Module 2

Module 2 - Communicating in the infosphere

(1) The Importance of Being Synchronous

Haefner, J. (2000). Opinion: The Importance of Being Synchronous. Academic Writing. Retrieved January 23, 2007 from http://wac.colostate.edu/aw/teaching/haefner2000.htm

This is a thought-provoking article particularly relevant for people involved in education, online learning, the sociological aspects of the internet, and obviously, teachers and students involved first-hand in asynchronous education courses like Net11.

This is clearly labeled an opinion piece, but it is the opinion of an academic with considerable experience in the area. Haefner teaches computer science and coordinates a writing program at a US university. The tone is considered; although he favours synchronous teaching, he knows distance learning is a growing industry, and that technology is rapidly developing that can minimize the down side of

Haefner discusses the pros and cons of distance learning, for example, the flexibility and the isolation.

This piece was written in 2000. Studies on these issues may have been completed in the seven years since publication, but the observations discussed here would be just as relevant today.

The author believes that developing technology will allow a good mix of synchronous and asynchronous communication in the online classroom, though the details still need to be determined.

A photo of the author is hyperlinked to his contact page with further links to courses he teaches and his published works.

Concepts - Access to questions and answers – your posted question will show up almost immediately, but when or if you ever get a reply is based on the schedules of others in the classroom – it would be much harder to ignore a question asked in a small room. Users need to state what forms of communication meet their needs, and the organizations offering online education need to listen.

(2) What is email etiquette?

Kallos, J. (1996). What is E-mail Etiquette? Retrieved 20 January, 2007, from
http://www.onlinenetiquette.com/index.html

There are numerous sites and pages on the internet explaining what netiquette is and many sensible tips are now well-established as best practice. Many tips cross over from general etiquette rules, while others are, of course, specific for writing, communicating and publishing online, particularly email. However, does this topic need such a busy and comprehensive website as this one? The author has turned the topic of online etiquette into a niche market and is determined to exploit it from every possible angle. Starting with the home page, this site has a decidedly feminine look and feel, from the red and white colours used, to the flowing script font used in the page heading. The three book covers shown are all red.

The tone mimics that of a fussy aunt who is trying too hard to be helpful, while attempts to be up close and personal become cloying. The words ‘my’, ‘you’ and ‘I’ occur too many times on this page. Exclamation marks are also over-used which makes the reader feel as though they are being promised the world at the touch of a button, or worse, being shouted at. In the four short paragraphs on the home page, there are no less than 10 hyperlinks to advertise the author’s products or other pages on the site. Down the left hand panel there are 22 hyperlinks, all squashed together. Another five hyperlinks sit at the top of the page, with another four sitting at the bottom. The effect is overwhelming – this is no quick-stop list of well-written tips for anyone wanting to know about netiquette. The site is currently maintained, last modified in December 2006. Author Judith Kallos describes herself as a “technology muse” who has been online for about 10 years. Good on her for running her own business, but it’s hard to recommend this site to anyone, unless it’s as an example of bad writing, bad design and marketing overkill. Ironically, this site needs to rethink itself and apply some of the principles of netiquette more firmly.

Concepts – Netiquette is an important aspect of the internet – if users want to communicate well in a variety of online settings there are established dos and don’ts. Failing to follow them can lead to the ultimate lack of communication - people just won't read what you have to say.