Moderating last week’s discussion was fun. The topic of discussion was a comparison between synchronous and asynchronous online environments. There were many interesting arguments – mostly in favour of asynchronous. People seem to enjoy the control they have in asynchronous. Although I was expecting a lot of people to say that each type of mode has its own place, I found myself putting check-mark after check-mark for asynchronous. It lets people pick their own time, think things through and avoid confusion.
We also discussed obstacles in Online Learning Environments (OLEs) and Vincent raised a good point about ‘writing anxiety’. Certainly the stronger writers are more comfortable in OLEs since text is the major mode. That brings forth the issue of facilitation. What opportunities are provided and how all participants can feel comfortable is mostly in the hands of the facilitator. One of the learnings from another course that has always stuck with me is the TPACK model which emphasizes the convergence of technological, pedagogical and content knowledge on the part of the teacher. I found myself thinking back to that concept as we discussed the importance of facilitation. Interestingly, on similar lines, another group was discussing social presence and how it can be cultured through the conscious use of some parameters. Jennifer and Murat attached their papers based on their past studies related to social presence, which I found wonderful. Sharing of such ideas, especially coming from one's own expertise, helps provide a structured viewpoint on the issue.
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