Communication and collaboration on the Internet |
E-mail is the preferred form of communication for many people collaborating across firms, regions and countries. The advertising agent, for instance, mails a draft copy to the customer; the consultant sends a report electronically to the project group; the secretary mails the minutes of a meeting to the board of directors, and every day thousands of people send their orders to the world’s largest bookshop on the Internet. Because it is possible to send the same e-mail to several people at the same time, and because one can attach files of any type to an e-mail message, it is a form of communication that is well suited for people who collaborate on common projects. E-mail, SMS and other new technologies have changed not just the way we collaborate, but also the way we communicate and behave. New technologies allow us to create new kinds of communities. You may have heard about MySpace and Blogger. Here people may present themselves, their views or interests. Other people may read or comment on their presentations. The module deals with communication and collaboration in general. Many new modes of communication have arisen - and most of them are heavily used by the students outside an educational context. The module explores how these tools can be utilised in teaching and learning. |
