses 220 326 22.99 .001 Indefinite pronouns 435 474 2.404 .065 Amplifiers 220 288 10.348 .001 Conversational Cooperation 25 95 10.007 .002 Sequential Accountability 15 43 3.009 .064

  17. Comparison of communication mediums on levels of reflectiveness

  18. Influences on Critical Reflection • Discourse Moderator • OnLine Rules of Etiquette • Conversational Floor • Discourse Focus • Asynchronous Dialogue • Text Orientation • Time

  19. Computer-Mediated Communication • Facilitates teacher reflection • Satisfies knowledge-based professional development needs • promotes teacher collaboration

  20. Suggestions for Implementing CMC Professional Development • Moderator with limited facilitation role. • Assists participants in gaining access to conversational floor • Ensures technical topics do not dominate discourse • Helps maintain discourse focus • Synthesizes contributions and points out how reflective ideas were processes and how individual messages contributed to the reflective discourse

  21. Suggestions (cont.) • Discourse Focus • Immediately applicable to the classroom • For K-6 teachers: age-level focus • For 7-12 teachers: content area focus • Anchored in pedagogy, not technology

  22. Suggestions (cont.) • Participant Composition • Narrow participation--Homogeneous grouping • Convergent tasking activities--curriculum development, study group, study task force • Broad participation--Heterogeneous grouping • Divergent tasking activities--brain storming, anecdotal/experience sharing . . .

  23. Suggestions (cont.) • Access at home • Better/faster access at home • More time at home • Teachers do a good deal of their professional work at home

  24. Suggestions (cont.) • Teacher Skills Training • Screen for presence of appropriate prerequisite skills • Provide training concurrent with reasonable technology access • Provide technical assistance away from the discourse forum either through e-mail or as a separate conference thread • Provide pointers to helpful online documents (FAQs)

  25. Research Needs • A study of threads of discourse rather than chucks/single messages, including the sustainability of reflection, the diversity of contributions, and the utility of CMC participation in improving teacher practice • The effects of conversational pace, purpose, and range of participants on reflection • Task/role analysis

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