SYNCH AND SWIM:

The Value of Synchronous Learning Environments

(Interact! Build Community! Immediate feedback!)

Michael CoghlanBAW 2010

23/1/11

STRUCTURE OF SESSION

historical context value of synchronous interaction skills required in a virtual classroom

(brief) applications for synchronous activity

(when can you use them?)

WHO’S ONLINE TODAY?

Question:

Are you

A) In your office?

B) In a computer suite?

C) At home?

D) Other?

MULTIPLE VENUEPRESENTATIONS

(MVPs)

remote students guest

lecturer

CLASSROOM/F2F VENUE

publicspace

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

Question:

IS ANYONE TEACHING IN FULLY ONLINE MODE?

(Classroom + online =

BLENDED LEARNING)

Synchronous approaches can be a valuable complement to face to face classes!

Changing Methodology

Online/elearning:

• Asynchronous• (written) text based • Content focused

• Asynch + synch• more voice interactionand rich media• Content can be co-created (‘produsers’)

ca 1998 2011

Asynch

Synch

Oral Written

Minimalist; rapid (evolving)

COMMUNICATION AXIS

Spontaneous;dialogue

Reflective; monologue

Structured; expository

COMMUNICATION AXIS

Most classroom communications take place here

New – have been enabled by technology (only happen online)

ASYNCHRONOUS VOICE

VOICE BOARDS1. Wimba: try the board at http://tinyurl.com/4lnh9fn

Free

2. Voxopop: Aiden Yeh’s Advanced Listening Group at http://tinyurl.com/4hzw2of

3. Voicethread: examples at http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/9-12

The Original Synchronous Environment – plain text chat

Web Conferencing/Virtual Classroom

Web Conferencing/Virtual Classroom

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, Vyew, Big Blue Button

Virtual Worlds: Second Life

See Second Life in Education

Your Experience?

Have you experienced the use of synchronous tools in online courses that you have either taught or studied?

Your Experience?

How have synchronous tools been used in courses you have either taught or studied? small group work? one-on-one communications? whole class meetings? whole class instruction? other?

Use of Synchronous Tools – Survey

Purpose of Interactions 58% small group work 37% one-on-one communications 35% whole class meetings 16% whole class instruction

(results at http:// michaelcoghlan.net/synch/surv_results.htm)

Question

Why do you think it is important to include synchronous tools in online courses?

Use of Synchronous Tools – Survey

Why are synchronous tools important? Approx 50/50 split between pedagogical

and social/affective reasons Pedagogy: immediacy of feedback (30%)

(results at http:// michaelcoghlan.net/synch/surv_results.htm)

Social/Affective Benefits

Social, community, and personal engagement

personal engagement/motivation (55%) community building (29%) improving the social experience (27%)

(results at http:// michaelcoghlan.net/synch/surv_results.htm)

Tension: Synch v Asynch

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.”

Resolving the tension between 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

Resolving the tension between 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

The Instructional Challenge:

Methodology: how do you use synchronous tools to maximise their impact?

Skills of the Live Online Presenter

Golden Rule: 6-8 minutes talking at a stretch maximum

Intersperse presentations with questions, polls, other speakers (from the floor), whiteboard activity

Decide how to handle direct messaging – will you monitor/respond? Or ignore it? Dip in and out of it?

Consider working with a producer/co-presenter More at http:// michaelcoghlan.net/fll/blog.htm#skills

What kinds of synchronous 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

Synchronous Activities – example 1

Live discussion with a musician about their work Organised by Webhead Aiden Yeh (Taiwan)

and Michael Coghlan (Australia)

Synchronous Activities – example 2

Small Group Discussion - Intercultural Communication Streetlife Project organised by Webhead

Anne Fox (Denmark) http://streetlife.homestead.com/

Synchronous Activities – example 3

Oral Presentations organised by Webhead Buthaina Al-Othman

(Kuwait) http://alothman-b.tripod.com/wia_162finalproj.htm

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Conferences, seminars Workshops and Training sessions Meetings (much more cost effective than

teleconferencing)

NEAR

SYNCHRONOUS

TOOLS

What’s this?

Twitter as a real 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/

TRACKING THE BACK CHANNEL

http://www.slideshare.net/mchaelc/tracking-the-back-channel

BACKCHANNEL TOOLS

Direct or 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

Cover It Live

POLLING TOOLS

Purdue University: In-house Application

http://www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/hotseat/

Can you use Twitter as teaching tool?

Teaching with Twitter (Steve Wheeler)

‘Twit Board’ Notify students of changes to course content, schedules, venues or other important information. (could be done with phone)

‘Summing Up’ Ask students to read an article or chapter and then post their brief summary or précis of the key point(s). A limit of 140 characters demands a lot of academic discipline. √

‘Twit Links’ Share a hyperlink – a directed task for students – each is required to regularly share one new hyperlink to a useful site they have

‘Micro Write’ Progressive collaborative writing on Twitter. Students agree to take it in turns to contribute to an account or ‘story’ over a period of time.

Use the backchannel to provide feedback on classes in real time √

http://www.flickr.com/photos/interplast/141013553/

Some References Anderson, Terry; Elloumi, Fathi: Theory and Practice of Online

Learning (April 2004)http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/

Coghlan, Michael; How important are synchronous tools in web-based teaching and learning environments? http://users.chariot.net.au/~michaelc/synch/surv_discuss.htm

Coghlan, Michael; Moderating Live Synchronous Sessions http://synchfacilitation.wikispaces.com/

Finkelstein, Jonathan; Learning in Real Time http://www.learninginrealtime.com/

Muirhead, Brent; Research Insights into Interactivity, International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning , March 2004

http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Mar_04/article05.htm

Contact Details

Michael Coghlan

http://protopage.com/michaelc

michaelc@chariot.net.au