Using E-Mail, Web Sites & Newsgroups to Enhance Traditional Classroom Instruction

New methods of communication are rapidly changing the fundamental shape of education. Computer programs have successfully replaced a significant portion of the time expended by an individual instructor in dissemination of basic information. Such programs might be as simple as instruction in the mechanics of typing or as complex as introductory computer science courses. Moreover, many institutions have set up distance learning programs to conserve the finite resources of higher education. Interactive television in special classrooms allows effective learning at sites far distant from the central campus, and transmitting data through the Internet enables virtually instantaneous interaction between instructor and student at any distance. Nevertheless, we have only begun to employ new technology in conventional classroom instruction. Despite the pervasiveness of communication networks outside of academe, many students -- especially those in the humanities and social sciences -- use computers only for word processing and games. Likewise, many instructors through fear, lethargy or ignorance retain the teaching methods of yesteryear. Yet within a few hours, any teacher can learn the basic technology to communicate with students in new powerful and efficient ways. Trio Matches Teachers' Tasks Not simply an alternative to personal interaction of instructor and student, communication technology can serve as an extension of traditional classroom instruction. A computer network can enhance the three major activities of all teachers: to counsel students individually, to deliver general information (a lecture), and to encourage class discussion. First, e-mail provides extended opportunities for personal counseling. Not only can instructors choose to make themselves available to their students at any time but they also have an electronic record of all such transactions. Second, a Web site may deliver general knowledge more effectively than a lecture. Access to precise information on a home page eliminates the distortion that taking written notes in class inevitably introduces. Third, a local newsgroup introduces a powerful new form of class interaction totally impossible in earlier times. Students reluctant to participate in a traditional class discussion may contribute extensively to a newsgroup. Ideally, teachers will incorporate all these new methods of electronic interaction seamlessly into the usual pattern of lecture and discussion in regular class meetings. When the technology becomes invisible, both student and instructor can concentrate on the specific content of the course. Tips for Basic Ground Rules Neither instructor nor student needs more than a bare minimum of technological knowledge for such a course. Instructors must first have an account with the institutional network to establish an e-mail address. Many faculty members already avail themselves of this service, of course. A program like Eudora or Claris Emailer will provide the means to organize notes from students as they come in throughout the term. Second, the instructor needs to create a site for a home page. A basic knowledge of HTML programming or software such as Adobe PageMill will allow the teacher to add information here as the term progresses. Third, the instructor needs to request the establishment of a newsgroup at the appropriate computer center of the institution. Fifteen minutes of instruction in the use of a newsreader such as tin (UNIX) or Netscape Navigator are adequate for all but the most technologically-challenged of teachers to employ this resource effectively. The success of using communication technology in class depends on the swift and uniform introduction of all students to this form of interaction. Any student lacking access to the network labors under a real disadvantage relative to other students regarding general course policies, assignments and lecture information, and such a student cannot participate in the class newsgroup at all. …