Computer Mediated Communication for Learning and Teaching: an Analysis

By giving us greater control over information, we, as teachers and learners, can be released from many of the daily mundane tasks in order to pursue more complex tasks, by using the computer as an analytical and synthetic medium. Yet, ironically, this leads many of us to see computer technology as a threat. Many of us who have spent our lives with face-to-face education have a similar view towards the computer, as did my grandmother to the telephone. She wouldn't speak to anyone she couldn't see. In this paper we examine the relationship between computer-mediated-communication (c-m-c) and teaching/learning. We identify the strengths and weaknesses of asynchronous c-m-c, reflect on the relationships of students learning via computer mediation, and conclude with pedagogical insights as to the value of electronic, asynchronous communication.