Affordances and Constraints of E-mails
Kennewell (2006) affirmed
that together with the affordance or capacity to support actions; there are
also constraints which regulate the actions that could be supported by the
element. Email as an ICT tool can enhance any teaching and learning environment,
can facilitate communication with users and the wider global community in an
effort to enhance instruction. However, it is not without its constraints.
Email may be time consuming in terms of the development of it to support a particular learning intervention. Planning for Internet-based instruction, planners must arrange for course materials to be prepared well in advance of commencement of the course. (Jones and Kelley, 2003). Therefore, time is required for developers and instructors to provide the technical support and instructional materials necessary for the lesson delivery. In addition, it would also be time consuming in terms of the amount of support that the teacher needs to cater for the various needs of all learners in using email. Email may pose assessment issues as it relates to evaluating group work and projects.
Due to relative openness of the internet, privacy problems can affect staff records, students’ records and other vital information may be hacked into and subject to possible misuse. (Jones and Kelly, 2003).
Another constraint would be the lack of appropriate software, out-of-date and poorly maintained hardware would incur connectivity problems. This would inadvertently frustrate and disengage email users. (Wee and Abu Bakar, 2006). Lack of interactivity can also cause static web pages.
Cheating and plagiarism can result from the use of emails between users. The simplicity of copying from the internet and using emails to channel documents that were not written by the user facilitates plagiarism. Engagement of students in interesting assignments, facilitating procedures on how to document sources and introduction of software such as turnitin will deter such practices. (Ma, Wan and Lu, 2008)
Email may contribute to harming computer systems. They may carry viruses that can read out a users’ email address book and send themselves to a number of people around the world. Furthermore, many users send unwanted spam mails which take a lot of time to filter out. Hence, the installation of genuine antivirus protection software would elevate such issues.
In conclusion, email as an ICT tool, supports collaborative, cooperative and interactive learning. It provides a platform to engage learners in authentic and realistic learning activities and facilities the development of basic skills. In order for learning to take place through the use of emails, students will need to take appropriate actions that are supported by the affordances and constraints of the learning setting. Kennewell (2006) noted that teachers need to manipulate and orchestrate the affordances and constraints to maintain a gap between the students existing abilities and those abilities required to complete a task.
References
Boxie, P. (2004). Making a cyber literacy connection from the storage room to the college
room. Read Horizons, 45(2), 127-138.
Eun, B. (2010). From learning to development: a socio-cultural approach to instruction.
Cambridge Journal of Education, 40, 401-418.
Jones, K. O. & Kelley, C. A. (2003). Teaching marketing via the Internet: lessons learned and
challenges to be met. Marketing Education Review, 13, 81-89.
Kennewell, S. (2006). Using affordances and constraints to evaluate the use of information and
communications technology in teaching and learning. Journal of Information
Technology for Teacher Education, 10, 101-116. Retrieved from:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/ 10.1080/ 14759390100200105
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. B. (2011). Teaching and learning with technology. (4th ed.).Boston:
Pearson.
Ma, H. J., Wan, G. & Lu, E. Y. (2008). Digital cheating and plagiarism in schools. Theory into Practice,
47, 197-203. Salomon, G. (Ed.) (1993). Distributed cognitions: psychological and educational
considerations Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (Original work
published in 1934).
Wang, Q. (2008). A generic model for guiding the integration of ICT into teaching and learning.
Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45, 411–419.
Wee, M. C. & Abu Bakar, Z.A. (2006). Obstacles towards the use of ICT tools in teaching and of
information systems in Malaysian universities. The International Arab Journal of Information
Technology, 3, 203-209.
Email may be time consuming in terms of the development of it to support a particular learning intervention. Planning for Internet-based instruction, planners must arrange for course materials to be prepared well in advance of commencement of the course. (Jones and Kelley, 2003). Therefore, time is required for developers and instructors to provide the technical support and instructional materials necessary for the lesson delivery. In addition, it would also be time consuming in terms of the amount of support that the teacher needs to cater for the various needs of all learners in using email. Email may pose assessment issues as it relates to evaluating group work and projects.
Due to relative openness of the internet, privacy problems can affect staff records, students’ records and other vital information may be hacked into and subject to possible misuse. (Jones and Kelly, 2003).
Another constraint would be the lack of appropriate software, out-of-date and poorly maintained hardware would incur connectivity problems. This would inadvertently frustrate and disengage email users. (Wee and Abu Bakar, 2006). Lack of interactivity can also cause static web pages.
Cheating and plagiarism can result from the use of emails between users. The simplicity of copying from the internet and using emails to channel documents that were not written by the user facilitates plagiarism. Engagement of students in interesting assignments, facilitating procedures on how to document sources and introduction of software such as turnitin will deter such practices. (Ma, Wan and Lu, 2008)
Email may contribute to harming computer systems. They may carry viruses that can read out a users’ email address book and send themselves to a number of people around the world. Furthermore, many users send unwanted spam mails which take a lot of time to filter out. Hence, the installation of genuine antivirus protection software would elevate such issues.
In conclusion, email as an ICT tool, supports collaborative, cooperative and interactive learning. It provides a platform to engage learners in authentic and realistic learning activities and facilities the development of basic skills. In order for learning to take place through the use of emails, students will need to take appropriate actions that are supported by the affordances and constraints of the learning setting. Kennewell (2006) noted that teachers need to manipulate and orchestrate the affordances and constraints to maintain a gap between the students existing abilities and those abilities required to complete a task.
References
Boxie, P. (2004). Making a cyber literacy connection from the storage room to the college
room. Read Horizons, 45(2), 127-138.
Eun, B. (2010). From learning to development: a socio-cultural approach to instruction.
Cambridge Journal of Education, 40, 401-418.
Jones, K. O. & Kelley, C. A. (2003). Teaching marketing via the Internet: lessons learned and
challenges to be met. Marketing Education Review, 13, 81-89.
Kennewell, S. (2006). Using affordances and constraints to evaluate the use of information and
communications technology in teaching and learning. Journal of Information
Technology for Teacher Education, 10, 101-116. Retrieved from:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/ 10.1080/ 14759390100200105
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. B. (2011). Teaching and learning with technology. (4th ed.).Boston:
Pearson.
Ma, H. J., Wan, G. & Lu, E. Y. (2008). Digital cheating and plagiarism in schools. Theory into Practice,
47, 197-203. Salomon, G. (Ed.) (1993). Distributed cognitions: psychological and educational
considerations Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (Original work
published in 1934).
Wang, Q. (2008). A generic model for guiding the integration of ICT into teaching and learning.
Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45, 411–419.
Wee, M. C. & Abu Bakar, Z.A. (2006). Obstacles towards the use of ICT tools in teaching and of
information systems in Malaysian universities. The International Arab Journal of Information
Technology, 3, 203-209.