Synchronous Learning and Methods of Facilitation

Asynchronous Facilitation vs Synchronous Facilitation

Approximately two weeks ago, I wrote about methods to successfully facilitate asynchronous meetings. Now we are going to cross over into the world of synchronous facilitation, but before we begin, we need to understand the the difference between the two methods.

http://dejulioa.weebly.com/synchronous-vs-asynchronous.html

According to Stefan Hrastinski in his article Asynchronous and Synchronous E-Learning: A study of asynchronous and synchronous e-learning methods discovered that each supports different purposes, Asynchronous e-learning is commonly facilitated by media such as email and discussion boards while synchronous e-learning is commonly facilitated by videoconferences and chats (Hrastinski, 2008). Plainly stated, asynchronous learning is learning that is conducted mainly in a video format where each student is virtually present at the same time, while synchronous learning is conducted through discussion and chats where each student asks and answers questions, in a sense, at their leisure. O. Marjanovic says it best, "Asynchronous collaborative technologies enable ‘any-time, any-place’ collaboration... Synchronous collaborative technologies enable ‘same-time, same-place’ or ‘same-time, any-place’ collaboration. (Marjanovic, 1991)". The following chart provides a more in-depth view of the differences.

https://www.slideshare.net/XLProTraining/synchronous-and-asynchronous-learning

Benefits of Synchronous Learning

The first of these benefits include the benefit of time. In a synchronous discussion, students are not worried with a time constraint like that of an asynchronous learning session. Students do not have to worry about having 2-3 hours to reach all of the desired objectives and gain the understanding needed to proceed to the next topic. With synchronous discussion, students can research the necessary material and give a very detailed answer to the desired objective.

Another benefit that Hrastinski mentions is psychological arousal. He states that in his research, interviews with his participants shows that synchronous discussions felt "more like talking" creating the psychological arousal. This, in return, also produced a much higher sentence count that asynchronous learning. 

O. Marjanovic, in his article, Learning and teaching in a synchronous collaborative environment, states that synchronous learning enables learning that is more effective and improves group performance and outputs. (O. Marjanovic, 1991). Students report improving mastery of material, critical thinking and analysis skills.

Facilitation Methods

Five Themes of Moderation

In an article entitled Getting in Sync with Synchronous: The Dynamics of Synchronous Facilitation in Online Discussions, Shi, Bonk, Tan, and Mishra gives us five themes to help moderate discussion in a synchronous learning environment: Providing hooks with both ends; Modeling and tele-mentoring; Confronting and conflicting; Setting up norms; and, Social-emotional elements (Shi, Bonk, Tan, &Mishra , 2008)

Providing hooks with both ends 

The idea of this theme is to ensure that every message serves a double purpose: (1) communicating something, and (2) evoking future responses (Shi et al., 2008). This simply means that each question answered within the discussion forum should answer a previous question(s) but at the same time provide a hook for future messages.

Modeling and tele-mentoring

This theme is centered on the idea of scaffolding. "online collaboration itself is a learning process that needs scaffolding from capable experts to smooth the process as well as to guide the content learning to achieve smooth, effective online collaborative learning (Shi et al., 2008). Simply put facilitators should both monitor and model to the students what are the expectation of each discussion. This includes motivating the students, monitoring their performance, providing reflections, etc. Peers and facilitators that are more experienced in synchronous discussion should, in essence, lead the way!

Confronting and conflicting

This theme is based on the social cognitive conflict theory. "The underlying assumption of this theory is that knowledge is motivated, organized, and communicated in the context of social interaction...when individuals operate on each other’s reasoning, they become aware of contradictions between their logic and that of their partner (Shi et al., 2008)." In laymen's terms, a healthy debate is a good way to develop understanding. When a student reads and analyzes the opinions and viewpoints of their peers, it helps them to see the contradictions within their own logic, forcing them to find ways to better understand the topic at hand. There is little argument that learning may be defined as the progressive modification of ideas and behaviors through interpersonal interaction (Shi et al., 2008)." 

Setting up norms

This theme encompasses the idea of creating a healthy learning community with positive group dynamics. Group dynamics contribute to students’ performance in collaborative learning and to their satisfaction with the learning experience (Shi et al., 2008)." Simply put, each student must actively participate within the learning community and “pull their own weight”. Students that are not actively participating within the learning community can disrupt others’ level of motivation and enthusiasm. Participation should be an established norm within the learning community. 

Social-emotional elements

The final theme of moderating synchronous discussions piggybacks off the “setting up norms” theme. As with any social interaction, reactions of all nature will occur. “The social dimension is a crucial factor in determining the “climate” of conferences; that is, the willingness of people to contribute and engage seriously with the effectiveness of the discussion (Shi et al., 2008).” The facilitator should always be aware of the level of interaction within the discussion forum. This level of interaction speaks to the level of interest the students have for the given topic. In addition, the facilitator should also be aware of how the students “feel” within their responses. Are they happily discussing their opinions and perspectives with the full learning community; or are they completing the task with less enthusiasm due to the lack of response from their peers.

Asynchronous Facilitation Methods

An asynchronous online discussion environment may be defined as ‘‘a text-based human-to-human communication via computer networks that provides a platform for the participants to interact with one another to exchange ideas, insights and personal experiences” (Hew, 2008). This simply means that asynchronous discussions are discussions held by individuals online in an effort to share, exchange, or discuss ideas.

Asynchronous discussions are very commonly used in post-secondary courses, to connect peers and create a sense of community within the classroom. Many researchers dedicate their selves to studying the best way to effectively implement asynchronous discussions. Their research has a wide range of focus which extends from the types of questioning to the relationships among each participate.

Research by Hew and Cheung in (2008) suggest there are seven facilitation techniques to use as a guide in asynchronous discussion: (a) giving own opinions or experiences, (b) questioning, (c) showing appreciation, (d) establishing ground rules, (e) suggesting new direction, (f) personally inviting people to contribute, and (g) summarizing. Research by Xie and Ke (2011) confirms the technique of showing appreciation and giving opinions and experiences. Their study examined the relationship between student's motivation and their online interactions in a distance learning. Confirming the study by Hew and Cheung, they found that perceived competence and students' relatedness to their peers is a crucial factor that impacts students' learning in asynchronous discussions.These seven techniques not only enhances the student trust in each other but it also creates a certain connection that allow the student to create, what some may call, learning communities.

Research by Rovai (2002) goes a little more in-depth into classroom communities. This study was to determine if a relationship exists between sense of community and cognitive learning in an online educational environment. Results showed that graduate students feel connected to their virtual classroom community, students with stronger sense of community tend to possess greater perceived levels of cognitive learning, etc. 

Asynchronous discussions are a way for students to express who they are and allow their voices to be heard. Research gives multiple techniques that help enhance the discussion experience. Ultimately, students should feel comfortable, safe, interested and by the end of the discussion, enlightened.

Refernces

Hew, K. F., & Cheung, W. S. (2008). Attracting student participation in asynchronous online discussions: A case study of peer facilitation. Computers & Education, 51(3), 1111-1124. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2007.11.002

Rovai, A. P. (2002). Sense of community, perceived cognitive learning, and persistence in asynchronous learning networks. The Internet and Higher Education, 5(4), 319-332. doi:10.1016/s1096-7516(02)00130-6

Xie, K., & Ke, F. (2010). The role of students' motivation in peer-moderated asynchronous online discussions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(6), 916-930. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01140.x

Emerging Technology in the Classroom: A reflection and a plan!

One of the most incredible aspects of human nature is our ability to learn. With each  and every class I have taken, I truly take something away that affects my life. So it is with no surprise that I learned so much this semester as a student in my "Methods for Integrating Technology" class.

As an educator, it is my job to differentiate each lesson in order that I may reach each and every student. One of the most commonly researched and sought after ways of differentiation is through the use of technology. This class that I recently attended has afforded me the opportunity to learn so many different ways of integrating technology. The class itself was taught entirely through technology through a process called gamification.

info.esparklearning.com

Gamification is simply the ability to earn rewards for successful completion of tasks.  Take a second to visit the Knewton website to get a more in-depth knowledge of gamification.  I will definitely be incorporating this idea into my class. It helps with grading time and it gives the students the opportunity to have a goal to reach.

Other aspects of the course that were very intriguing include ways to incorporate technology into lesson planning using apps like voice thread,

langwitches.org

screencast,

www.hr.niu.edu

 or padlet.

blog.edtechteam.com

I really enjoyed learning how to use these items, especially voice thread and screencast. One very drastic change I have officially changed in my career in education is my style of teaching. I plan to flip my classroom next semester and these two additions to my knowledge of technology are the perfect tools! Take a moment to watch this youtube video on the idea of a flipped classroom, It may intrigue you as well.

I am extremely grateful to have learned a great deal in such a short period of time. These items share are only a fraction of the marvelous things I learned. This class has officially started my journey to becoming a true 21st-century educator.

TED Talk Hole In the Wall

This morning I sat down and watched a very interesting video from one of the infamous TED Talks. In this video, my thinking on today's form of education was not only challenged, but eternally changed. Bare with me, as I try to do the same for you.

The speaker, Sugata Mitra starts off with the question, "Where did the kind of learning we do in schools, come from?" This question intrigued me. I honestly never took a moment out of my life to actually stop and think, where did this school system idea originate? Mr. Mitra tells us how today we have the physical computer, but in the times of the largest and last of the empires, all they had was people. Hence, the need to create a system, the school, where everyone was identical. Everyone would have the same handwriting, be able to read, and know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, in their head. Now the victorian empire could flourish whether the connection was in Canada or New Zealand.

So how are taking that same idea of identical people and applying it today? With so many socioeconomic classes, are we allotting the same opportunities to the low-class citizens as the high-class citizens? Or are we allowing the rich to be seen as gifted while the poor gets labeled incompetent?

Mr. Mitra put this question to the test with his hole in the wall experiment. He placed a computer in the hole of a wall in the slums of India, testing to see if those so called poor and incompetent children were really as incompetent as they were being labeled. Not only did the children teach themselves English but they also taught themselves how to use this, to them, foreign object; a computer. This sparked Mr.Mitra interest and so he continuously repeated his experiment. Ultimately he found that we as homo sapiens have a natural desire to learn. We don't have to MAKE learning happen, we simply need to LET learning happen.

This is the way learning must be facilitated in today's school system. Educators must stop feeding children loads and loads of information that simply test their foundational skills. Instead, simply give students a question and allow them to teach themselves. Allow the learning to emerge within them. This is what Mr. Mitra calls S.O.L.E, Self Organized Learning Environments.

http://uniqed.com/2014/05/building-schools-cloud/

The teacher no longer drills students with the chore of learning and memorizing. Instead, he or she give students the question, tools, and necessary encouragement to collaborate with each and allow learning to organize all on its own. In doing this, we take the idea of the identical student from the victorian empire and mold it into the need of our students today. Every student learns the same information because they explore it together.

Students no longer need to be able to simply write and simply read. They now need to be able to read and understand, write and create, multiply and build. They need to keep the idea of knowing and understanding alive. Otherwise, the technological era will cause students to become less of an innovator and more of a regurgitator. Then learning will become obsolete. I encourage you, dear reader, to stop teaching your students and allow them to teach themselves. facilitate their lerning, direct their learning, but allow them to explore the reasons why all on their own!

Real or fake

Today’s generation is a generation that revolves around social media. Every day someone reports and snaps a picture or quote that has gone viral. But are these pictures and quotes legitimate? I have to admit, I am one of those individuals that do not always check the validity of a picture before I repost it. To be perfectly honest, there are times when I have thought about whether it was real or fake but did not know how to check the validity. That is why I am glad I participated in a "real or fake" challenge for my class.


Real or Fake Challenge:The challenge began with looking at a picture, 2 hotel reviews, and 3 quotes, which I needed to determine whether or not it is real or fake. I saw a few obvious things on these items so I was able to make a hypothesis. The picture still contained the cursor and a few of the items were much bigger than they should have been, so I knew it was fake. For the hotel reviews, I was completely stumped. Lastly,the quotes, they were the easiest to determine validity, I simply googled these.

After making my inferences, I went to the blog post with the answers. My thought process for the picture and quotes was correct. However, I learned something new when it came to the hotel reviews. There is a website, reviewskeptic.com, that determines the validity of quotes. But you could also do your own personal research. Google the reviewer and learn about their review history. Read some of their other reviews and determine if the tone of their review is consistent with the other reviews posted. Turns out, both reviews were real!

Knowing whether a post is real or fake is very important. As I was googling the validity of one of the quotes, I came across an article about Ben Carson. Ben Carson,a very prosperous surgeon, used a quote allegedly spoken by Thomas Jefferson. Unfortunately for Mr. Carson, the quote was fake, and he received grand amounts of backlash for his lack of research. This is why it is so important to be very thorough in your knowledge of real versus fake. Especially when you are in a position that has such a heavy effect on those around you.

This is why, as an educator, I believe it is important to teach my students to be able to tell the difference. My students will write research papers or even simpler, repost posts on social media. They must know what is real versus what is fake. Many of my students will grow up to be the next doctor, teacher, basketball player, or even CEO of a company. They must know how to pass on the right VALID information, to those in their care and circle. As humans were are already judged our appearances, I will not allow my student to subject themselves to judgment for their lack of knowledge on real versus fake!

Maker Revolution

One of the main things that school systems try to focus on is the preparation of students for life after high school. We, as educators, want our students to be ready and able to live a very prosperous and successful life from the moment they cross that stage until the day they retire. Unfortunately, this goal is very hard to reach due to the very scripted school system we are forced to subject our students to. It is almost like we have to choose between high test scores and the building of character and successful life practices. Fortunately, the day has come where teachers have a movement they can merge into their everyday lesson plans; The Maker Revolution.

The Maker Revolution  is a movement where people are creating and remaking gadgets and devices. This movement is bringing in the era of do it yourself (DIY) and do it with others (DIWO). People are no longer wondering how to use the remote to turn on the tv or how to use the wheel of a car to turn left or right. Instead, they are now wondering why? Why is a remote built in such a way that a sensor controls the tv? Why is the car built so the wheel turns the entire car? They are even taking it a step further to ask themselves, what parts of my new discovery can be used to enhance the devices we already have or even create something completely new.

This revolution is the very thing that classrooms need! Just think of the enthusiasm that students would develop if, after learning how to solve and equation, they were able to apply that to rebuilding a computer. Or after learning lessons of compound interest,they could create their own banking system. Standards are continuously asking teachers to help their students become more innovative and creative. The  maker revolution is the answer to the development of these desired standards. Allow the students to bring in small gadgets and tinker with them. Give students permission to become innovators and creators. In return, the classroom will no longer feel like a chore. Students will value their education and have those successful practices instilled in them. Students have the ability to create, it's our responsibility to set up the correct environment for them.

My classroom webpage

Please take a look to visit my classroom web page. Critiques are both welcome and encouraged.
 Ms. Huggins' EGHS Webpage