8+Online+Communication

Module 8: Online Communication

In the “types of communication” that were listed for Module 8, I have had experience with almost all of them. I use email on (more than) a daily basis, and my father-in-law writes a column that is sent as a listserv. When I was pregnant I belonged to a couple of discussion boards where I made several connections with other moms-to-be. I recently joined a new discussion board through a blog a former school-mate of mine writes. I utilize instant messaging for communication on sites like Facebook for a variety of reasons. I had links shared through Delicious in a class last semester and saw many possibilities for it in a classroom. As far as online/video conferencing, I had little experience. In another class we used Skype to conduct a video chat with an author we had read, but we had a tech department set it up and work out the kinks. My husband and I did set up Skype accounts so we could communicate while he was in China over Spring Break. It was to no avail, unfortunately, as our little Dell Netbook was unable to function (likely due to the differences in bandwidth – thanks for the explanation Nilou!) so we were unable to use it.
 * Awareness**

My partner, Nilou, had used Skype for some time, so after our initial email discussion, Nilou and I each set out to explore some of the others. I explored meeting24.tv, mousecloud, and OpenHuddle before finding tokbox. I want the video conferencing site I used for the project to extend and have application beyond the assignment. So I was looking for a user-friendly site my oldest child could use to communicate with his middle school buddies over the summer, as well as a site I could use with friends and family members who wouldn’t or couldn’t download Skype. Nilou suggested we return to OpenHuddle, and it seemed like a good, user-friendly site. I was able to create an account on the home computer, but it doesn’t have a webcam. After moving to the laptop (where the camera is), I was unable to access the site. I tried different links to the page, and even tried typing the URL differently, but the laptop would not access the page needed to log in. We settled on tokbox.
 * Exploration and Filtration**

It was exciting to me to begin playing with this site. I recorded a message to send to Nilou to introduce myself; it was very easy to record. It was not so easy to watch as I began to analyze the lighting, my voice, my facial cues, my speaking habits, and the angle the camera was recording at so as to have a nicely-framed, photo-style capture, but not be recording up my nose. I recorded the first message three times before I sent it. I received an email confirmation stating the message had been sent and even received another friend request (although I haven’t accepted it because I can’t confirm the owner). One evening I noticed Nilou was logged in, so I even placed a call. We didn’t connect that evening, but scheduled another time to talk. During the first part of our chat we adapted to the volume issues. I had my mic muted and my laptop has a very soft sound output. It was an interesting time. We talked about the experiences we have had in the class and in education in general. When there were communication issues, we were able to utilize the instant message feature tokbox offers. Another problem we had was issues with my internet connection. At one point the video of me froze; our internet had gone down. The connection all over Stillwater, I later found out, had had issues that evening. We were able to reconnect and finish the talk.
 * Learning**

Tokbox is an interesting mix of video and instant messaging. I have talked with a number of people; all of them, Nilou included, feel Skype is a better service. I am still using both tokbox and Skype, but for different purposes. I have gone to Skype for academic and professional needs. I’m not sure if it is the influence of others, as I had little previous experience with it, or if it is the name implying reliability or familiarity. I believe tokbox is going to be a tool for fun and for my multitasking twelve-year-old son. With its complementary video and instant message features, I believe it will suit him in keeping in contact with his friends not only while we travel, but also over the summer when they are planning to get together. They will be able to schedule chats and leave video messages in a controlled environment, unlike public forums.
 * Personal and Professional Application**