Specific feedback on discussions that are genuine and engaging.
I will focus more on my chats to ensure no one is left behind. The thought that a student Could be overwhelmEd by students being a very Quick reader and typer did not cross my mind before.
comments. Found the information and guidelines regarding asynchronous and synchronous discussions very informative as prior to taking this course myself, I was nat familiar with these terms. I understand the need for and benefits of each type of discussion.
I sometimes have a tendency to get into longer descriptors when speaking. I have taken to actually making "guides" with examples and giving them as supplements in addition to the instruction/examples being given.
Asynchronous discussions are recommended for more important course content. Also, to get a feel of the students understanding of the content.
I learned how important it is to foster participation in my online class through asynchronous and synchronous discussion. I plan to use both of these techniques in my classes as we have video chat as well as discussion boards available to us during this time. We have also made sure that our students have access to both as well.
Being able to utilize different media in delivery of discussions helps ensure the most optimal level of participation in an online class.
Different modes of communication are better suited to certain situations.
Receiving feedback from students lets you know where the instruction is heading and what you should do to keep it going where you want it to go.
Engaging students in discussions supports an open learning environment. Asking questions or challenging viewpoints can help to dynamically continue the conversation and promote open dialog between participants.
Sunchronous discussions should occur preferably with one student. Asynchronous seesions encourage and generate better participation when questions are well crafted by the instructor. Providing feedback with the asynchronous discussions to individual students is important and crafting a final sum up of the discussion by the instructor is a good plan to ahve.
I appreciated the guidelines provided such as the max class size and managing synchronous discussions.
I understand the concept of asynchronous discussions to help with learning and will use for my video meetings after the class, good concept
By providing the opportunity for both rigorous synchronous and asynchronous disucssions I would hope to foster the most engagement possible from my students.
Deciding on the appropriate type of delivery based on the needs of the individual student.
I've learned how to foster participation, confidence and student engagement in synchronous and asynchronous discussions in online environments.
Asynchronous and synchronous is interesting, learned to Prevent the discussion from rambling into too many directions by narrowing down the topics. Maintain the focus of the discussion on topic as the Students expect me to keep the discussions on the subject.
For #4I was debating between (a) and (d)
As a faculty who has taught online classes before I have had asynchronous interactions with students mostly through Discussion Boards and Google+ Communities. In my rubrics, I have included points for a student to read posts of other students and pick 2 or 3 of their classmates to respond to. I have used synchronous class time for informal chats and Q and A sessions. Sometimes I have used for group presetnations.
The very fact that my students are not in a classroom, but rather scattered across the country, and even the world, suggests that synchronous learning is ineffective. Rather, asynchronous learning should be used. This means employing other techniques and strategies to deliver content and provide feedback to students. In the physical classroom setting, for example, I was used to hearing students laugh at my jokes. Now, I have to just trust that someone found my material to be funny. That challenge is also shared with my students. Therefore, I take advantage of my talking head in the video class sessions to make the right amount of facial contortions and to vary the tone of my voice. When grading assignments, I understand that how I word my feedback is important so that I convey the right message. This can mean encouraging or discouraging certain practices from my students. With this feedback comes the tact necessary to get the right message across to the student, whether or not that individual knows my sense of humor, while also provding remarks that avoid reading too much like cookie-cutter responses.
Synchronous discussion can be very hard to do online, and the teacher should limit the size of groups being involved in discussions.
