scholarly journals Reflections on the Distance Learning Controversy

1999 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Feenberg

Abstract: Recent enthusiasm for on-line distance learning among administrators in American colleges and universities has provoked a strong faculty reaction in favour of traditional classroom teaching. Overlooked in the controversy is the long history of experimentation with text-based computer-mediated communication. This article argues that that experience has lessons for us today which may help to resolve the controversy over distance learning. Résumé: L'enthousiasme récent pour l'enseignement en ligne à distance parmi les administrateurs dans les collèges et universités américains a provoqué une vive réaction de la part du corps professoral, qui prône l'enseignement en classe traditionnel. Dans cette controverse, on oublie la longue histoire d'expérimentations avec la communication assistée par ordinateur et fondée sur les textes. Cet article soutient que cette histoire peut aujourd'hui nous apprendre des leçons qui pourraient aider à résoudre la controverse sur l'apprentissage à distance.

2009 ◽  
pp. 1611-1628
Author(s):  
Adriana Andrade Braga

This chapter explores the possibilities and limitations of nethnography, an ethnographic approach applied to the study of online interactions, particularly computer-mediated communication. In this chapter, a brief history of ethnography, including its relation to anthropological theories and its key methodological assumptions is addressed. Next, one of the most frequent methodologies applied to Internet settings, that is to treat logfiles as the only or main source of data, is explored, and its consequences are analyzed. In addition, some strategies related to a naturalistic perspective for data analysis are examined. Finally, an example of an ethnographic study, which involves participants of a Weblog, is presented to illustrate the potential for nethnography to enhance the study of CMC.


1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Stubbs

This article, concentrating on contemporary Croatia, explores the role of computer-mediated communication in new relationships between the homeland at war and diaspora. Computer mediated diasporic public spheres are discussed as forms of creative imaginings of a national space from diverse global sites. The text is critical of any suggestion that diasporic identifications are able to be read off, simplistically, from dominant forms of homeland nationalism. Through an exploration of the socio-historical bases of Croatian diaspora communities, and the complexities of callings from the homeland in the 1990s, a more nuanced picture of contestation emerges. A ‘netnography’ of the Soc/Culture/Croatia newsgroup reveals a dominant habitus of processes, forms and content, in particular, the construction of Croatian identity in relation to a, more or less, monolithic ‘Other’ but, also, emerging innovative currents. More work on diasporic affinities as complex, contingent, and fluid is clearly needed, with political as well as theoretical importance.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily L Morrow ◽  
Fangyun Zhao ◽  
Lyn Turkstra ◽  
Catalina Toma ◽  
Bilge Mutlu ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) report fewer social contacts, less social participation, and more social isolation than noninjured peers. Cognitive-communication disabilities may prevent individuals with TBI from accessing the opportunities for social connection afforded by computer-mediated communication, as individuals with TBI report lower overall usage of social media than noninjured peers and substantial challenges with accessibility and usability. Although adaptations for individuals with motor and sensory impairments exist to support social media use, there have been no parallel advances to support individuals with cognitive disabilities, such as those exhibited by some people with TBI. In this study, we take a preliminary step in the development process by learning more about patterns of social media use in individuals with TBI as well as their input and priorities for developing social media adaptations. OBJECTIVE This study aims to characterize how and why adults with TBI use social media and computer-mediated communication platforms, to evaluate changes in computer-mediated communication after brain injury, and to elicit suggestions from individuals with TBI to improve access to social media after injury. METHODS We conducted a web-based survey of 53 individuals with a chronic history of moderate-to-severe TBI and a demographically matched group of 51 noninjured comparison peers. RESULTS More than 90% of participants in both groups had an account on at least one computer-mediated communication platform, with Facebook and Facebook Messenger being the most popular platforms in both groups. Participants with and without a history of TBI reported that they use Facebook more passively than actively and reported that they most frequently maintain web-based relationships with close friends and family members. However, participants with TBI reported less frequently than noninjured comparison participants that they use synchronous videoconferencing platforms, are connected with acquaintances on the web, or use social media as a gateway for offline social connection (eg, to find events). Of the participants with TBI, 23% (12/53) reported a change in their patterns of social media use caused by brain injury and listed concerns about accessibility, safety, and usability as major barriers. CONCLUSIONS Although individuals with TBI maintain social media accounts to the same extent as healthy comparisons, some may not use them in a way that promotes social connection. Thus, it is important to design social media adaptations that address the needs and priorities of individuals with TBI, so they can also reap the benefits of social connectedness offered by these platforms. By considering computer-mediated communication as part of individuals’ broader social health, we may be able to increase web-based participation in a way that is meaningful, positive, and beneficial to broader social life.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Taylor

This article offers a critical history of the growth of the auctioning paradigm as a method of radio spectrum assignment in Canada. It establishes the growing importance of spectrum access as a primary conduit for computer-mediated communication worldwide, and it demonstrates how the rise of auctioning fundamentally challenges the administrative model that has been used for Canadian spectrum assignment for decades. The key junctures raised in the historical development of spectrum auctions include the pioneering theoretical debates of the 1950s, the fundamental changes to telecommunications in the 1980s, and Canada’s gradual acceptance of auctioning as an assignment mechanism in the 1990s. The research is based upon historical studies and scholarly publications as well as primary documents from the Department of Communications and Industry Canada. Cet essai propose une histoire critique de la croissance du paradigme de la vente aux enchères comme méthode d’assignation des fréquences radio au Canada. Il établit l’importance croissante de l’accès au spectre du service de radiodiffusion comme un conduit principal pour communication médiatisée par ordinateur dans le monde entier, et montre comment la montée des enchères remet fondamentalement en cause le modèle administratif qui a été utilisé pour l’attribution du spectre canadien depuis des décennies. Les moments clés soulevées dans le développement historique des enchères du spectre incluent les débats théoriques pionnières des années 1950, les changements fondamentaux dans les télécommunications 1980, et l’acceptation progressive du Canada aux enchères comme mécanisme d’assignation dans les années 1990. La recherche est basée sur des études historiques et des publications savantes, ainsi que des documents primaires du ministère de la Communication et Industrie Canada.


2010 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 27.1-27.24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Liana Tan ◽  
Gillian Wigglesworth ◽  
Neomy Storch

In today’s second language classrooms, students are often asked to work in pairs or small groups. Such collaboration can take place face-to-face, but now more often via computer mediated communication. This paper reports on a study which investigated the effect of the medium of communication on the nature of pair interaction. The study involved six pairs of beginner participants in a Chinese class completing seven different tasks. Each task was completed twice, once face to face (FTF), and once via computer mediated communication (CMC). All pair talk was audio recorded, and on-line communication was logged. Using Storch’s (2002) model of patterns of pair interaction, five patterns were identified: collaborative, cooperative, dominant/dominant, dominant/passive and expert/novice. The medium of communication was found to affect the pattern of interaction. In CMC some pairs became more collaborative, or cooperative. The implications of these findings for language teaching, particularly for the use of CMC in language classes, are discussed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document