Portfolio Entry 2 English

7/27/2019 Portfolio Entry 2 English

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PORTFOLIO ENTRY 2:

Journal Article 1: Susan Greener, (2009), "Talking online: reflecting on online communication

tools", Campus-Wide Information Systems, Vol. 26 Iss: 3 pp. 178 – 190.

As explored and looked for this article, it is about author’s viewpoint of online communication

tools. This article studied in terms of following roles- purpose, design, findings, research

limitation, practical implication and value.

1.1 Thesis Statement

Typically, the thesis statement is positioned at the end of the introductory paragraph so that it

will provide a forecast for the paper. Thesis statement of this study is to reflect on the value and

constraints of varied online communication tools from web 2.0 to e-mail in a higher education

(HE) teaching and learning context, where these tools are used to support or be the main focus

of learning. It is the thesis statement as it states the main idea of the article.

Apart from that, the second thesis statement appears in the following paragraph will look into the

introduction chapter where the author as cited in Bolman and Deal’s frames that present with

four different lenses for observing and reflecting on the problems and possible solutions to be

found in events or experiences within context in part and the frames are: structural; human

relations; political and symbolic.

1.2 Topic Sentence

Topic sentence, defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is the most important sentence in a paragraph.

Sometimes referred to as a focus sentence, the topic sentence helps organize the paragraph by

summarizing the information in the paragraph. In formal writing, the topic sentence is usually the

first sentence in a paragraph (although it doesn't always have to be). The first topic sentence in

this article is the structural frame requires a rational reflection on the structural frameworks

within which Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) happens; it is the simplest frame and

asks about evidence for central structural problems and ways in which structural changes might

improve things.

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Based from the thesis statement as the main idea for the article, one of the topic sentence is the

human relations frame requires reflection on how people seem to work together, asking for

evidence of interpersonal problems and ways to promote participation and engagement, focusing

on growth and exploring conflict .

Other than that, topic sentence in this article will be found in subtopic of the symbolic frames,

the symbolic frame requires reflection which focuses on a need for meaning, vision and purpose,

we are looking for evidence of difficulty identifying purpose and working out how to unify and

motivate, to make CMC meaningful in the learner‟s world.

Author “Talking Online: Reflecting On Online Communication Tools” uses the fourth topic

sentence in this article which is the political frame requires reflection on power relationships

and is particularly important in CMC where the art of the possible affects the status relationship

of teacher and learner.

1.3 Supporting Statements

Supporting details will illustrate the topic sentence. It gives deeper explanation to offer

elaboration to the topic sentence.

This article discusses four reflection frames and one of it is the structural frames and this idea

supported by this supporting statement that this frame involves realigning roles and

responsibilities or better co-ordination of resources, or possibly structural redesign. The author

show the outcome using Table 1 is the first of four, each of which uses the relevant frame to

summarise reflective findings on this, albeit limited, experienced range and contexts of online

communication tools: e-mail groups used outside a LCMS, discussion forums used within LCMS,

synchronous conferencing (chat room) within LCMS, wikis within LCMS based on ELGGe

software, and group blogs within LCMS based on ELGGe software. In all cases, tools used were

within the context of taught modules in a management discipline. In each case the features or

issues identified – in the case of the first table the structural features – are the products of

reflection, issues which strike the author as varying amongst the online tools. The process of

structured reflection using the Bolman and Deal frames, which has resulted in the tables shown

below, offers a way of comparing the online tools in order to consider variations and

opportunities which they may present in learning and teaching. From Table 1, the results have



been set out of reflecting from structural frame and the structural issues which have been seen to

affect communication for learning. It shows the relationship of offline communication tools with

LCMS. The way in which communication is linked into the LCMS can have a substantial effect

on usage by learners; particularly today‟s HE learners, who are often part - or full-time workers

and careers as well as students. A “one- stop shop” can simplify online interactions, provided the

LCMS is designed so that navigation to key areas such as discussion forums or wikis is simple

and clear (Dron, 2006). In future contexts of personalized learning environments, where

information from multiple sources can be tailored to a learner‟s web interface – be that „ or

mobile – this structural issue may matter less, but the current messy problem is that university

students, in the author‟s experience, often seek simplified interfaces, managed smoothly by the

university.

The human frames whereas about how people to working together, asking for evidence of

interpersonal problems and ways to promote participation and engagement, focusing on growth

and exploring conflict. For supporting the this topic sentence, the author using table I and II to

show the output of systematic reflection using this frame on the same online communication

tools and to support the immediacy of synchronous conferencing and the freedom offered by

wikis and blogs to develop individual identity and spontaneity in communication. She concludes

from the table of perspective that e-mail groups are stilted and formal, quite cumbersome ways

of communicating. Asynchronous conferencing (discussion forums,wikis, blogs and e-mail)

allows the teacher and learner to personalise their messages,but can easily lead to

disappointment over lack of response and conflict with others‟ learning approaches and

expectations. Engagement and motivation in human relationships seems better supported

through the web 2.0 freedom, provided learners cross structural barriers and participate, using

the affordances of the technology to express themselves freely and contribute to collective

learning.

From the article, the political frame requires of reflection about how possibly CMC will affect

the relationship of teacher and learners. From the table III, we can see the systematic reflection

through the political frame to the same online communication tools. By this new idea about the

tools, the author provided explanation such as to see a developing picture of empowerment and

increased potential status of learners in relation to teachers through web 2.0 tools, where new



identities and opportunities for development of expert and referent power can be pursued to

become transformative as discussed by Stokes and Stokes (1996) who claim a “democratizing

literacy” (p. 4) in cyberspace. However, this requires considerable expertise and comfort with

web 2.0 in particular and learning online in general, whereas more traditional forms of

communication, through e-mail groups and discussion boards, can support and scaffold learners

in earlier stages of acquiring knowledge and facility of CMC, to some e xtent through the “direct

instruction” element of teaching presence presented by Anderson et al.(2001, p. 8). The support

of new online learners is vital to enable them to reach a point at which they are able to take on a

more powerful role in their own learning. This explanation also were supported by the

Macdonald‟s (2006) claims that account of affective, dialogic, focussing, reflective,

reversionable and accessible “qualities of intervention” for moderators is a helpful model for

reducing the negative effects of power imbalance between learner and teacher and is

particularly relevant for asynchronous and synchronous conferencing tools.

Based on this article, the fourth lenses for observing and reflecting on the problems and possible

solutions to be found in events or experiences within context in part and frames are the symbolic

frames. This idea in short is about clear role for CMC within teaching and learning. This topic

sentence supported by this statement, wikis and blogs belong to a concept of the web with which

some users are very familiar, but many existing mature students are not. They find it challenging

and, when taking a strategic approach to achieving qualifications, are less likely to wish to

engage with these tools, unless they have a clear reason for doing so. They are more likely to see

the point of discussion forums or e-mail groups which share information and experience in

simple formats with minimum effort, and offer a fast, simple and consistent way to ask questions

online.

1.4 Different strategies of introduction

In this article, the author begins the introduction using a quotation. That quotation may relatedirectly to the subject or it may be only indirectly related (and thus require further explanation).

This strategy is using in the first paragraph of introduction, Concepts of reflective practice based

on the work of Schon (1987) and Kolb (1984) lead us to a process of active reflection,

encouraging us to take notice and make sense of specific experiences, which may otherwise



quickly fade from the mind and fail to work as active opportunities to learn (Moon, 2000). The

author using short direct quotation which are less than 40 words.

Another strategy that been used in this article is the introduction begin with a concession which

is it start with a statement recognizing an opinion or approach different from one that author plan

to take in her article for example, The human relations frame requires reflection on how people

seem to work together, asking for evidence of interpersonal problems and ways to promote

participation and engagement, focusing on growth and exploring conflict.

1.5 Different Strategies Of Conclusion

Pursue implications is a strategy that been used of the author to write the article. As we can see at

the end of this article, Whatever tools for learning communication are adopted, a consistently

supported, functioning and clearly navigable LCMS, together with the opportunity to introduce

learners to online writing, critical information evaluation and self-directed, collaborative

learning – demand further research, practical experiment and debate before we can climb to the

heights of “wisdom communities”. The author tries to ask reader to consider boarder issue that

has been discussing in this article.

Another strategy of conclusion we can see in the article is culmination strategy. The author try to

reasserting main points and at the end she assume that the readers now has a grasp of the facts.

The employability agenda (Davis‟s perceived usefulness) and rapid growth in mobile learning

and personal web access (Davis‟s perceived ease-of-use), plus the excitement associated with

web 2.0 concepts (supported by Elwood et al.‟s (2006) finding of another factor in the TAM

model: perceived favourable change) may drive greater acceptance of these tools in the near

future, but over the last few years, even the asynchronous discussion board has taken time and

effort to be introduced into teaching and learning strategies.

Portfolio Entry 2 English

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