Adult Communication Management in InterPersonal Relationships Assignment Dianne Allen Improving My Interactions in CMC

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IMPROVING MY INTERACTIONS IN COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATIONS

Dianne Allen, 2003

Contents
IMPROVING MY INTERACTIONS IN COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATIONS .... 1 Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Title: ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Introductory Remarks: ................................................................................................................ 2 What is the present nature of my interactions in CMC? ............................................................. 3 Summary of Prior Experience ................................................................................................. 3 Review of Experience: ............................................................................................................ 4 How do I currently understand communication? .................................................................... 5 What does the current literature suggest is the nature of presence, and presence in CMC? ....... 7 Literature description of the nature of adult communication management ............................ 7 Literature of 'presence' in adult communication management ................................................ 8 Heron and 'presence' for facilitation ....................................................................................... 9 The nature of a community of practice ................................................................................. 10 'Presence' in CMC How I understand the current literature ............................................... 12 Converging on Guidelines to Improve My Practice ................................................................. 16 Bibliography: ............................................................................................................................ 18 Annotated Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 20

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Abstract This paper explores personal experience (1984-2003) with Computer Mediated Communications (CMC) in the light of studies in Adult Communication Management, elements of 'presence' in CMC, Wenger's concept of 'community of practice' and Heron's concept of 'presence - being there'. The self-study, to consider 'How do I improve ...' , draws out suggestions for improving presence in a CMC context related to: extending social presence, attentiveness by way of immediacy, and quality by way of authenticity. Developing any virtual community of practice appears to be a long term endeavour where encouraging the interactivity of others will be a key task for any community moderator. Title: How do I improve1 my interactions in Computer Mediated Communications to contribute to the development of a community of practice? Introductory Remarks: I am a professional practitioner, living outside the metropolitan area, and convinced that professional development is something that is both my responsibility, and needs the inputs of peers. With this in mind I have been exploring involvement in computer mediated communications (CMC) as a possible base for the development of a community of practice ((Wenger 1998) concept) a group of peers providing peer support for the development of practice. The following study explores an aspect of engagement in CMC that of presence and considers how I might use a more developed understanding of presence to improve my CMC. I look firstly at describing my experience and converged understanding of issues in CMC as a base for community of practice activities. I also document my presently understood mental model of communication. Next, I attend to the documented findings of other practitioners as represented by the literature, moving from the broad study of adult communication management issues into the specific study of presence in CMC. As I am looking at how to improve my contributions, I also note on the way: Herons view about presence in the role of facilitation of group interactions and learning (Heron 1999) and Wengers concept of community of practice. Finally I undertake some analysis of my current practice. This practice, in keeping with the most widely available, independent operator level of personal computer technology, is primarily text-based. I endeavour to look my practice at its intentional and unintentional levels, seeking to identify ways in which I may make informed changes to that practice.

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What is the present nature of my interactions in CMC? In considering How do I improve ?, I understand the first step to be one of self-awareness and self-assessment (Whetten and Cameron 1995). What am I doing now? What is good about that, what is not so good about that? How am I thinking about what I am doing? It is taking a benchmark of current practice. Current practice is informed by the nature and extent of prior practice experience, so: I summarise, in list form, my apprehended experience in CMC, and my involvement in trying to contribute to a community of practice. Experience needs to be reflected on to learn from (Boud, Keogh et al. 1985; Boud, Cohen et al. 1993), so: I present my current converging of issues from that experience, identifying the aspects of practice that I might want to focus on, in order to consider change in, and intentional activity to improve, my practice. Action (or practice) is also informed by thinking, or mental models (Argyris and Schon 1974; Heron 1999). Mental models are of two varieties espoused and theories in use (Argyris and Schon 1974; Argyris 1993). I present my current understanding of communication in order to start the process of considering how that understanding is (theory-in-use), or is not (espoused theory), expressed my practice of CMC. Summary of Prior Experience My involvement in CMC at this stage is of nearly twenty years standing 2. Within that time there has been some five years of relatively intensive and diverse activity, endeavouring to operate in and/or develop a community of practice. Some of the milestones and variant modes include:
First usages of PC: 1984 learning to use a PC word processing; - professional usage legible text for multiple copies, for hardcopy records to support in-time, face-to-face staff sessions, procedures, memos council reports newsletters with visuals time taken to control it to do what I wanted to do other software spreadsheets and graphs -> visuals of numeric data, trends letters to correspondents overseas multiple correspondents, basically one-way communication to keep them in touch with Australian news and Christian issues input the family/friends annual newsletter

The question form How do I improve is from Jack Whiteheads process for Living Educational Theory. The set of questions is: 1. How do I improve my practice? 2. How do I help you improve your learning? 3. How do I live my values more fully in my practice? http://www.bath.ac.uk/~edsajw/ 2 In my first round of drafting I started this at the five years mark. As I review my drafting I elaborate, and qualify. In this instance the qualification is the realization that my engagement in CMC is longer than the just recent. This highlights again for me how we take for granted, overlook, the time taken to develop a literacy, in this case computer mediated literacy. Extending this thought is the point that my learning of communication, unmediated or mediated is 57 years added to the learning handed down to me by the teaching of others building, hopefully, on the wisdom of the ages.

Adult Communication Management in InterPersonal Relationships Assignment Dianne Allen p.4 Improving My Interactions in CMC SCC council wide system - ?1996 or before then, common files; then the groupwise operation Starting to engage more significantly in CMC with peers outside of a face-to-face working context Email one-on-one: 1998 to present Maillists in plain text for professional concerns, 1999 to present: ARLIST, ACTLIST, ARMNET, MONTESSORI Maillists associated with structured coursework, 2000-2001: UTS Research Perspectives, UTS Research Method and Design, 2000; AREOL, 2000-2001; Tapped In 2000 to present, chat with MOO/MUVE, arranged chat seminar sessions for teachers GEN (Global Educators Network) 2000, threaded discussion, multiple concurrent discussions, time-limited topical discussions, web-based Administration of peer student maillists with UTS, 2001 to present: CAE-IG; UDR-IG Web-based portals associated with structured coursework, 2001 to present: UoW WebCT for Advanced Qualitative Research Methods, 2001; UTS Blackboard Understanding Learning in Higher and Professional Education, 2002; UTS Blackboard Adult Communication Management, 2003; UoW WebCT EDUT-422 Reflective Practice, 2003 Reply-to-all email communications in a professional setting CultureShift 2001-present Web-based interface Community Zero 2002 Tapped In 2 2003 to present

Review of Experience: From this experience I have the following converged view of CMC and my engagement in it:
Obviously I have to take some initiative to engage, or I wouldnt be involved in communicating in this way at all, but compared to others I am not the initiator of the context of interaction or the substance and style of the interaction I respond to a formal request to engage Responses to my introductory engagements have led to some ongoing responsive interactions which have been useful, but which have not developed into a significant, sustained, longstanding mutual engagement Reviewing these engagements indicates that there has been a significant difference in the focus of our interests with substance There is a significant impact from personal trajectories work commitments, or family commitments intrude and the interaction breaks down, or loses its intensity for a season The review poses the following questions: Am I usually the respondent?; When others dont initiate, or when others stop responding, does the communication fall to the ground?; Out of how many more than 3 responsive interchanges have I failed to respond and it has been my silence that has closed?; How often have I followed up a silence?; How often have I initiated a new round of communications? What happens in non-CMC that develops a responsive, significant, sustained, longstanding mutual engagement? I tend to watch the activities of others and engage when I think I have something to contribute ARLIST and summarizing and apparently closing down discussion A real interaction develops around real/authentic/need to know questions and the peer exchange to provide answers There is a natural difference between course material discussion and practice discussions Course Discussions: Access to technology is still a problem for course involvement Reliability of technology is still a problem, with the concomitant issue access to support when there is a technical failure Early enthusiasm, later drop-off (cf (Swann 1997-1999)) The imposter syndrome (Brookfield 1991) The carrot of assessment -> strategic only enough to get assessment Time Dilemma of diversity (cf (Swann 1997-1999)) Lurking essentially no different from in-class face-to-face behavior; listening can be an active learning process/strategy; being there physically does not guarantee capacity to engage with the

Adult Communication Management in InterPersonal Relationships Assignment Dianne Allen p.5 Improving My Interactions in CMC cognitive; in on-line environment it becomes obvious/explicit (and as such can challenge the tutors experience/perception of their own competence/ course effectiveness) (cf (Swann 1997-1999)) Practice discussions Academic orientation Impact of phase of development (cf (Swann 1997-1999)) Dilemma of diversity (cf (Swann 1997-1999)) Online one-to-many process and Online one-to-one process (effectively invisible) dilemma Time, as a factor and comparisons with face-to-face interactions and time By comparison with the spoken and synchronous interactions, face-to-face, the CMC seems to need more time eg physically constructing the text to send (typing speed; permanency of record and need then to attend to what is said and how) We do not appreciate what we take for granted investment in training of course presenter, and their communication skills in the face-to-face context, and adequate and appropriate resources for face-to-face; what equivalent investment is needed to prepare for the more limited CMC; - what is involved in learning to interact at the face-to-face spoken level skillfully and what might need to be an equivalent investment of time and effort to learn to interact in the limited CMC environment (cf (Sawchuck 2002?)) Limitations of chat compared with threaded discussion text (cf (Swann 1997-1999)) Engaging, motivating aspect of immediacy of chat compared with threaded discussion text (cf (McConnell and Hammond 1997; Walther 1999)) Significance of immediacy and short time lapses for responses and responsiveness (cf (Liu and Ginther 2001)) When I have (or have taken up a role with) a formal responsibility to initiate, I have initiated, but the level of that initiative does not include enough of the social for others to feel comfortable with engaging, and I have actively relied on input of other personality styles to complement my inputs, and I have become more aware of how significant this is Teaching Managing Team discussions chairing Public speaking What of these expectations are realistic?; How do they compare to face-to-face interactions?; How do they compare to other textually based mediated communications letter writing; Christmas cards?

How do I currently understand communication? As I think about it, I would analyse communication as something that happens along a spectrum range: Starting with all relevant components in place; with elements of sensory capacity gradually withdrawn, and/or time constraint Face-to-face, spoken, synchronous engagement with extended periods of time available and a developed relationship, with access to the non-verbal and body language; repeated instances of over a long time frame Face-to-face, spoken, synchronous engagement with extended periods of time available and a developed relationship, with access to the non-verbal and body language Face-to-face, spoken, synchronous engagement with a limited time frame at one or both respondents disposal (the engagement chat at church) Spoken synchronous engagement with an open period of time available and a developed relationship the phone conversation, access to nonverbal of the spoken: pace, tone, emphasis; repeated instances over a long time frame Spoken synchronous engagement with an open period of time available and a developed relationship the phone conversation, access to nonverbal of the spoken: pace, tone, emphasis Spoken synchronous engagement with limited time and developed relationship Spoken synchronous engagement with undeveloped relationship (and Bill and selling videos from Melbourne and the development of that relationship)

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Spoken synchronous engagement with undeveloped relationship and task orientation and no expectation of future relationship Written relationship, synchronous chat Written relationship, asynchronous letter writing, handwriting, capacity of paper form to have other elements of emphasis, of expression Written relationship, asynchronous computer mediated other paper-based modes of expression limited by limitations of computer mediation familiarity with software, with other capacities of the medium and their relative development diagram, web, pictorial, synchronous audio, synchronous audio and video

Converging, using other categories, suggests that communication is the complex of: Social humans are relational beings, there is a compulsion /need to communicate with some others at some stages to have that sense of value to make the effort of living worthwhile Reciprocity and development of mutuality of interactions both want to; both prepared to work at; both capable of initiating; both have sense of gain from; both have a sense of equity of reciprocity Meaning: effort in communication is for a purpose Language or other symbolic interchange: culturally constructed understandings of meaning Visual: facial, bodily positioning and movement; textual can replace aural (experience of deaf, experience of the tyranny of distance); tactile can replace visual (experience of the blind Braille, and deaf and blind Helen Keller) Aural: text in a certain language, volume, pitch, tone, pacing, emphasis; visual symbols can replace aural (experience of deaf signing language) Particular relevance to current life interests and needs (value; benefits equate to investment of effort) There are limitations to communication as each of these factors is cut out: visual, auditory, language, meaning, particular relevance to current life interests and needs (value), reciprocity and mutuality other/social. Social of face-to-face, proxemics; socialized responsiveness; stranger friend difference Non-verbal of face-to-face: proxemics and capacity to move closer, further away (the socially acceptable squash without developed communication that occurs in a train); gesture of body language facial and non-facial; total of body and kinesthetics; tone, pace, emphasis etc of aural available Temporal synchronous, asynchronous Temporal the synchronous is unlimited, limited Temporal later re-engagements, frequency and depth The level of communication tends to develop over time, with multiple interactions that provide multiple kinds of feedback through ongoing responses and build commonality of perception between the communicating parties. The development of level of communication can be either positive or negative. It is part of a reinforcing system.

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What does the current literature suggest is the nature of presence, and presence in CMC? The overall focus of this desktop investigation is on the nature of presence as expressed and expressible in textually based CMC, for the purposes of contributing to the building of a community of practice. I always find it important, as well as useful, to place the particular into its context the more general, big picture. So the following excursion into the literature the documented findings of peer practitioners with similar concerns goes from the broader view of what is currently understood to be the nature of adult communication management and then moves, by stages, to the understood nature of presence in CMC. Along the way I also note the work of Heron as he contributes to my understanding of presence for facilitation of group learning, and of Wenger for a clearer review of just what is meant by community of practice, since my focus, in how do I improve , will be directed at those two aspects of my intentional practice. Literature description of the nature of adult communication management My understanding of communication, as informed by my most recent revisiting of the issue, and attention to the literature, can be summarized as follows: Communication is more than the simple analysis of sender-medium-receiver would suggest. (Chandler 1994; Kaye 1994; Reynolds 1997) Communication relies on interpretation for meaning (Chandler 1994; Hargie 1996; Griffin 2000). Communication is an interactive system where meaning-making of sender engages the meaning making of the receiver who gives feedback of a meaningful nature to the sender so that there is an escalation of more and more meaning OR more and more misunderstanding and a breakdown of communication (O'Connor and McDermott 1997; Taylor 2000) In any communication to which another responds there is selective attention that determines engagement (Marton and Booth 1997; Bowden and Marton 1998). This may mean that a lot of what is initiated proves to be redundant (Bateson 1972; Hargie 1996). However, without previous interactions there is no predicting what might be relevant, so redundancy has a purpose providing multiple inputs from which a respondent can choose what is then mutually relevant to interact with. In those multiple inputs there may be a preference for the visual, the auditory, the social, the embodied, the language, the meaning content. (Gardner 1993; Briggs Myers, McCauley et al. 1998) In any communication there is content, context, and multiple processes (visual, auditory, gesture, tone, pace, text and its meaning, hearing, listening to engage with meaning making) (Kaye 1994; Hargie 1996)

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In much of communication the motivation, and selection of content, is news from Montessori communication is the end process of learning learning produces something which is for the learner new and that excites them to communicate that with another (Lillard 1996) There are elements of reciprocity/mutuality in receipt of message, in sending of message, in its content, in its context, in its affect empathy (Kaye 1994; Hargie 1996) For feeling/affect being the ground of activity (Herons analysis) which then leads to the imaginal the presentation aspect where more and more of the body is mobilized in order to convey the message so we have presence, and we have presentation messages (Rozelle, Druckman et al. 1997; Heron 1999) We cannot not communicate we are relational beings (Kaye 1994). We cannot not communicate. If we are there, with another, there are signals that another can interpret. Silence and non-movement is interpreted to tell us that the other does not wish to communicate! Movement is noticed and interpreted to indicate willingness or not to engage in communication. Our attention to anothers silence and movement is an initiative in communication whether it leads to any development of communication is up to the other party. There is active and inadvertent ignoring of the other that conveys information about willingness to engage in communication. In trying to establish and manage a relationship the aim of communication is to develop to the appropriate level of intimacy so that the relationship can be developed for continuity (Kaye 1994). Why do we keep on with a relationship? It depends on our needs that are met by the other in relationship (Hargie 1996). All need some relationship. We cannot develop every relationship to the same level. This leads us, in considering the issue of community of practice to the question: What is the nature of relationship that is necessary for/ appropriate to a community of practice?

Literature of 'presence' in adult communication management Focusing on presence as an aspect of adult communication and its management, I find that most discussion of it falls into the area of non-verbal behaviour which we interpret to have communicative meaning, impinging on the personal and interpersonal interaction (Rozelle, Druckman et al. 1997). Rozelle seeks to identify it within the frame of skilled performance. If that is the case, then it can be learned, it can be changed. The caveat is that, to the extent that presence is part of holism and consistency (often covered by the use of the concepts of style and inherent characteristics, as has also been noted by Rozelle to be acknowledged in the literature) change is not going to be quick or easy, and may require something like Mezirows meaning perspective transformation (Mezirow 1991).

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Heron and 'presence' for facilitation3

As I read and understand Herons work on the facilitation of group work, including collaborative learning and inquiry, there are two approaches to presence (Heron 1999). There is the more usual understanding that which in its most developed form often goes by the term of personal charisma. The second comes from my understanding of Herons analysis of the hierarchy of psychological modes grounding action.

Heron speaks of the affect being the base of his hierarchy of psychological modes, the imaginal the next level, the conceptual the third level, and the practical the apex. For Heron, the effectiveness of an action depends on the quality of the affect in which it is grounded, the quality of the imaginal by which it is able to be presented, and the quality of the conceptual by which it may be understood and explained. The nature of an action, its quality, feeds back into the affect by way of the feeling we have about it and through it: satisfaction, joy, efficacy, (or the reverse) and the up-hierarchy and the cycling proceed. Within the imaginal level, intuition operates for the individuating aspect, and imagery for the participating aspect. Within the usual designations of imagery - pictures, graphics, story, myth, drama, metaphor, analogy, poetry Heron includes the range of perception, memory and imagination with the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile. The combination of the usual designations with the perceptual generates imaginal instances associated with role play, dramaturgy, caricature, cases, demonstrations. In these latter instances the whole person is engaged in making some sort of living presentation of what they understand to be operating in the instance they are trying to convey. This living presentation capacity is part of the presence of a person, and is especially significant in the practice of a facilitator.

A facilitator looking to improve their practice will be one who is seeking to develop and use their personal charisma in the expression of their facilitative role, to enhance engagement with others, and some of that will include the development of their capacities to convey information by way of their presentation of the imaginal. Heron enunciates that the active charisma is an expression

I note that in this section I hang on to Herons terms, some of which are relatively obscure to me: psychological modes, affect, imaginal, up-hierarchy. I am still trying to understand these concepts as Heron seeks to communicate them to me. I would note that my capacity to learn from anothers written text, when cut off from live interactivity and feedback, is limited by my tendency to take their words for their categories and use them as I understand them, for the things that I would categorise that way. This is one source of socio-linguistic distortion Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. , and misunderstanding. It also tends to make this writing look and feel relatively unprocessed. I concede that it is not yet my conceptualizing and my own language. I have more work to do on it. I present it in

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of the affective in presence. In his pattern of hierarchies, one channel in which affect is expressed is voice (presentation), the next level is language (conceptual), to achieve purpose (practical). Herons analysis of facilitation of learning also enunciates the need for the aware operation of facilitative activities like planning, meaning, confronting, feeling, structuring and valuing, through three levels of expression of power: hierarchy; cooperation; autonomy. A facilitators presence and concomitant presentation will either enhance or limit their effectiveness in these various activities. The most frequent mode of diminished learning operations is the exercise of unaware presence and its power constructs in the hierarchical mode. However, unaware presence and presentational competence is also disempowering in the cooperative and autonomous levels of operation, and perhaps is more disempowering since it tends to generate dissonance of action and the espoused intentions of cooperation or autonomy.

The nature of a community of practice The concept of community of practice is associated with Wenger and the issue of situated learning, and learning from lived experience (Wenger 1998). As a concept, it honours the informal learning pole compared with formalized learning of educational institutions, and the social pole as distinct from the individual pole4. As a concept it has a certain standing and currency5. Within Wengers frame of social studies, he sees learning as a social activity, where social participation is a process of learning and knowing. In Wengers conceptualizing, learning has four components: learning associated with community, with identity, with meaning, with
this form in order to honour Herons language give him his voice - but also to keep the fact of the further work that I need to do with the concepts, before me. 4 For this bipolar analysis of learning, especially for continuing professional development, see Baskett, H. K. M. and V. Marsick, Eds. (1992). Professionals' Ways of Knowing: New Findings on How to Improve Professional Education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, Number 55. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. . Their six bipolar dimensions are: Individual/Collective; Rational/Intuitive; Cognitive/Emotional; Routine/NonRoutine; Formal/Informal; Scientific/Constructed 5 I would note that like other concepts: reflective practice Schon, D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner. New York, Basic Books. , and the learning organisation Argyris, C. and D. A. Schon (1978). Organisational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective. Reading, Mass., Addison-Wesley. Argyris, C. and D. A. Schon (1996). Organisational Learning II: Theory, Method, and Practice. Reading, Mass., Addison-Wesley. , a concept like community of practice tends to get hijacked and overloaded. The concepts have a ring of relatability, and truth-telling, for those in the field. But we read these terms with the meaning that we have of the words that make up the terms. Their meaning is then our understanding rather than what the authors tried to communicate. Eventually, their usage becomes so broad as to be meaningless, becoming almost all things to all men.

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practice. These three components have particular forms: with community it is learning as belonging; with identity it is learning as becoming; with meaning learning as experience; with practice learning as doing. Given this definition, Wenger points out that we all are members of a whole host of communities of practice: at home, in the workplace, at an educational institution, in our leisure pursuits. We are also members of several different communities of practice concurrently, and we move in and out of different communities of practice consecutively. Wengers concept has been taken and used to particularly apply for situations where there is common ground of professional interests for a group of professionals, and to describe peer learning in that context (for example EDUCAUSE http://www.educause.edu/nlii/keythemes/VirtualCommunities.asp). However, as I reconsider Wengers concept in the light of the literature of communication, and as I review the context in which Wenger sought ethnographic confirmation and description for his own experience, I am reminded that the context of any communication is significant (Kaye 1994), and from time to time, if we are not to get caught up in conclusions that lack ecological validity, the detail and specifics of that context needs to be foregrounded. Wengers ethnographic description of an instance of community of practice developed from the investigation of a complex that is an established workplace, with a range of interlocking roles, and specialties of different skills bases, and this I believe has implications for its application elsewhere.

As I foreground that context, I am prompted to ask: What is the nature of the community of practice that I wish to engage with? What is the nature of the improvement of the contribution that I wish to make? Compared with the actual community of practice that illustrates Wengers conceptualizing, and some commentators focus on task-orientation (cf (Walther 1999)), the projections of the potential efficacy of a community of practice may well be just that: projections. What actually happens in those high-performing Dionysian organizations in the long run? Is the experience that in time most organisations tend toward less efficiency (in task terms) an expression that for humans, task alone is not enough? That to actually operate efficiently, into the long term, an organization needs to have structures and processes that balance task with internal personal comfortableness?

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'Presence' in CMC How I understand the current literature Lombard and Dittons Literature Survey A significant contribution to my understanding of presence, and in CMC, comes from Lombard and Dittons analysis in At the Heart of It All: The Concept of Presence (Lombard and Ditton 1997). While at first blush the article deals with aspects of CMC which are not my particular concern, the apparent unrelatedness, by stimulating difference with my focus, has given me pause to think about the fundamentals of the presence I wish to improve in my CMC (Marton and Booth 1997; Marton and Trigwell 2000). The intent of Lombard and Ditton in their analysis is to help the field scope the issues of presence in CMC in preparation for further investigation, and clearly it does this and particularly for any future empirico-analytic approaches to such inquiry. The following summarizes the thrust of their analysis 6: The first task Lombard and Ditton undertake is to review the concept of presence for technologically mediated communication as it is used in the literature. They note six main conceptualizations: presence as social richness, presence as realism, presence as transportation, presence as immersion, presence as social actor within medium, and presence as medium as social actor. They then gather from these conceptualizations a definition of presence that they wish to focus on - presence: the perceptual illusion of nonmediation. They indicate that, by this definition, presence is something experienced by a person and so it cannot exist unless a person is using a medium. Further, in this definition, presence is a property of a person, and, as with all communication which is basically an interactive activity, presence results from an interaction amongst the formal and content characteristics of a medium and characteristics of the media user. With this focus in place, Lombard and Dittons analysis now surveys the literature for indications of the current understanding of what causes this kind of presence, expressed firstly as an invisible medium, and then secondly as a transformed medium. Within these two categories their analysis gathers together aspects of form variables, content variables, and media user

While the summary following looks like a listing from the headings and subheadings, and could have been simply developed by a transcribing process, it actually constitutes an appreciation of learning to read that has developed recently in my processes of learning to write for academic purposes. Normally I read from go to woe. And this is what I did with the first read of this article. At my second or third round of reading, I started to use the article as a stimulus to my thinking. Then before I got too far into the detail I appreciated that I needed to have a big picture of the whole analysis. This alerted me to the use of the written structure sections, subsections and elements highlighting as a tool in presenting the analysis, and especially indicating the categories used in the convergence

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variables. For the issue of causes of presence as invisible medium the form variables are identified as: numbers and consistency of sensory outputs, visual display characteristics (image quality, image size, image size and viewing distance proportion of visual field, motion and color, dimensionality, camera techniques), aural presentation characteristics, stimuli for other senses, interactivity, obtrusiveness of medium, live versus recorded or constructed experience, number of people. The content variables are identified as: social realism, use of media conventions, nature of task or activity. Under media user variables the analysis identifies: willingness to suspend disbelief, knowledge of and prior experience with the medium, other user variables. For the issue of causes of presence as transformed medium, the form variables are identified as: interactivity, use of voice, medium size and shape; while the content variables are identified as: social realism, use of media conventions, nature of task or activity; and the media user variables are: knowledge of an prior experience with the medium, other user variables. The next stage of Lombard and Dittons analysis considers the effects of presence as an invisible medium, at firstly a physiological and then a psychological level. The analysis then focuses briefly on the effects of presence as a transformed medium at a psychological level. Presence as an invisible medium is shown to have impacts on physiology by way of: arousal, vection and simulation sickness, and other physiological effects associated with automatic responses to the perception of movement and potential danger. Presence as an invisible medium is shown to have various psychological impacts: enjoyment, involvement, task performance, skills training, desensitization, persuasion, memory and social adjustment, parasocial interaction and relationships.

From their analysis, I converge three main implications for improving presence in CMC: (1) the level of authenticity in the communication presence is enhanced by the closeness of the perceptual cues given by the medium to the users normal/unmediated experience of the world; (2) presence is part of the personal so presence in CMC will be enhanced by the authenticity of the personal expressed by the parties to the interaction; (3) presence is interactive, as indeed communication is interactive so unless there is interaction there is no effective presence, no effective communication, and the quality of the interactivity will determine the sense of presence, the quality of the communication.

process. This awareness of structuring has helped me discern the process and frame of the analysis and its subsequent reporting.

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While Lombard and Dittons analysis is firmly placed in the empirico-analytic research perspective, my personal meaning perspective is more oriented to the social constructivist view of the world. Consequently, I find that I respond to this survey by becoming more explicit about my understanding of the perceptual, and reality and illusion, and noting that my understanding is such that there is a permeability of boundaries between the perceptual and the experience of reality and illusion. This permeability is most noticeable in our human tendency for the exercise of imagination and anthropomorphism, which, full fledged, tends to attribute the qualities of social entity to phenomena that are not inherently living and human and social. It is this tendency which allows presence to be attributed in distanced and mediated communicative processes. It is this tendency that makes possible any, all communications that are not face to face, synchronous and colocational. It is this tendency that has developed in us, over time, mechanisms to break the bounds of location and time and generate, in literature and other aesthetics pursuits, in love-letters and other emblems of our affections, means of being taken out of ourselves, our place, our times, into the presence of the experience of others in other places, times and psychological and/or spiritual circumstances. This adaptability can be mobilized in the interests of developing community of practice, if there is the intent to do so. My response to Lombard and Dittons perspective also means that I am not convinced that the kind of investigations that they suggest are needed, are likely to lead to improved effectiveness of presence in CMC (cf (Argyris 1993) view on the contradictions of rigorous research within the human change field). I doubt that effort in that kind of investigation is likely to produce better results than those already obtained by the artists, dramatists and designers who use their current trial-and-error, lore, and seat of the pants exploration practices as they engage with these issues. It is my view that their practice of aesthetic appreciation of the visual, aural, social, perceptual, psychological and the spiritual, operating in multiple, concurrent evaluations, of the complex that is human interaction/ communication is delivering effective CMC with high levels of presence. (This, at least, is how I read and understand Schons analysis of the practice of design that is implicit in any mindful, intentional activity (Schon 1983).)

Other Adult Learning Oriented CMC Literature It is my perception that the current literature of presence in CMC does not provide a great deal of guidance for the task of improving my practice. As Lombard and Ditton point out the study of presence in CMC is currently in its infancy. Consequently some writers provide lists of techniques to manage impressions (Liu and Ginther 2001). Many of the early studies relate to

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applications in higher education contexts (McConnell and Hammond 1997; Swann 1997-1999; Leh 2001; Schweizer, Paechter et al. 2001). The application of indicators of efficacy from these studies may well be flawed by the way such activity is locked in with formal assessment regimes. There are some studies that deal with applications in the workplace (Walther 1999; Sawchuck 2002?). The applications studied in both higher education and the workplace are notable for their brevity most studies included in my survey cover interactions for specific foci, and of not much more than a months duration (McConnell and Hammond 1997; Swann 19971999; Schweizer, Paechter et al. 2001; Sawchuck 2002?). This is understandable given some of the relative newness of the field. But it means that extrapolating from present findings to something like an ongoing community of practice may be risky.

Walther, in a review of the research literature, focuses on the extent to which visual cues are important, and in what way important in relation to the objectives of the communication. In this review he has helpfully pointed out that some studies associated with workplace applications are projective research what players in the field, particularly managers, project will be the case while others are observational, and that the findings of the observational studies do not support the projections (Walther 1999). Further, in this review he seeks to explore some of the issues of social presence theory and the implications of reduced channels of information in CMC compared to face-to-face interactions. His critique canvases the capacity of humans to adapt, to make the most of any limitations. In that context, he sees limited value in trying to enhance the technology to include the visuals needed to enable the personal elements of social presence to be available in synchronous communications. Indeed, he points out some of the ways in which the personal information associated with social presence can inhibit interactivity, by generating intrusive, irrelevant and culturally normed attributions. He also notes how in any communication we actively strive to achieve the elements of privacy and controlled disclosure (cf also Luft's concept of the Johari window (Luft 1984)).

Other highlights from the literature which inform my current inquiry include: The level of online presence required and the commitment of time associated (McConnell and Hammond 1997; Swann 1997-1999; Walther 1999; Sawchuck 2002?) Proper appreciation of the complexity of communication associated with the limited channels and the effort required to deal with those limitations (Walther 1999; Sawchuck 2002?)

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The communication issues of CMC are as much affected by the 'cultural' of all communicative activities7 as they are by the technology - so improving communications is a liveware problem (McConnell and Hammond 1997; Walther 1999; Sawchuck 2002?)

There are gains to be had from working on social presence in CMC (Walther 1999; Liu and Ginther 2001; Schweizer, Paechter et al. 2001; Sawchuck 2002?) One of the significant aspects of social presence is the nature of the immediacy of the interactivity which indicates mutual attention and engagement with the communication, or the absence of that reciprocity (Walther 1999)

There needs to be more work done on determining which channels carry what information most effectively, and especially when the multi-channelled and interactive aspect of face-to-face communication is trying to be replicated (Walther 1999; Sawchuck 2002?)

The quality of any CMC in the informal learning context is related to its relevance and actionability in practice (Sawchuck 2002?) Facilitating learning in any CMC in the informal learning context will need to take these aspects into account - and it would be best that one does not expect it to be easy, or quickly achieved (McConnell and Hammond 1997; Swann 1997-1999; Walther 1999; Sawchuck 2002?)

Converging on Guidelines to Improve My Practice I have indicated where the literature matches with, or informs, my experience of CMC in the referencing associated with the review of my experience earlier in this report.

I have noted that Heron informs me that presence, which comes fundamentally from the nature of the wholeness of the development of my affect, expresses itself most noticeably in the presentational aspects of practical action.

I have noted that the interaction of Wenger's concept of community of practice, and the current literature of presence in CMC, has given me pause to reconsider what is community of practice

Note: that when I use 'communicative activity' I have in mind the essence of what is called the Habermasian view, and which I associate more understandably with Argyris' conditions or Model II inquiry and learning - conditions for gathering valid information, for undertaken decisions that are guided by each individual's freedom to exercise informed choice, and the commitment to keep on striving for and holding self and others accountable for valid information and the freedom to exercise informed choice, based on diverse and individually held values.

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for professional development using the potentialities of CMC. As a result it appears that my current expectations of such a process in such a context may need to be adjusted.

I have noted that the literature of presence in CMC suggests that presence, especially of the personal, for social and other communicative activity, is significant, but that it is achievable by textual means when the usual channels available in face-to-face interactivity are limited. Given the information available from this study, I am encouraged to continue providing spaces and facilities for the personal and the social in CMC associated with course work, where the technology provides for that, as well as suggesting to the participants how they might use such facilities. (Eg in the Blackboard presentation of UTS-013343 I would suggest two additional Discussion Forums: one for Introductions and personal interests in undertaking this study; one for the coffee shop kind of chat; and, if possible, I would recommend exploring the capacity to post one's identification photo from the enrolment process, as an accessible file.)

I find myself challenged again to consider the implications of my natural style of presentation with its introvert and task-oriented components and how that impacts unhelpfully on my CMC. This is especially significant for initial impressions and their management. I also need to attend to the ongoing encouragement of others interactivity if I want to contribute to the development of a CMC forum that is aimed at sharing for professional development purposes in the long haul. I need to recognise that others need more social presence interactions. In making any changes in these areas I need to attend to the findings that authenticity is a significant aspect of generating effective presence. One area of change, by way of attentiveness, which doesn't impact adversely on authenticity, is that of attending to immediacy of interactivity. I need to watch out that time and other constraints don't close engagement unnecessarily. Giving short responses, indicating attention but inability to engage at the moment, may help manage this aspect of CMC.

(I append my Annotated Bibliographic work in the interests of sharing learning.)

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Bibliography:
Argyris, C. (1993). Knowledge for Action: A Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Organizational Change. San Francisco, Jossey Bass. Argyris, C. and D. A. Schon (1974). Theory in practice. San Francisco, Jossey Bass. Argyris, C. and D. A. Schon (1978). Organisational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective. Reading, Mass., Addison-Wesley. Argyris, C. and D. A. Schon (1996). Organisational Learning II: Theory, Method, and Practice. Reading, Mass., Addison-Wesley. Baskett, H. K. M. and V. Marsick, Eds. (1992). Professionals' Ways of Knowing: New Findings on How to Improve Professional Education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, Number 55. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Bateson, G. (1972). Steps to an Ecology of Mind. Aylesbury, Bucks., International Textbook Co. Boud, D., R. Cohen, et al., Eds. (1993). Using Experience for Learning. London, SRHE and Open University. Boud, D., R. Keogh, et al., Eds. (1985). Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning. London, Kogan Page. Bowden, J. and F. Marton (1998). What does it take to learn? The university of learning: beyond quality and competence in Higher Education. J. Bowden and F. Marton. London, Kogan Page: 23-45. Briggs Myers, I., M. H. McCauley, et al. (1998). MBTI(R) Manual: A Guide to the Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator(R). Palo Alto, Calif., Consulting Pyschologists Press. Brookfield, S. (1991). Grounding Teaching in Learning. Facilitating Adult Learning: a Transactional Process. M. W. Galbraith. Malabar, Fla., Krieger. Chandler, D. (1994). The transmission model of communication, The Media and Communications Studies Site. Gardner, H. (1993). Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. London, HarperCollins. Griffin, E. (2000). Constructivism of Jesse Delia. A first look at communication theory. Boston Burr Ridge, Illinois, McGraw-Hill: pp.101-121. Hargie, O. D. W. (1996). Interpersonal communication: a theoretical framework. A handbook of communication skills. O. D. W. Hargie. New York, Routledge: p.29-63. Heron, J. (1999). The Complete Facilitator's Handbook. London, Kogan Page. Kaye, M. (1994). Communication Management. Sydney, Prentice Hall of Australia. Leh, A. S. C. (2001). Computer-Mediated Communication and Social Presence in a Distance Learning Environment. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications 7(2), 109-128. [Online]. Available: http://www.aace.org/dl/index.cfm/fuseaction/View/paperID/6413. Lillard, P. P. (1996). Montessori today: a comprehensive approach to education from birth to adulthood. New York, Schocken. Liu, Y. and D. Ginther (2001). Managing Impression Formation in Computer-Mediated Communication. Educause Quarterly(2): 50-54. Lombard, M. and T. Ditton (1997). At the Heart of It All: The Concept of Presence. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication 3(2). Luft, J. (1984). Group Processes: an introduction to group dynamics. Mountain View, Calif., Mayfield.

Adult Communication Management in InterPersonal Relationships Assignment Dianne Allen p.19 Improving My Interactions in CMC Marton, F. and S. Booth (1997). Learning to Experience. Learning to Experience. Mahway, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: 137-165. Marton, F. and K. Trigwell (2000). Variatio est mater studorium. Higher Education Research and Development 19(3): 381-395. McConnell, D. and M. Hammond (1997). Just in Time Open Learning: Issues and Possibilities. University of Sheffield Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. O'Connor, J. and I. McDermott (1997). The art of systems thinking: essential skills for creativity and problem solving. London, Boston, Thorsons. Reynolds, K. (1997). What is the transmission model of interpersonal communication and what is wrong with it?, The Media and Communications Studies Site. Rozelle, R. M., D. Druckman, et al. (1997). Non-verbal behaviour as communication. The handbook of communciation skills. O. D. W. Hargie. London, Routledge: pp.67-102. Sawchuck, P. H. (2002?). Informal Learning Practices within Union-Based Telelearning. Schon, D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner. New York, Basic Books. Schweizer, K., M. Paechter, et al. (2001). A Field Study on Distance Education and Communication: Experiences of a Virtual Tutor. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication 6(2). Swann, C. (1997-1999). Lurking with eclectic electrons: or constructing a networked culture for design research? Taylor, D. (2000). The principles of systems. Sydney, Faculty of Education, University of Technology, Sydney: pp.1-4. Walther, J. B. (1999). Visual Cues and Computer-Mediated Communication: Don't Look Before You Leap. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Whetten, D. A. and K. S. Cameron (1995). Developing Management Skills. New York, HarperCollins.

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Annotated Bibliographyi Aspect: Content: Lombard, M. and T. Ditton (1997). At the Heart of It All: The Concept of Presence. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication 3(2). http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue2/ Description: Review of literature, with a view to defining presence for CMC, and helping progress further research; Saves me having to check the field in the same way I am taking their analysis on authority Research of presence in CMC is in its infancy CMC in this article is broader than my text-based community of practice interests Breadth of CMC analysis is a possible stimulus for thinking, to engage (25/6), to stimulate mobilisable information from other studies, other knowledge Batesons mind that reminds me of [Bateson, 1979 #144] Overview Empirico-analytic perspective begs the comment: I think I can drive the proverbial bus Interaction: through the definition: words, and definitions, and understood and constructed meaning issues Significant matches Trial-and-error, lore, seat of pants assumptions unpacking nature of inquiry being with my field conducted; inquiry in the practice context current thesis work for me - [Bateson, 1972 knowledge #706], [Schon, 1983 #11] Cues /context information for learning, for communication [Bateson, 1972 #706] Bipolar constructs personal constructs Kelly [Mezirow, 1990 #585] Issue of perception phenomenographic literature; issue of realism vs illusion metaphysical literature, and research perspective literature; current physiological understandings; perception and constructivism and social and cultural inputs Communication is interactive; presence (in communication) is interactive Issue of first generation CMCers and 2/3/4 generation CMCers what do we have to never know to be able to operate with a different mode For the learning of some practices the visceral and kinesthetic is VITAL Presence and persuasion and charisma Social Presence - Short & Christie; no Daft; no Walther Significant matches Where are you questions telephone, Tapped In the phatic about being available for with my experience: communication and/or conversation and feedback about continuing engagement with/attention to/ comprehension of what is trying to be communicated What is needed to be able to focus/attend minimizing perceptual inputs (closing eyes at an orchestral concert to e able to hear) Issue of anthropomorphism; imagination; tendency to conceptualise other as a social entity Visual display how much I like to be able see on a page to build understanding Various perceptual particularities field of vision, noise being natural Interactivity/immediacy issues in TappedIn and adjusting expectations Response times and attributions associated TappedIn experience with a personally sensitive discussion Significant new Tendency to conceptualise other in social entity terms -> transforms other in social material for me: constructivism Reflective : Throughout this review I was tending to test experience of distanced, personal communication issues the letter; what we have been learning about presence in/by literary forms

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Aspect:
Convergence applied to my inquiry question:

Content: The key points coming through to me are: level of match with authenticity significant for presence; presence is part of the personal; communication/presence is interactive The other theme that came through was the nature of perception and it being illusory or distanced or non-immersed: the world is out-there; we bring/receive it in-here by perceptual processes. The outputs of the perceptual processes are in-here phenomena, not the out-there phenomena and to that extent they are by definition illusions. So presence in nonmediated context is as illusory as presence in CMC, just a slightly different kind of illusion. We seem to use our experience of nonmediated presence to anthropomorphise other experiences as human presence, since we need to have human interaction, the relational being aspect. The inside interpretation of signals is also culturally constructed by language, by significant others teaching language and teaching how to interpret physiological complexes

Aspect: Content: McConnell, D. and M. Hammond (1997). Just in Time Open Learning: Issues and Possibilities. University of Sheffield http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/000000140.htm Description: Report on higher education project Tutor needing a more continuous online presence Overview: Matches with my understanding on a number of dimensions; nothing outstandingly new Field: Herons view of education self-direction and self-assessment autonomy of learner CMC task/nature: Common project [Swann, 1997-1999 #788] Participants knowledge [Sawchuck, 2002? #790] Action learning/ research frame [Heron, 1996 #683][Schon, 1983 #11][Argyris, 1993 #7] View about construction of knowledge being a social activity various Tutors role as resource, helping; contributing to discussion Convergence Level of online presence needed cf observation of Jo McKenzie and commitment applied to my Am I prepared to be that committed? inquiry question: Liu, Y. and D. Ginther (2001). Managing Impression Formation in Computer-Mediated Communication. Educause Quarterly(2): 50-54. http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0135.pdf Description: List of technique suggestions Higher education focus; distance education context Overview: Normative stuff; useful if I agree with it; dubious value otherwise; and that raises > only what I agree with is useful!!! Field: Walthers hyperpersonal reference Short & Christies social presence Convergence "effective learning involves both intellectual and social-emotional aspects" p.50 applied to my "especially the formation of initial impressions" p.50 inquiry question: "research indicates that the medium of communication may significantly influence the attributions that students make ..." p.51 "lack of non-verbal cues constrains communication" p.51 [issue of language and academic discourse, preparation, practice, etc]

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Aspect:

Content: Reiteration of The old practice makes perfect aspect not a quick fix Practice changes focused on research findings what about Argyris critique of/for actionable knowledge Swann, C. (1997-1999). Lurking with eclectic electrons: or constructing a networked culture for design research? http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/cs/ead/work/swann.pdf Description Report on higher education application; distance learning context/focus Design education Short term project Assessed common task focus Overview Matches with some of my frame Heron and Schon and design; nothing outstandingly new Field Herons hierarchies of facilitation Facilitation/ moderation of CMC discussion Convergence Easier said than done applied to my Useful reference to moderator site inquiry question: 6 phases of email list development similar to all social group formation/development no guarantee of success, not a quick fix either being thrust into autonomous mode when not prepared for it p.8 "the planning and and monitoring of the tasks will be a formidable undertaking judging by the experience gained from the above pilot [which was only of two weeks duration]" p.8

Aspect: Content: Bubas, G. (2001). Computer Mediated Communication Theories and Phenomena: Factors that Influence Collaboration over the Internet. 3rd CARNet Users Conference, Zagreb. http://www.carnet.hr/cuc/cuc2001/PDF/session_b/b1.pdf Description Conference powerpoint slides (context cues CARNet!) Useful summary of issues social presence (Short et al); media richness (Daft et al); uses and gratification; model of competence in CMC; impression management; hyperpersonal communication (Walther); behavioral disinhibition; risky CMC Higher education focus Task focus Overview Useful summary of field, quickly accessed! Field Walthers hyperpersonal communication Short & Christies social presence Dafts Media richness Model of competence: attentiveness, interaction management, expressiveness, composure compare Kaye Convergence Useful quickly accessible summary, helped me integrate other readings applied to my
inquiry question:

Leh, A. S. C. (2001). Computer-Mediated Communication and Social Presence in a Distance Learning Environment. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications 7(2), 109128. [Online]. Available: http://www.aace.org/dl/index.cfm/fuseaction/View/paperID/6413. Description Report on inquiry in higher education context; distance learning context 10 weeks email interactions, surveys, interviews Overview CMC has benefits in distance education Sawchuck, P. H. (2002?). Informal Learning Practices within Union-Based Telelearning.

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Aspect: Content: http://unionlearning.athabascau.ca/uniontelelearn/nall_final.htm Description: Report of inquiry into online learning experience for union leaders Survey, interaction analysis and interviews One particular workshop Overview Useful practice focus antidote to the formal learning context Interaction:
Significant matches with my field knowledge Significant matches with my experience:

Significant new material for me:

Convergence applied to my inquiry question:

Analysis of CPE issues matches with some of B&M [Baskett, 1992 #124] TappedIn experience; Contribution of peers My meta- aspect using CMC to learn with helped in learning of skills needed to conduct CMC the generic reading, writing, computer literacy Deeper respect for complexity of communication we take for granted this also poses problem for the selective/immersion exposure issue Contribution of negotiation and DR literature Garfinkel Personal and authentic Mobilisable knowledge issue Actionable knowledge relevance issue Diversity of field compare lit with lit of L&D Congruence of values Experience of text for practitioners in their practice (I-preference issue as well) Definition of distinction between repeatable/ retrievable knowledge useful and oral and written tradition back to Toulmin [Toulmin, 1976 #246] Role of audience in context cue giving; Visual and photo for TappedIn experience phatic aspects of communication feedback; One-off and ongoing issue for C-O-P Role of narrative in helping mental distancing for critical thinking and for positive meaning Practice and communication and actionable knowledge and Montessori communication imperative Reminder that the other, than CM, of context and cultural aspects of community and adult learning and peer knowledge construction, etc are more significant to quality of interaction than CM CMs contribution is, when easy to access, and not creating difficulties of technical nature, in providing the portal that overcomes synchronous and co-location constraints

Aspect: Content: Walther, J. B. (1999). Visual Cues and Computer-Mediated Communication: Don't Look Before You Leap. http://www.rpi.edu/~walthj/ica99.html Description: Review of literature Focus on role of visual cues in CMC Difference between projective studies and observational studies Overview Useful antidote to the face-to-face superiority issue Interaction: Walthers theses stimulated hypo-theses from me Significant matches Affect value overriding cognitive evidence [or maybe the cognitive is flawed exwith my field empirico-analytic perspective [Hoshmand, 1994 #200]] knowledge Levels of learning [Bateson, 1972 #706] Ecological validity issue in some studies [Frey, 1994 #203] Mustness of communication Montessori Daft media richness theory Significant matches Tapped In and pictures and self-disclosure with my experience:

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Aspect:
Significant new material for me:

Convergence applied to my inquiry question:

Content: Tapped In and /who function to monitor who is paying attention getting paying attention feedback Way of analyzing literature projective research vs observational research In absence of cues, users exploit/adapt to make the most of whats there, in some cases to counter the negative Competition of cues, use of alternative channels for different tasks phatic Referential and contextual efficiencies of visual for instructions, etc Alternative view to visual equivalence of face-to-face needed in CMC Reminder of ability to adapt, to work at expressing personal presence in text Visual of CMC face-to-face competes with visual needed for text; in Face-to-face text is conveyed by aural channel Capacity to adapt communication to limitations and make most effectiveness of limitations can serve a useful purpose in CMC for task orientation

Schweizer, K., M. Paechter, et al. (2001). A Field Study on Distance Education and Communication: Experiences of a Virtual Tutor. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication 6(2). http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue2/
Description:

Report of empirical inquiry of CMC in higher education context Testing apparently clear hypotheses using statistical methods Only one part of possible report One semester in length Fairly homogenous group German, males, 19-24, military institution Overview Useful example of writing and reporting in a limited way Interaction: Had me querying the methodology not enough description to be sure that I understood what was being investigated and how, and therefore what credence I would afford it Significant matches Walther reference with my field Social presence theory Short, Christie knowledge Convergence Nothing significantly different from others applied to my Query: what about previous experience challenging the e-a perspective inquiry question: University, C. Q. and T. Roberts (2002). Online Collaborative Learning in Higher Education. http://musgrave.cqu.edu.au/clp/clpsite/offline_articles_A-K.htm Description: Bibliography of Collaborative Online Learning in Higher Education Overview Useful site for ongoing reference interaction Interaction:
Convergence applied to my inquiry question:

Valuable for keeping a watching brief of developments in the field

Aspect: Content: Kaye, M. (1994). Communication management. Sydney, Prentice Hall Description: Comprehensive overview of the field, gathering material from diverse sources; development of model from intrapersonal, to interpersonal, to system, and raising competence at relevant levels and interactive Application to organizational management issues is valuable Summaries and focus questions of typical text available Overview Useful basic introductory but comprehensive treatment Interaction: Communicating as accessible scholarship!! Convergence p.17 applied to my inquiry question: Human communication is fundamentally a social activity Human communication is also a matter of how people construe images of

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Aspect:

Content: themselves and of others Human communication is a two-way process Human communication is situational and thus subject to the influence of intervening variables Human communication is emotional as well as logical Human behaviour is complex Human communication is inevitable p.106-7 complexity of body language -> not easy to study, -> how else we know it; how reliable is our knowledge? attribution question again Heron, J. (1999). The Complete Facilitator's Handbook. London, Kogan Page. Description: Comprehensive analysis and discussion of nature of facilitation Base is 20+ years of practice experience and writing work Application is primarily for face-to-face, co-located, synchronous activity Overview Need to keep coming back to this to work at how I am understanding facilitation and Interaction: the necessary steps in the movement from the hierarchical to the autonomous collaborative community of practice Convergence Personal presence is grounded in the quality of the affect/ feeling/ emotional of the applied to my individual -> whole person developmental process inquiry question: Presence is expressed in presentation and impacts significantly on practice Success in practice builds sense of confidence in affect->presentation->conceptual>practical (the reinforcing cycle of a system bit) Management of presence, (especially when) operating in (the hierarchical) any mode of facilitation is part of aware practice

Reflective Note about My Practice: I inquire to learn the new; ie to discover. I write to gather documentation of information from which to construct the discovery to learn. So: my first draft writing is not polemic towards the one idea argument. It tends to be very diverse, to be open to any and every thing! Hence its unsatisfactoriness for academic purposes. Likewise, I read to learn to discover the new, to have my thinking challenged. So: these notes represent the useful outcomes of reading to learn, for me. Again, I need to attend to their text with as open a mind as possible. That kind of openness does not necessarily suit the so-called strategic study routine.