Computer-mediated communication and a cautionary tale of two cities

This paper describes an action research project that investigated the pedagogical applicability of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools for collaborative projects. The research involved two groups of students studying to become ESL/EFL teachers, one group at a university located in the US Midwest and the other in the Catalan region of Spain, engaging in collaborative projects of their own designs which examined potential uses of CMC for language learning. As part of this project, the students also learned about and used a number of CMC tools, ranging from email to message boards to video chat, as part of their collaborative process. The participants reported a number of positive experiences with the technology, but this report focuses on the challenges encountered during the CMC and potential solutions to those issues.