Find a partner to work with. Turn in the answers to all questions by the end of the class.

The music-ed list is a mailing list organized for current and future music educators "to share ideas in a friendly environment." To get a sense of the nature of the online interchange, read through postings 600-606; 610-615; 620 for a discussion of how technology may be used in music education.

Here is another, longer threaded discussion involving applications of music technology in education. Read through all 51 messages to find the six software recomendations that the group participants have for middle school Ear Training Software.

As Discussion Groups evolved, there was an accompanying evolution in rules of conduct with regard to what is posted and how it is phrased. Communication on-line differs from face-to-face communication in three important ways:

1. There is no facial expression to go along with the written words; what is intended to be a joke often isn't perceived as one without the accompanying non-verbal expressive cues
2. It is anonymous. This leads to behavior that just would not happen if it was occurring face-to-face.
3. The two sides of a conversation can occur at different times. In other words it is asynchronous. Of course, in chat rooms, the discussion goes on in real time (i.e., it is synchronous), but even there, it is mediated by having to type it in.

To help with the lack of non-verbal cues, a series of Online Symbols (often dubbed "emoticons") was invented. They can add an element of fun to online communication as long as they are not overused.

Read through the Do's and Don'ts of Posting on Google Groups. Construct an imaginary threaded discussion in which you violate at least 10 of the rules of good "Netiquette." For your discussion, use as a point of departure one of the following:

• Speling shouldn't count when student work is graded.
• Dogs are clearly NOT man's best friend. Cats and parakeets are FAR SUPERIOR in every way, except together.
• All lectures should be videotaped and students should not have to come to class.
• I've heard that Winnipeg is the Sno-cone capital of the universe. Grand Forks would have a lot greater stature if it could be recognized for something equally important. Do you have any suggestions?

Find another group. Exchange your imaginary discussions. Circle the 10 places where there were violations of Netiquette. Make a list of the violations. Turn in both your list and the other group's imaginary discussion. You should also turn in your answers to the questions you answered at the beginning of the assignment. Your answers may be hand-written.

1. What are Internet Hoaxes and Chain Letters?
2. Name and briefly explain two of the critical factors leading to a successful hoax.
3. Briefly name and describe the three parts of a chain letter.

II. Usenet, spam, and flames.

For answers to the following questions, read The Basics of Usenet.

1. What was Deja News?
2. What company owns the largest collection of Usenet data on the Web. How many messages does their database currently hold?
3. How many messages are in a terabyte of human conversation?
4. What is Usenet? Why is it like a river?
5. What is spam?
6. What is flame mail? How can you avoid getting "flamed?"