2. Role of Communication
• Scholars that are studying the importance and prevalence of technology need to first examine
the role CMC has in the classroom. Principals reported that, “The major functions of
technology were communication, instruction, and data sharing and management”
(Waxman, 2013). Waxman and principals put communication first in the order because of how
integrated communication is with technology in today’s schools.
• Waxmans results show that there is a, “Significant positive correlation with net usage (how
frequently teachers and students used email and the internet) to communicate with one
another and student achievement” (Waxman, 2013). Communication has a clear presence in
schools from kindergarten to college.
• When Waxman asked principals what the main function of technology was in their schools
34.5% said that it was communication compared to only 9.7% who said it was for student
learning. (Waxman, 2013). Traditionally researchers believed that technology was used in the
classroom for student learning, but the statistics show us a different story.
• This is one example of how the state had to intervene with schools and CMC because the use
of CMC was getting out of hand. Fine line between Teacher and Student Communication
3. Role of Communication
• Technology and CMC can improve both the teaching and learning that is happening in schools
across all levels. "CMC is viewed as a major tool for building knowledge societies"
(Sangra, 2010). Using technology is also found to be a key factor in improving the quality of
education across many grade levels.
• CMC as been being integrated into classrooms across the world at a rapid pace. "Since the
1980's every regional authority has fostered several programs aiming at integrating CMC/ICT
into society, particularly, in education" (Sangra, 2010).
• When Sangra and his team conducted a study on the impacts and roles of technology in the
classroom they found that it was beneficial in many areas including, "Teaching and learning in
particular, those involving attention, perception, responding mechanisms, application of
learning, and understanding" (Sangra, 2010). They found that technological ways of
communicating and presenting material can be and is very beneficial to students and their
learning.
• They also conclude that the available technologies make the processes easier. They new
technology makes things "happen fast" (Sangra, 2010). This is that communication online can
happen at a much quicker pace then in person. For example a teacher can send multiple emails
in the same time that it would take him or her to meet with one student in their office.
4. How Students Communicate
with Students
• As technology is progressing at a rapid pace and teens are among the first to grasp the
new gadgets they develop new ways to communicate with each other so they can do
more in less time. Tabatabaei of Georgia Southern explores how students are
communicating with each other and how the dynamic of teamwork has changed. "The
advancement in technology has facilitated and impacted collaboration and
communication amongst members of the team who are in one location, i.e., co-
located, and can meet face-to-face" (Tabatabaei, 2013).
• Technology has provided people from all corners of the world the ability to work
together and this is exactly what is happening today in classrooms. "In general, the new
generation, i.e., the younger student, is more exposed to technology from early school
years and home computing." (Tabatabaei, 2013). Because students are so tech savvy this
allows them to utilize technology to their advantage when communicating with one
another.
5. How Students Communicate
with Students
• Teens now are more likely to text, facebook message, tweet, or call a friends
then ever before. With so many different mediums to communicate with one
another teens have created a somewhat ranking system of what type of CMC is
more formal. Many say that a facebook message is less formal then a text. A text
message is less formal then a phone call. Tabatabaei identifies 22 different forms
of CMC that are used by students today. They range from an email to second life.
(Tabatabaei, 2013). This is a blog that gives us advice on how students can better
communicate with each other Helping Students Communicate Blog.
6. How Students Communicate
with Students
• They also raise the question of why are some students not using technology to
communicate with one another. Their study found that 10% of students are still
unfamiliar with CMC's. They also found that, "Some students are not taking advantage
of their awareness and do not apply and use these in teamwork. One reason could be
that while students are aware of technology, they do not know how to apply and use
it"(Tabatabaei, 2013).
• Many study how adolescents communicate in general because students are bringing
their social habits into the classroom. Gross has found that, "boys and girls alike
described their online social interaction as occurring in private settings such as e-mail
and instant messages, with friends who are also part of their daily, offline lives, and
devoted to fairly ordinary yet intimate topics" (Gross, 2004). To see more information
on how students are communicating with one another here is a good blog to check
out Student Communication Blog
7. How Students Communicate
with Students
• Originally many teachers and parents thought that, "going online too often may lead children to
become isolated from other people" (Gross, 2004). What we have found since those initial concerns
suggests quite the opposite. However there have been many instances where technology has
caused people to isolate themselves, but the positive interactions far outweigh the negative ones
when it comes o CMC.
• "A comparison of time spent on the Internet overall vs. in specific domains suggests online
multitasking: the whole, in this case, is less than the sum of its parts" (Gross, 2004). This means that
multitasking online is infinitely easier then in person. This is because you can have numerous
conversations going on at once, while downloading a file, while listening to music, which scrolling
through your facebook news feed. Each of those activities may take upward of 10 minutes
individually but when done together you can get them all done in the same amount of time.
8. How Students Communicate
with Teachers
• Email is the most common way that a teacher would communicate with one of his or her
students."Students use e-mail to interact with their teachers to clarify course material
and procedures, as a means of efficient communication, and for personal/social reasons"
(Waldeck, 2001).
• This seems to ring true with my experience here at Denison. When I, or any other
student at Denison, have a question comment or concern about an assignment or topic
discussed in class it is very easy to shoot the professor an email trying to clear something
up. Emails may seem great at first glance but it also puts more pressure on teachers to
constantly check their email and reply within hours or receiving an email. "With e-
mail, students need not make an appointment, wait outside the teacher’s door, or
physically come to school in order to ask questions or seek assistance from the
instructor" (Waldweck, 2001).
9. How Students Communicate
with Teachers
• There are some negatives that come with this to because email blurs the line
between work and home life. This puts teachers under more pressure to be attached
to their smartphones or computers around the clock ready to reply.
• Using email to communicate with professors also gives students more confidence to
address a sensitive topic like a grade on a test (Waldweck, 2001). We haven't seen
other forms of CMC become popular between students and teachers. This is mainly
because email is universally viewed as the most formal form of CMC.
• Sometimes once a student has completed a course or year with a teacher then he or
she will 'friend' them on facebook or another SNS. "E-mail, and computer-mediated
communication (CMC) more generally, are also influencing education in the United
States. As a consequence, there is a growing interest among educators about the uses
and effectiveness of CMC as a pedagogical tool" (Lynne, 2001).
10. How Students Communicate
with Teachers
• In Lynne's study she recorded how many times a student communicates with
their teacher on average in a semester via email. She found that on average
students email their teachers 4.58 times a semester. (Lynne, 2001). She also
found that students significantly prefer to email their teachers. This could mean
multiple things. It could mean that students don't want to spend time to go
meet with their teacher or that they don't have the confidence to say what they
really feel. This is a website that talks in more depth about How Students
Communicate with Teachers. Either way, for better or worse, it is clear that
students would rather sit behind a screen and type to their professor then
converse with them.
11. Technology Gap Between
Students and Teachers
• In schools today it is clear that the students are more tech savvy then their
teachers. “Students report that there is a substantial disconnect between how
they use the Internet for school and how they use the Internet during the school
day under teacher direction” (Levin, 2002). Students report that they are using
different technologies at home and when they come to school the teachers are
having them use technologies that are out of date.
• Levin’s study also suggests that students want technology to have more of a
presence in their daily school routine. “Students urge schools to increase
significantly the quality of access to the Internet in schools” (Levin, 2002). It is
ever so clear that students are ahead of their teachers when it comes to
technology. When students are suggesting that more technology and Internet to
be available it is a sign that the educators need to step up to the plate.
• This is a video that gives students suggestions on how students can better
communicate with teacher. Better Communication in your school
