 |
|
About ICONSnet: Features
- Ease of access
: Since the program is web-based, participants need only a web browser
and a connection to the Internet. In addition, unlike POLNET II, ICONSnet does not place
any limits upon how many users from any given team may be "logged in" at any one
time.
- Design for "lowest common denominator"
: Although performance is enhanced
with fast Internet connections and newer computers, older computers are not precluded. In
fact, ICONSnet was designed to also work with text-based browsers, such as Lynx.
- Minimal training time
: The point and click interface makes all the applications
functions obvious and easy to access. Faculty members report that they often do not even
need to conduct formal training sessions with their students.
- Integration/Dual modes of communication
: ICONSnet supports both asynchronous message
exchange and real-time conferencing within the same application, allowing for
"one-stop" convenience. Conferences function in much the same way as the message
exchange, but the interface includes features and functions which facilitate the real-time
exchanges.
- Team anonymity
: When participants send messages, they are presented with a checklist
of community members so that they can specify to whom they wish their messages to be sent.
There is no other identification.
- Team message management
: Participants can access new messages according to issue,
which facilitates work by subgroups within country teams. With each individual message
read, they can also choose whether to keep the message in the new message queue for easy
access by another team member or send it to the archive.
- Archiving
: ICONSnet provides an easy-to-use interface, which works the same for both
messages and conference transcripts. At the end of the simulation, participants are
allowed to access all messages, even those which they did not originally receive, so that
they can get a better picture of the full negotiation process.
- Support for foreign language translation
: ICONSnet allows translator teams to easily
provide translations for certain messages for the participating teams that need their
services.
|
