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Module 4: Listservs, Newsgroups and Forums

Readings

Internet Literacy, Chapters 7 and 8
Harris, J. (2000). Online to Learn or In Line with Standards? An Illusory Dilemma. Leading and Learning with Technology, 28(3), 10-15.
Fuller, H. L. (1996) Computer-Mediated Communications Networks and the Organizational Life of Schools. Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine. 3 (9). [Online]. Available http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1996/sep/fuller.html

Sumner, Mary R. (1997) Ethics Online. Educom Review. 31(4), 32-35. [Online]. Available http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/review/reviewarticles/31432.html

Listservs

Exploring listservs

If you've been working along with us so far, you've already participated in a listserv. So far the biggest advantage of the list over a simple address book group is that only I have to keep the addresses updated and all of you can participate by writing to a single address. Many schools are setting these up for themselves for all staff, for small groups of teachers or for communicating with parents.

This week and next you'll be exploring listservs that serve as broader discussion centers for people you wouldn't meet any other way or for groups who want to carry on asynchronous conversations. There are some sample listservs mentioned in the book. Use the links from the Interlit WebSite Chapter 7 to search for and explore a number of listservs. Search for some lists that match your interests and needs. Try subscribing to a few. Make sure you follow the directions in your text and on the web pages to subscribe.

Remember when you use a listserv, it is usually just a piece of software that is reading your e-mail request, so it can only follow precise directions.

For each list that you subscribe to, you will get an initial message that describes how to unsubscribe later on. Make sure to file this message carefully! This may be your only information about how to unsubscribe from the list.

Some of my favorites are Tourbus, BlueWeb'n and Lockergnome. You might want to try these as well as looking for your own. Another good place to find educational lists is Tammy Payton's summary.

Web-interfaces for Listservs

Previously all interaction with listservs (the software that runs a list) was via e-mail. Today, you can handle most of the subscribing, unsubscribing and customizing through a Web front end. That is, instead of sending out your subscription request or setting the options via e-mail, you can often do this simply using a web page. You did this when you subscribed to the class listserv at yahoogroups.com. Another, more inclusive site is Topica. Using this you can search for, subscribe to and read lists without using e-mail at all.

These two and others allow you to set up your own listservs. The one I prefer is Yahoogroups.com (formerly e-groups). You may want to try setting up your own list for friends, family or professional groups. If you haven't tried it yet, go to the YahooGroups site to see what other options are available. The first time you go to YahooGroups you will have to sign up to get a password even though you already are on our list. Once you've set up your password you'll see that it knows you are part of our group.

Newsgroups

Although newsgroups were a very popular way to exchange information, they are quickly being replaced by web front ends or web utilities. In the past year or so, these have gradually been dying out. As we moved from the text-based Internet to the Web DejaNews was founded specifically to help folks get easy access to newsgroups. Gradually the site was mainly taken up with web-based forums. Recently, Google bought Deja and is providing search access to years of newsgroup archives.

For our purposes, you should be aware of these, but they seem to be the preserve of only the most technical these days. You may want to try searching Usenet groups to see the kinds of information that is posted there. Just as with listservs, a web front end has been developed to take care of all of the technical problems of using newsgroups. The biggest difference between listservs and newsgroups is that listservs come to each user and the user must "go" to each newsgroup. With the web-based forums, you still "go" to the news but it's got an easier to manage front-end.

Web-based Threaded Messaging and Forums

When you use a listserv, you are using e-mail to communicate. When you use newsgroups, you need to have specialized news reader software (now part of your Web browser) or utilize a Web page interface. There is also a form of communication that uses only the Web to store messages. These forums provide a complete Web-interface and organize discusssions in threads the way newsgroups do. For an example of this, take a look at the "chatboards" at teachers.net. Notice how the messages are organized, much like in a newsgroup, but using different online tools to post and read the notes. This is the same kind of setup that is used at places like The Motley Fool for discussing stocks or Yahoo! Clubs for discussing almost anything.

Class Projects using E-mail only

Now that you've reviewed all of these means of online communication, it's time to focus on how these can be put to use in support of the curriculum. Judi Harris has organized many types of Internet-based curriculum models on her site, Virtual Architecture. Take a look at CHAPTER 2: In the Kitchen - Designs for Telecollaboration and Telepresence for numerous examples of how e-mail can be used in the curriculum. The following article also describes how to get started with these projects.

Harris, J. (2000). Online to Learn or In Line with Standards? An Illusory Dilemma. Leading and Learning with Technology, 28(3), 10-15.

At this point, the class is focusing on some of the tools that are available for using the Internet in the classroom. We'll return to this article later in the class as we start building curriculum projects. However, there are so many projects to explore from these pages that it won't hurt to get started now. If you are concerned that your students don't have e-mail addresses of their own, check out Gaggle.net. There you can set up addresses for all your students and specify who will be able to send mail to them.

Also, you'll want to reflect back on the Harnessing the Web article that we read in module 1 to formulate an overall picture of how the Internet is best utilized in your own classroom situation.

Related Assignments

Recommendations on listservs
Use the tools listed above or other resources to find several lists or forums to subscribe to. After participating in several listservs for at least several days and touring various forum, recommend two or three that would be useful to others in your field. Include either the URL or the information for subscribing to the list or forum and a brief rationale for your recommendations. Some you may find worthless right away because of the amount of traffic (too much or too little), others might not really discuss what you were looking for, and (hopefully) some will be very helpful. Your reports may encourage or discourage others from using each of your choices based on its usefulness as a tool for classroom teachers, but include at least one that you would recommend. So that we generate a rich list of useful lists for members of the class, you will only receive credit for lists that are not previously mentioned in the book or the Interlit site, in the syllabus or in the submissions prior to yours.

You should subscribe to several lists so that you'll have some to report on if your original choices don't pan out. Many lists are still on indexes but are no longer active.

Remember to use the suggested links in the syllabus as well as the tools on the Internet Literacy, chapter 7 page to find useful resources. If you search for lists at Topica or YahooGroups, you may find formal lists of professional groups; it's just as likely that you'll find lists that were created by some individual so the quality will vary greatly. Remember, that we are working as a class so don't recommend the same sources that others have already submitted or the ones that were already recommended in the syllabus or book.

You'll record these in the template and then publish the page to your own space. Just leave the URL to the page in the WebCT forum under the appropriate heading to indicate that you have completed this and so others can take a look. Notice, this assignment has an extended due date to give you time to get information back from your lists.
Recommendation on telecollaborative curriculum projects

Later, you'll be asked to recommend telecollaborative projects that would be appropriate for students in your target age level and curriculum area. For now, be on the lookout as you proceed through the readings. This assignment will be due after module 10.