COMM 435 Computers & Communication

LECTURES FOR:

COMM 435 – Computers & Communication

Spring, 2003

Class 1 1/21/2003 Communication 435

Housekeeping:

· pass out syllabus

· pass around the class list (attendance)

· Introducing the Instructor

· review syllabus

· Objectives

· Textbooks

· Grading

· Schedule (note assignments; thee will be field trips; more questions next time)

· Introducing the Students

· Course Commitments

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What are the most important communication systems, methods or devices TO YOU PERSONALLY (put the most important ones first)?

(have them list – here’s mine)

Interpersonal:

1. Telephone

2. Computer / e-mail

Mass:

3. Television

4. Newspapers

5. Books

Overview of Semester:

· dizzying array of technologies

· hard to make sense w/o roadmap

· we’ll use several roadmaps:

· Interpersonal vs. Mass

· Personal vs. Impersonal

· Information Sys vs. Communication Sys

· 10 Attributes

Examples: Mass Comm

· Newspapers

· Magazines

· Books

· Phonograph

· Movies

· Broadcast Radio

· Broadcast TV

· Cable TV

· Audio Cassettes, CDs

· Videocassettes

· New Wireless Technologies

· New Wired Technologies

· On-Line Newspapers

· Computers, Internet, WWW

Examples: Interpersonal Comm

· Face To Face

· Letters

· Telegraph

· Telephone

· “Personal” Radio (Ship, Short-wave, CB)

· E-Mail

· Answering Machines

· Voice Mail

· Fax

· Video Conferencing

· Video Phone

· Computers

· Internet, WWW

Overview of CITs

Telecommunications

· (Electronic) Comm At A Distance

· “Mediated”

The Field of Communication

· Interpersonal

· Small Group

· Large Group

· Mass

· Organizational

Mass Communication

· One Way

· No Direct Feedback

· 1 To Many (Millions?)

· Dispersed Audience

· Edited / Packaged

· Impersonal

Interpersonal Communication

· Two Way

· Feedback

· 1 To 1, 1 To Many

· Not “Packaged”

· Personal

Mass / Interpersonal Communication

· Mass, Interpersonal Theories; where do “new technologies” fit?

· One-way, two-way

· 1 to 1, 1 to many, many to many

· mass: dispersed receivers

· Personal / impersonal communication

S-M-C-R Model of Communication

· Source

· Message

· Channel (w/ encoding before and decoding after)

· Receiver

Plus:

· Feedback (to regulate flow of comm)

· Noise (distortion/errors)

Technical and Non-technical Internet Structures

Related to Personal Communication

· Emoticons

· Acronyms

· Netiquette

· Anonymous Remailers

· Public Key Encryption

· E-mail: POP Implementations

· E-mail: IMAP Implementations

· Listservs

· Newsgroups

· Computer Conferencing

NOT Related to Personal Communication

· Spam

· Cookies

· Virus Hoaxes

· Urban Legends

· Firewalls

· Software Filters

· Carnivore

· Gopher, ftp & telnet

· Internet Addiction

· Evaluating Source Credibility

· Opt In vs. Opt Out

· Search Engines

The Technology

Ten Attributes Common to ALL

Communication & Information Technology (CIT)

Type of Content

· Text

· Audio

· Still Image

· Moving Image

· Raw Data

· Implications:

· Bandwidth, User Interface

Directionality

· One-Way

· Two-Way

· Implications:

· Degree of Non-Simultaneity

Degree of Non-Simultaneity

· Simultaneous / Non-Simultaneous Dichotomy

· Then, Varying Degrees of Non-Simultaneity

· Implications: Storage

Type of Conduit

· Wired

· Wireless

· Implications: Impacts Degree of Mobility

Analog / Digital Representation

· Analog

· Digital

· Implications:

· Storage Capabilities

· Transmission Capabilities

Access Points

· One to One

· One to Many

· One to One Many Times Over

(Rather than Many to Many)

· Implications: Number of Simultaneous Users

Type of Connection

· Switched

· Networked

· Broadcast

· Implications:

· Directionality

· Degree of Non-Simultaneity

Bandwidth

· Narrowband

· Baseband

· Broadband

· Implications:

· Impacts Transmission Speed

Storage

· Content Preservability

· Content Retrievability

· Content Searchability

· Content Modifiability

· Implications:

· Impacts Ease of Use

· Impacts Flexibility & User Control

User Interface

· Type of Content Addressed

· Input / Output Devices

· Feature Richness

· Feature Operation

· System Navigation

· Implications:

· Impacts Ease of Use

· Impacts Mobility

Note:

· Very Few Technologies are “Pure” Examples

· Most are Hybrid

Class 2 1/29/2003 Communication 435

Housekeeping:

· New students?

· Questions about syllabus?

· Course Commitments

Readings Due this Week:

· DB1-2 Intro; Stories about Cyberspace

· T22 Computers & Expectations

· T23 Computers & Ethics

· R1 10 Attributes

· R2 Emoticons

· R3 Acronyms

Lecture:

· 10 attributes of CITs

· emoticons

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Nicole Carter <>

Aliya Khan <>

Kevin Coleman <>

Carol Horen <>

Gary Kroll <>

Terry Lehman <>

Julia Pizzi <>

Barrie Sutherland <>

Danielle Uebersezig <>

Katie Walsh <>

Gordon Wilson <>

Implicit & Explicit Course Agreements – Dr. Finn

1. I will be at every scheduled class (except as noted below).

Date Nature of My Other Commitment

2. I will begin class on time, and start on time after breaks.

3. I will end class on time.

4. I will come to each class fully prepared.

5. I will be truly “present” in class at all times – alert, listening actively, and participating fully.

6. I will take personal responsibility for my situation, even when unforeseen events occur.

7. I will treat each of you with respect

8. I will adhere to the GMU Code of Conduct.

9. I will communicate with you as soon as I know that some other commitment will interfere (or is interfering) with one of these course commitments.

Stories about Cyberspace

The nature, value, and influence of narrative

Narratives about computers?

Narratives about the Internet?

Narratives about (electronic) technology?

Stories about Cyberspace

The nature, value, and influence of narrative

Narratives about the telephone?

Narratives about CELL telephones?

Narratives about computer games?

The Narrative / Computers / Internet / Telephone / Wireless / Electronics / Games
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

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Class 3 2/5/2003 Communication 435

Housekeeping:

· Upcoming Assignment – C1 (2/26)

· I’ll send out by Saturday noon

Lecture:

· Exercise: 10 attributes of CITs

· Discussion: the Logistics of E-mail as a discussion medium

· Discussion: Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Lists

· Netiquette – what is missing?

Readings for Today:

· R4-6: Netiquette (E-mail, IM, Discussion lists)

· DB3: We’ll discuss online starting tomorrow

· T24: We’ll discuss online starting tomorrow

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Process coming up this week:

· Listserv sign-up

· 2-3 days using the listserv

· Then, Discussion list (WebCT)

Discussion coming this week:

· I’ll kick off a discussion of the David Bell chapter

· I’ll kick off a discussion of the Teich chapter

· You’ll continue discussion comm comp (cc)

· We’ll introduce a discussion of acronyms

Owner Commands

add comm435 Z840 Deirdre Lozzi

review comm435

config comm250 Z840 owners

Class Exercise

Consider 2 attributes:

· Degree of Non-Simultaneity

· Directionality

Draw a 2x2 cell diagram. Fill in the cells with one or more examples of each type.

Computer-mediated Communication (CMC)

The Nature of Electronic Text

Class Exercise

Consider

1) Advantages of Text, Disadvantages of Text

2) Advantages of Voice, Disadvantages of Voice

Draw a chart with three (3) or more examples of each (4 categories total).

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Class 4 2/12/2003 Communication 435

Housekeeping:

· C1 Due - 2/26

· Rating Class Participation for the week

· Upcoming STAR Center's Sessions

"Creating, Editing, & Uploading Web Pages"

· Thu., Feb 13, 3:30-5:30

· Sat., Feb 21, 3:30-5:30

· Sun., Feb 22, 3:30-5:30

· Tue., Feb 25, 5:30-7:30

http://media.gmu.edu/workshops/)

Readings for Today:

· R7-9: Virus Hoaxes, Urban Legends, Internet Addiction

· DB4: Cultural Studies in Cyberspace

· T25: Zuboff: In the Age of the Smart Machine

Lecture:

· The History of Computers, Computer Networks

· Virus Hoaxes

· Urban Legends

· Internet Addiction

· In the Age of the Smart Machine

· Cultural Studies in Cyberspace

· Discussion: Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Lists

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Components of a Computer Network

· CPU / Server(s)

· Conduit (Transmission media; “pipe”)

· Terminals

· Peripherals

Exercise 1a

List:

1. All the “terminal devices” you own

2. As many terminal devices as you can

Organize then in categories that make sense to you.

T25: Zuboff: In the Age of the Smart Machine

Effects of Computer Technologies on Organizations

· Automate vs. Infomate

DB4: Cultural Studies in Cyberspace

Some Philosophical Background

Worldviews / Perspectives / Issues

· Structuralism vs. Functionism

· The Mind / Body Problem

· Objectivity vs. Subjectivity

· Absolutes vs. Few or No Absolutes

· Modernity vs. Postmodernity

· Technological Determinism vs. Social Construction of Technology

Modernity

· Empirical, objective, organized,

· Scientific, quantitative, logical

Postmodernity

· Subjective, qualitative, narrative

· Constructivism

Epistemology

· How do we know things?

· What is the nature of knowledge?

· What approaches lead to “valid” knowledge?

Ontology

· How do we view existence?

· What is the nature of “being” and existence?

· What views of ‘being” or existence provide the most useful framework for understanding events and (human) behavior?

Axiology

· How do we view “values”?

· What is the nature of values and morality?

· What views of values and morality provide the most useful framework for structuring and governing human behavior, organizations and society?