Some background first... What are they?

Electronic bulletin boards (BBS), chat rooms, and listserv(e)s are the tools of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Though they certainly have uses in areas other than education, CMC tools provide the capability for learner-learner and learner-teacher interaction (Moore, 1994). That is, both the teacher and students interact with each other using these CMC tools rather than in a face-to-face (F2F) environment.

Given that teaching and learning occur between the teacher or more knowledegable other and the studentsin the F2F classroom, it seems reasonable to assume that CMC tools are incredibly important for interaction to occur between distance education (DE) students and the teacher in the online classroom. Secondly, given than many DE teachers do not produce much of their online course content, i.e., they have students access on-ground content instead, CMC tools are critically important for online mini-lectures, discussions, etc. Otherwise, students are forced to use other analog means of communication such as telephone, U.S. mail, etc.

Bulletin Boards

Let me see some examples...

References please!

Bulletin Boards (BBS)--- asynchronous environments that provide a means for students and teachers to discuss and collaborate ideas in text form through computers at different times and at different places.

How are they used?

• general public message
• small or large group discussions
• good for reflective thought
  

How bulletin boards (BBS) work?

This varys a little from BBS to the next, but generally web-based BBS require the students to go to a specific web address and log into the BB using a login/password.

Like classroom discussions, bulletin board discussions require some more knowledgeable other, e.g., teacher or tutor, to weave together students' responses and to provide closure on discussion topics.

Unlike classroom discussions, bulletin boards are said to provide a "leveling effect" in that both the class and race of participants is not overt, but anonymous.

*Note that some BBS allow students to reference images so that both images and text are viewable in the bb windows.

Chat Rooms

Let me see some examples...

Chat rooms-- synchronous environments that provides a means for students and teachers to discuss and collaborate ideas in text form using computers in REAL time but not necessarily in the same place.

How are they used?

How chat rooms work? This varys a little from one chat room to the next, but generally web-based chats require the students to go to a specific web address and log into the chat room using a login/password.

Prerequisite skills: For IRC chats, students need to have some familiarity with IRC command line interfaces, because they may have to type "text" commands in order to post information, etc., in chats. For web-based chats (more common now), students simply need to compose their chat comments and post them in the room.

Listserves

Let me see some examples...

Listserv(e)--an electronic mail environment that provides a means for teachers to communicate via electronic mailing lists

How are they used?

How listservs work? Students send an email to a specific email address with a pre-determined message, e.g., with the word subscribe typed either in the message or subject of the email. This action subscribes the student to the email mailing list. From then on, since they are subscribed to the list, they will receive any email sent to the list's address. When or if students decide to UNsubscribe from the list, e.g., at the end of the course, they may do so by sending a message to the list to unsubscribe. Particulars for subscribing and unsubscribing from lists vary from one listserv software to the next.

Prerequisite skills: students needs to be familiar with their own email software