Pedagogical Design of Computer Mediated Communication Tasks: Learning Objectives and Technological Capabilities

It has been claimed that the recent emergence of internet‐based communication constitutes a technological innovation with the potential to create a paradigmatic shift in teaching and learning second languages (e.g., Berge Dede, 1993; Harasim, 1990). However, for this shift to happen, materials designers need to assess critically the effects of the techno‐logical capabilities of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) as well as the features that characterize a potentially new type of literacy. Such a critical assessment will have to be based on the analysis of how specific pedagogical objectives are achieved through the design and implementation of instructional activities in CMC environments. In this respect, the analysis of such theoretical constructs as the grounding criterion and the principle of least collaborative effort (Clark & Brennan, 1991) provides a useful framework for the examination of factors that affect the choice of communication medium. In particular, different learning objectives may be achieved with a variety of technological tools (e.g., from word processors to collaborative writing software) that exhibit a range of levels of technical sophistication.