EdTech 521

Netiquette Group Activity

participation by each member by color:
Kim Hefty
Ellen Scogin
Eric Zeznanski

My comments for the rules are on the other document. Are we going to merge
that conversation onto this doc?

6/25/14
1 pm my time works - absolutely. Do I just go to Google Hangouts and add you
both? After 11 years online, Im feeling like a newby :-(

6/25/14
Can we do a google chat instead of video? I am having some video difficulties.
Eric can you be in charge of recording our chat?
Yep!

6/23/14
*** It looks like we need to come to a consensus by Wednesday, to meet the due
date of Thursday. The chat is due by Sunday but I was thinking we should try to
do it Thursday in case we think of any last minute changes we should make. Ellen,
what specific times can you do on Thursday? Eric and I talked and we can make
anything work. I get to work from home on Thursday, so can be flexible. Do we
want to try something mid-day?

6/24/14 5:40 PST *Im adding time stamps to help keep track of things]
That works for me any time. Eric is on the East Coast so maybe 3 pm EST I
believe would be 1 pm your time (Ellen) and noon my time does that work for
everyone?
Also, we need to discuss who will be posting this? We need it posted by Thursday
and we need to post all of this (if Im interpreting that correctly) as well as a final
document.
I have created a second document for us to put our final consensus on. Please let
me know if anyone does not receive this. This will of course be all black and we
can shrink the font so its more professional.

6/21/14
I thought a good place to start might be availability for our chat. Ive color coded
us too, hopefully that will help. I know Ellen is still teaching this week. Im in WA
state (PST). Im in Alberta, Canada (MST), so am an hour ahead of you Kim. Im in
PA est.

Availability Chart:

Monday 6/23 Tues 6/24 Wed 6/25 Thurs 6/25 Fri 6/26
Kim - after
630 pm
Kim - after 1
pm
Kim - after
noon
Kim - after
noon
Kim - between
noon - 6 pm
Ellen - good
for 6:30 or
later
Sorry,
Provincial
Exams and
mark entry.
Sorry,
Provincial
Exams and
mark entry.
Im good at
this time too.
Im good after
4 pm, my time
(3 pm your
time Kim).
Eric After 1 All day, pm
might not
work
After 2 All day



Discussion Board
This week you'll work in small groups of 3. Locate the discussion forum labeled
"Week 3: Netiquette" and find your group forum. For this activity you will
consider the following questions:
Are emoticons and acronyms appropriate for students to use with their
teacher in an academic setting?
Will you allow invented spellings, or will you expect students to always use
correct grammar and punctuation whenever they are communicating in an
academic environment?
Should the expectations be different for discussion boards, email or chat?
In what ways can they differ and to what extent?
Begin the discussion by first answering and explaining each of the questions
above by Thursday, June 26th. The goal of this activity is to create consensus
regarding the rules for Netiquette in your classrooms and to share your group's
results with the rest of the class as a document. (Feel free to use Google Docs or
some other collaborative tool for this.) Your final document should set a clear
message for students about what Netiquette is and what is allowed or not
allowed when communicating with you and with fellow students via chat or
instant messaging, discussion boards, and email. Attach or post a link to your final
document to the "Final Netiquette Rules" thread by Sunday, June 29th.
As you can see, this activity will take a bit of management. At the very least you'll
need to decide who is going to be responsible for posting to the main discussion
forum. I've tried to give you some structure to alleviate the problem of
procrastination, but I'll leave the rest up to you. Here's a link to a short guide to
consensus building which may help you frame your work this week:
http://erc.msh.org/quality/consensu.cfm

Begin the discussion by first answering and explaining each of the questions
above by Thursday, June 26th.

Question Discussion:
Are emoticons and acronyms appropriate for students to use with their
teacher in an academic setting?


I think that emoticons and acronyms are appropriate for students to use with
their teacher in an academic setting depending on the age of the student and the
context. For example, I interact with my students in the capacity of a tutor. I
work exclusively with high school juniors and seniors. I regularly text them to
remind them of their sessions or work they need to complete. I often use the
emoticons of thumbs up when the students tell me they have completed work
or on progress. The usage of these should be used sparingly ~ Kim

I think that emoticons and acronyms are helpful in conveying the tone of the
message. It is so easy to misinterpret a message when you cant see facial
expressions or body language. That said, too many are quite distracting (I teach
12 - 15 year olds). I usually caution my students to keep them to a minimum. I
also ask my students to read over all of their messages without emoticons and
acronyms first and add them if they are unsure if the tone is obvious (humorous,
serious, etc). ~ Ellen

First, I teach 8th grade Science and a couple of TechEd courses. When I think
academic setting, Im visualizing lab reports, writing summaries, etc.- general
classwork. For that kind of work, my students are not allowed to use what I call
text shorthand. Even when they peer review or use discussion threads I expect
the to use the best English they can. Our writing scores in my school are below
average and we have made a concerted effort to have our students write more
using the Collins writing model.
My students do message me through Moodle and email. I havent expressed how
that type of conversation should work, but it is always written the best of their
ability.
I have never addressed the use of emoticons with my students, but I have used
them occasionally when grading student work. I wouldnt like to see my students
using them at the conclusion of a formal lab write-up.
If I were to teach fully online and using instant message or synchronous software
to communicate with my students, I would think it would be appropriate to use
text shorthand their. That is what it was intended for anyway. ~Eric
Will you allow invented spellings, or will you expect students to always use
correct grammar and punctuation whenever they are communicating in an
academic environment?

I am fairly flexible about creative spelling and grammar in most situations. I am
a high school level math teacher. I want it to be all about the math. I believe
that a certain amount of flexibility should be given in this area depending on
the subject matter and the situation. ~ Kim (I agree that it should be all about the
math, or the science. Social Studies and LA - I think spelling and grammar should
count).

I dont allow invented spellings at all, as I am a Language Arts teacher - its all
about the grammar ;-) No, it depends on the situation. If they are composing a
discussion post, grammar, spelling, etc. counts as they have the time to deliberate
and proofread before hitting post. If we are in our synchronous sessions, then it
doesnt matter to me as the chat goes so quickly, the students that struggle with
conventions wont post. As long as we can understand the message in this setting,
all is good. ~ Ellen

I agree with Ellen here. With the tools available when writing in class (the red
squiggly line and Google search) there should be no reason creative spellings. I
actually get a little agitated when they dont take the simple steps to proofread.
Their, there, theyre and similar words I point out and try to help them
understand the proper usage. I like the reference from Virginia Shea rule 5 "you
will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing. For most people who
choose to communicate online, this is an advantage; if they didn't enjoy using the
written word, they wouldn't be there. So spelling and grammar do count" . In a
chat setting, I would be inclined to be flexible.
Should the expectations be different for discussion boards, email or chat?
In what ways can they differ and to what extent?
I believe the expectations should be different, for example in an online chat
where a student is asking a math question I believe a certain amount of leniency
should be given and abbreviations should be allowed. But in an email students
should be expected to have a certain level of professionalism and grammar and
punctuation. I believe the level of formality should dictate the expectations. ~
Kim

I think I answered some of this in the last question. I expect all discussion posts to
be spell-checked and proofread in my Language Arts classes. We dont use email
with students (we use private chat), but if we did, I would expect an effort to be
grammatically correct, as free from errors as possible. The time when I feel
flexibility is key, is in real-time chat or live sessions. Online, I find that quiet,
introverted, or students with spelling/grammar issues feel less inhibited
participating in these sessions as they cant see each other. If I was really strict in
my language expectations in that setting, I believe the ones with issues or learning
disabilities in this area would quit participating. I find that even my high achieving
students, who write brilliantly and free from errors, make mistakes in real-time.
~Ellen

I really like the element of real time! I think that should be an important
distinction. I personally have to edit and proof all of my emails and major
correspondences. I like to joke that Math is my first language English is my
second. If I were a Language Arts teacher I believe my expectations would
certainly be different. Im glad Im just a math geek :)

Similair to Ellen, I think I spelled out my thoughts on types of discussion.

Netiquette Rules:
I was thinking we should try to come to a consensus for the rules, depending on
the situation. Here are my suggested areas below. What do you guys think? I
need to think on this some more, but Ive added one more to the list.
I like the addition! I will also do some additional research on the topic. In the text
they do a good job of outlining 10 easy rules. I have looked for the original
research cited by Rice but I cant find it any where.

Netiquette is the term used to refer to etiquette, or rules of acceptable behavior
on the Internet. The practice should extend to email, chat, and discussion
boards and even into the synchronous environment (Rice, p. 79).

I really like the guidelines set out on the Albion website. Actually, I used these
rules when I taught Netiquette face-to-face over 11 years ago. I think, although
they are older, they still apply. We can adjust as we all see fit.

Netiquette Guidelines for interacting with peers:
Conduct yourself in all forms of communication as if you were interacting
with them in person
Always be courteous and respectful of each others thoughts and opinions
Use appropriate language at all times: no swearing, inappropriate words or
foul language of any kind (including but not limited to racial slurs)
Respect everyones privacy, do not share someone elses personal contact
information or their opinions


Netiquette Guidelines for text speak (i.e. emoticons/acronyms):
Use emoticons sparingly and only to convey simple emotions
Abbreviated words, invented words, and acronyms will allowed in informal
communications (i.e. texts or in chats). The first time an acronym is used,
write it out completely so that everyone is able to know the meaning.

Netiquette Guidelines for Class Discussions:
Remember that theres a real person (real people) on the other end of your
message.
Treat others the way you would want to be treated.
Spelling and grammar count.
Only post relevant information.
Do not flame. I think we need to clarify this
Be supportive.
Give relevant and specific feedback, not just Good job!
Kindness goes a long way. Watch your manners, especially when your
classmates make mistakes.

Netiquette Guidelines for emails or professional settings:
Be aware of the proper tone.
Be concise.
Use proper language conventions (spelling, grammar, etc.).
Always proof read before sending any type of email
Wait 24 hours before sending any type of angry or critical
correspondence

Netiquette Guidelines for synchronous sessions:
Listen actively to the speaker (moderator or student).
Read all chat messages.
Stay on topic.
Contribute your knowledge.
Do not correct your classmates spelling or grammar.
Be polite and respectful at all times
You may use acronyms and emoticons, but be aware that not all students
(or your teacher!), may understand them.
Be patient. Remember everyone will get a turn to speak. Allow time for
others to respond and it may take a moment for others to receive your
response


Sources:

Krohn, F. B. (2004). A generational approach to using emoticons as nonverbal
communication. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 34(4), 321-328.
Retrieved from
http://baywood.metapress.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=
parent&backto=issue,5,6;journal,38,171;linkingpublicationresults,1:300326,1


Rice, K. (2012). Making the move to K-12 online teaching: Research-based
strategies and practices. Boston: Pearson.

Shea, Virginia. (2011). The Core Rules of Netiquette. Albion. Retrieved from
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html