Exchanges in   Cyberspace : CMC Tasks for the Networked Classroom

The purpose of this show & tell is to fuel creation and investigation of CMC tasks or projects which make use of network resources to grant language learners access to a wider range of authentic materials and interlocutors, prepare learners for real-life tasks they may actually face in cyberspace, and somehow prove relevant and meaningful for potential NS interlocutors.

Slideshow - Click on the screen to progress through this PowerPoint slideshow.
Handout - The brief task descriptions listed below are included on this Word document.

Issues for CMC Tasks

  1. Do they exploit CALL resources or are they simply face to face tasks transported into cyberspace?
  2. How authentic are they? Do they prepare learners for real-life tasks they may face outside the classroom?
  3. How relevant are they for learners? Do the tasks feed into learners' language needs and goals?
  4. If they are used to link classes of learners with native speakers, what relevance do they hold for the native speakers?
  5. How would they fit into a content-based course?

The Tasks

Problem Hawaii - Travel Scenario

In this scenario both members of the dyad work for a travel magazine but write two very different types of articles, either adventure travel articles or high culture and luxury travel articles. Both writers are being sent to Hawaii for a week to prepare material for an upcoming issue and have been given a US$5000 budget to share. To plan their trip, they must individually research flight costs, accommodations, and entertainment they plan to write about. They will then meet online to negotiate a budget, which they must email to the boss.

Problem eLance - Hiring Scenario

Both partners are founding members of a small Internet sportswear company and are looking to hire a freelance worker to translate their website from English into Spanish. However, each partner has slightly different priorities for the quality of the translation job (efficient and professional vs. culturally relevant and idiomatic).After investigating the profiles, portfolios and customer feedback of different freelance translators at eLance.com, both partners must meet online to share their information and select the translation provider they wish to employ. They will then draft an email to the provider explaining the work details, timeline and rate of pay.

Problem Relocation - Company Headquarters Relocation Scenario

Two employees of a company have been asked to scout out two cities in the southern United States that the company is considering moving its headquarters to. Each partner specializes in investigating certain aspects of the cities (demographic and population consideration or economic considerations). After looking up census and economic information, the partners must meet to share their information and email a recommendation to their company's board of directors explaining which city would be the best relocation choice.

Problem Gradschool - University Application Scenario

A mutual friend from China needs help deciding which of two universities he should apply to for his MS in Computer Science. Both partners possess five different bits of information about their friend, such as his TOEFL and GRE scores, his wife's intent to study linguistics, or his financial situation. After using their respective pieces of information to investigate both universities' websites to see which of the two schools fulfills their friend's needs, both partners must meet online, compare information, and select the one school the best school. They will then email their friend explaining which of the two schools meets most of his needs.