Motet is a widely-used conferencing software that provides some of the best advantages of computer-based forms of communication.
First of all, it is "asynchronous": you and your conversation partners do not have to be logged into the system at the same time. Rather, like an e-mail "listserv," you can review what others have said and respond with your own comments at any time.
Ideally, this allows participants to take the time to read carefully what others have said - thereby avoiding the misunderstandings that come from too quickly (and often, mistakenly) assuming that we know what the other person thinks, feels, believes, etc. It also allows us to take the time we need to respond more thoughtfully, with greater attention to our choice of words, etc. - thereby helping us to avoid the misunderstandings that result from overly hasty reactions to what others have said.
Moreover, Motet allows the forum host to organize discussions that develop different "threads" or themes, so that participants can more easily follow the discussion on specific topics and ideas. Indeed, the adventurous will find that Motet allows participants to refer to each other's comments - as well as relevant sites on the Web - through hypertext links that are relatively easy to insert into one's comments (as I have done below).
Finally, because Motet uses a World-Wide-Web interface, you can
access it from any computer that has a Web browser (Netscape,
Internet Explorer, etc.) and a connection to the Internet. You
do not have to use a computer on the Drury network, or be logged
into a Drury e-mail account. (You will, however, need a Motet
user ID and password, just as you do for any other computer account.)
Motet can be used in many different ways as an environment for
conversations - especially conversations about controversial issues
(the kind we like to have in a liberal arts college). Indeed,
in a project with colleagues at the Center for the Advancement
of Applied Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University, we have used Motet
to create on-line dialogues on topics such as pornography and
censorship, physician assisted suicide, etc. We have found that
such on-line dialogues - coupled with an explicit set of "rules
for discourse" - can lead not only to better understanding
of one another's views: in addition, surprising levels of agreement
emerge in this environment. Most strikingly, Protestant, Catholic,
and feminist scholars arrived at important agreements regarding
abortion in one of our on-line Motet forums - a consensus that
seems otherwise hard to achieve.
While our initial experiences with Motet have been very positive
- we have only begun to explore how such forms of communication
can be used to enhance teaching and learning. As with any new
technology, there will be some bumps along the road. But there
may also be some exciting new discoveries as well.
[The "rules for discourse" can be found at: http://caae.phil.cmu.edu/CAAE/Home/Forum/rules.html