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The Value of Synchronous Communication in Online Learning Environments
Synchronous communication tools can provide important pedagogical and social benefits in online courses. A survey found that immediacy of feedback was a key pedagogical benefit, while community building and personal engagement were important social and affective benefits. However, synchronous activities can constrain students' independence and flexibility. To resolve this, instructors should not make synchronous sessions compulsory and should offer options for asynchronous participation as well. Synchronous tools work best for small group activities rather than whole class instruction.
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The Value of Synchronous Communication in Online Learning Environments
- 1. SYNCH AND SWIM: TheValue of Synchronous Communication Michael Coghlan November 14th, 2010
- 2. What is synchronous/asynchronous communication? SYNCHRONOUS (real time) eg f2f conversation, telephone calls, chat rooms ASYNCHRONOUS – some delay between initial communication and the reply eg letters, email, forums
- 3. COMMUNICATION AXIS Most classroomcommunications take place here New – have been enabled by technology (only happen online)
- 4. Range of Synchronous Tools Instant messengers: Google Talk, Skype, Yahoo, MSN (text + voice) Peer to Peer/Collaborative Tools: eg Etherpad (documents), Mind Mapping, Whiteboards, etc Virtual Classrooms Proprietary: Elluminate, Adobe Connect, etc Free: Wiziq, DimDim, Vyew
- 5. Virtual Worlds: SecondLife See Second Life in Education
- 6. Use of SynchronousTools – Survey Why are synchronous tools important? Approx 50/50 split between pedagogical and social/affective reasons Pedagogy: immediacy of feedback (30%) (results at http://users.chariot.net.au/~michaelc/synch/surv_results.htm)
- 7. Social/Affective Benefits Social, community,and personal engagement personal engagement/motivation (55%) community building (29%) improving the social experience (27%) (results at http://users.chariot.net.au/~michaelc/synch/surv_results.htm)
- 8. Tension: Synch vAsynch Terry Anderson, Toward a Theory of Online Learning: “….the major motivation for enrollment in distance education is not physical access, but rather, temporal freedom to move through a course of studies at a pace of the student’s choice.” Participation in (synchronous events) “almost inevitably places constraints on this independence.” “ The demands of a learning-centered context might at times force us to modify prescriptive participation in (synchronous events), even though we might have evidence that such participation will further advance knowledge creation and attention.”
- 9. Resolving the tensionbetween asynchronous and synchronous approaches don’t make synch sessions compulsory; use synch for those who want it use tools that can record or archive the sessions for later retrieval don’t use synchronous for whole class instruction use for meetings, one-on-one, or in small groups offer informal (social) sessions in synch mode allow student use of synchronous space offer office hours sessions at set times
- 10. Resolving the tensionbetween asynchronous and synchronous approaches It’s not all or nothing – use both approaches: Synch for social, spontaneous, decision making Asynch for deliberation, reflection, considered opinion
- 11. What kinds ofsynchronous activities can you use in classrooms? TEACHING ‘straight lecture’ Guest lecturers Oral presentations Group work One on one (eg pronunciation) OTHER Office hours Social: student - student
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- 14. Twitter as areal time search tool? May 2008: “Twitter beats media in reporting China earthquake." • An almost real time search tool – Now being used by some as an alternative search tool to Google http://www.flickr.com/photos/29281982@N00/101951607/
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- 16. BACKCHANNEL TOOLS Director instant messaging in web conferencing tools (eg Centra, Elluminate) Live blogging tools like Cover It Live Live polling tools like Poll Everywhere Micro Messaging tools: Twitter, Yammer
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- 18. Question Why doyou think it is important to include synchronous tools in online courses?