I have learned the pros and cons to administering asynchronous and synchronous discussions and that asynchronous is the preferred method for e-learning. I also learned the importance of soliciting student feedback throughout the course as it will help form your decisions on how to proceed and also identify student needs.
I was reminded that students may have more than one learning style, and it is important to find out what that is so students can be reached/taught in a way that works for them. I also found it important to teach students of netiquette. It will be my job to identify the different learning styles of each student, and also to teach students the importance of netiquette so discussions are productive to the entire class.
Reply to Kimialeesha Thomas's post:I agree with that. It is better to have asynchronous discussions to instruct important course content.
I have learned about synchronous and asynchronous meetings and that asunchronous meeting is a better choice with e-learning.
I have learned the diffrence between asynchronous and synchronous and with whom and when to use them. I have learned that feedback is a vital part of e-learning and should encourage participation, confidence, and motivation. It should contain critizim if it is needed in order to fully help the student understand the subject.
I find that in the asynchronous discussion it is important to require students to respond to the initial question or prompt before they can see and then respond to other students' responses.
In this module I have learned that there are various ways learners learn course content. I knew some learners learn by listenting, others by seeing and a great majority learn by doing. I didn't know the types which now it make more sense to me since I have noticed some of the characteristics mentioned in this course.
I intent to modify my course to implement some of the suggestion in the course. One main one is to modify attendance criteria to accomodate student's work schedules.
I have learned that with synchronous is better when there are short discussions and that Asynchronous is best used when a teacher is making sure that a student does understand a concept.
Elgie Apacible
Differentiating asynchronous and synchronous discussions , their characteristics, pros and cons were very educational and instructional. I liked the different student learners and the value of feedback mechanisms in becoming successful in online education teaching.
Providing timely and consructive feed back is essential not only in person, but online as well. It is important to phrase you feedback properly to enhance learning if it has to be corrective.
II think the the most important part that I like was supplying the feedback and how to supply that feedback. Since for the most part we will be asynchronous or at least we cannot see a person written responses have to be at a particular time that is it's close to immediate as possible since you can't just say something to somebody. also since students will be responding probably asynchronously they need to get the information so that they can respond to that information.
asynchronous discussions will typically lend itself to more students contributing. its imortant to moderate to keep the discussion on topic and engaging
To my surprise, what I found most useful is the instruction on allowing and or facilitating small talk during online courses and discussions. I have a tendency to be 'all business' when it comes to teaching, and this has helped me understand it's good to relax. Thank you.
It is very important to engage learners in this setting because that will be crucial in their motivation to learn. Providing them with needed support and timely feedback will promote active participation and meeting learning goals.
While working at an alternative school, I deal with many of these avoidant and dependent styles on a consistant basis, so it is nice to see explicit strategies on how they can be managed and brought out to fulfill a positive education experience.
Discussion is a good way to keep student participation up and a way to have a good discussion of the topic
This module gave the best insight on what should not be utilized for important course content. The most effective communication method would be asynchronous.
USING FEEDBACK HELPS STUDENT KEEP ENGAGED.
There is a big difference between asynchronous and synchronous on-line classrooms. Asyncrhonous discussions are a viable procedure in an online course. With a larger class size, the more information is shared, creating a larger window of time for discussions and evaluation. Synchronous discussions should be limited to a few students to encourage interaction by all students.
When creating a course, it is important to make room for discussions. While asynchronous may be the dominant form, time should still be allowed for synchronous interactions. Feedback is important and let's students feel involved and valued in the class.
