I found the topic for this team report by accident. I often use the bookmark for my Home Page in order to access it easily (i.e. I have created, in my computer at home, Bookmarks to addresses that I frequently use since it saves time in not typing their URL addresses). So, as a habit, I picked Bookmarks from the file menu but from one of the CLIC lab computers. The Bookmarks' list offered was unfamiliar to me and I realized that I was connecting from a different terminal. Yet, while skimming through that list a link to WWW Foreign Language Resources Home Page attracted my attention. As a native born Israeli (Sabra), and foreign language speaker, I decided to delve into that Home Page.
The WWW Foreign Language Resources Home Page offers links to various foreign languages Home Pages. For example, the Chinese-language Home Page includes links to scholarly and linguistic resources, Chinese study courses, and to specific information for viewing and listening to Chinese. The French Home Page provides access to a list of French WWW servers, links to language, bars and restaurants, literature, music, and other French resources. The German Home Page includes access to 19th century German stories, TV and radio inter-nation, German for Travelers basic language instruction, Germany's City Net (which provides links to more then 20 German cities), and to the German magazine Del Spiegel. Also included in the WWW Foreign Language Home Page are links to South Asian languages, Tagalog, Italian, Scandinavian languages, Yiddish, Hebrew, etc. I decided, of course, to view in depth the link to the Hebrew language page.
The Hebrew Language Page includes links to Hebrew poetry, Hebrew alphabet, useful Hebrew words, questions, and verbs for travelers, traditional and contemporary idioms and phrases, a short Hebrew story, and counting numbers in Hebrew.
I seldom get the chance to converse in my native language since I moved to
Hawaii. Therefore, I found the Hebrew Language Page very exciting and
entertaining. For example, the link to the Hebrew words includes words and
their sounds by various voices. So when you click, for example, on the word
or "shalom" you
hear...
SHALOM. I especially
favored the link to contemporary phrases since it reminded me of how I really
used to speak but, unfortunately, have forgotten.
The Hebrew Language page also offers a link to Macom Networking Home Page. This Home Page is a very interesting one since it offers links to many other Israeli/Jewish related links. From Macom's Home Page ("macom" means place in Hebrew) I browsed through the list of people at Macom and linked to Sheizaf Refaeli Home Page. Sheizaf is a senior lecturer at the School of Business Administration, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and a co-editor of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (JCMC). The JCMC document explains that computer-mediated communication "encompasses the individual, group, organizational, social, and cultural levels of analysis. The computer as a medium fosters new forms and supports established modes of social interaction. It enables novel forms of creativity, and is used to express familiar messages. The computer-mediated communication network literally constitutes a new world, and as well a global oasis where many scholars are coming to tarry."
The journal itself "...seeks to publish original essays and research reports on such topics as interpersonal and group processes in communication networks, issues of privacy, economics and access raised by the developing information infrastructure, instructional communication in distance learning, computer-supported cooperative work, and organizational and social policy issues occasioned by the new medium."
I believe that this journal will be happy to hear from us, especially from Dr. James, since we do cover topics such interpersonal, affective, social, and cognitive processes while communicating and learning in a hypertext environment.
The above resources' usefulness to social psychology lies in what each has to
offer. The WWW Foreign Language Home Page provides a multitude of information
(which is very easy to follow and read) to people who wish to travel, read
news, and learn the basic elements and sounds of a specific language. The
Macom Networking Home Page provides easy access to Israeli/Jews related links
which I found very helpful since I live zillions of miles away from home.
Finally, the JCMC wishes to cover social, psychological issues that we often
deal with in our class.
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