SYNCH AND SWIM: The Value of Synchronous Learning Environments (Interact! Build Community! Immediate feedback!) Michael Coghlan BAW /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 VENUE PRESENTATIONS (MVPs) remote students guest lecturer CLASSROOM/ F2F VENUE public space

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, , 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 interaction and rich media Content can be co-created (‘produsers’) ca

Asynch Synch OralWritten 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 BOARDS 1.Wimba: try the board at Free 2. Voxopop: Aiden Yeh’s Advanced Listening Group at 3. Voicethread: examples at m/9-12

The Original Synchronous Environment – plain text chat

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 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 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 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 michaelcoghlan.net/fll/blog.htm#skills 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)

Synchronous Activities – example 3  Oral Presentations organised by Webhead Buthaina Al-Othman (Kuwait)

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

TRACKING THE BACK CHANNEL

BACKCHANNEL TOOLS  Direct or instant messaging in web conferencing tools (eg Centra, Elluminate)  Live blogging tools like Cover It LiveCover It Live  Live polling tools like Poll EverywherePoll Everywhere  Micro Messaging tools: Twitter, Yammer Micro Messaging tools: Twitter

Cover It Live

POLLING TOOLS

Purdue University: In-house Application

Can you use Twitter as teaching tool? Teaching with Twitter 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 √

Some References  Anderson, Terry; Elloumi, Fathi: Theory and Practice of Online Learning (April 2004) /  Coghlan, Michael; How important are synchronous tools in web- based teaching and learning environments?  Coghlan, Michael; Moderating Live Synchronous Sessions  Finkelstein, Jonathan; Learning in Real Time  Muirhead, Brent; Research Insights into Interactivity, International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, March

Contact Details Michael Coghlan