I leaned about the various types of learning styles that present problems to e-learning, and was interested to note that my eldest son falls under the competitive style, he really does see it as pass/fail most of the times. It was was also interesting to learn the difference between synchronous and asychronous learners.
I like the idea of summarizing the end of a particular forum by the instructor. I had never thought about the issue of a synchronous interaction in chat being an issue for poor readers and those who don't type very effectively.
The importance regarding asynchronous and synchronous discussions was valuable and provided good advice when managing course discussions amongst students.
I have learned the importance of asynchronous techniques when dealing with online students, and the fact is that most online sessions are done using those guidelines. Also, it is important to understand when to use synchronous methods as well, and the necessity for constructive feedback.
Asynchronous lining is where students can participate in ways that they may not have been comfortable with ynchronnously. It allows their voice to be heard.
Asynchronous discussions are best started with social interactions, as well as ending the same way. Student interaction is encouraged.
I will make sure that I provide adequate and encouraging feedback to my online students. This will impact their participation and learning experience.
I will definitely incorporate asynchronous and synchronous communication. I feel that both are beneficial, but I believe asynchronous is more so. Along with diligent student communication bia email, my students should benefit greatly.
I learned that synchous and asynchronous meetings should be used for different purposes. Each has advantages and disadvantages depending on what the goal is for that particular meeting. I also find it quite interesting that asynchronous meetings do seem to have an advantage in promoting a deeper intellectual engagement by fostering dialogue and more in depth dialogue among the students themselves. i find that a partucularly useful tool.
Some of the things I have learned in this section that I will use will be the 24 hr turnaround time needed to respond to student questions. Another item would be to try and find a connection with the class and students through the usage of the mini biographies. Also, needing to be aware of those students that might have special needs especially was a good reminder since I had not really given it as much consideration since I had not thought about the similarities to a traditional class setting.
There are several learning styles it is important that you can identify and teach to all of the. Often students will fluctuate from one to another.
I've always been a fan of asynchronous communication, because it gives the participants more time to process what is being said and let's them take in the information at their own pace, so I'm glad it's mentioned in this lesson. I also like the tip about using language that builds confidence and encourages students to continue to pursue their objectves in the course in lieu of in-person contact and body langauge.
I learned the difference between asynchronous and synchronous discussions and that synchronous is not recommended for critical course content. I will make sure to mostly use asynchronous discussions unless it is with one student at a time.
This module was helpful in identifying different personality learning types and which types of discussion are best suited for them. Asynchronous sessions will help identify shy students.
I liked thinking about the different ways to incorporate synchronous and asynchronous discussions in an online class. Normally I have always seen asynchronous.
From this module I learned that there are two types of discussions, Asynchronous and Synchronous. Asynchronous discussions are discussions that occur over time and may or not be in real-time, while synchronous discussions are in real-time. Asynchronous discussions provide a shelter for all students, especially for students who would not typically participate in a discussion in a classroom setting. I also learned strategies for promoting and monitoring asynchronous discussions, such as providing students with rules for netiquette, posting and monitoring all discussion questions, and providing feedback in a fair and consistent manner.
Participants in Synchronous discussions should be kept to a minimum of 5-6 participants. Conduct the discussion time for no longer than 30 minutes. Participants should be provided the information to be discussed well in advance in order for them to prepare for the discussion session.
The last thing learned was the importance of providing feedback in a timely manner, which should be encouraging, builds confidence, and motivates them to continue pursing the learning objectives. As instructors, we should seek feedback from our students to determine how they feel the class is going, to find out if they are learning, and to make needed adjustments.
I believe engaging an avoidant student can be done with intentional monitoring to ensure they are participating in the discussion forums and submitting assignments. Also by responding to a discussion post they provided, perhaps highlighting or referencing a response they provided or even using the chat feature to communicate directly with them.
Reply to Diane Kuklinski's post: I agree. I don't remember a time when an instructor actively participated either. I often respond to my students' posts, mainly to let them know I do check to see that they are completing the assignment, and , too, to respond to what their post.
Reply to Marvin Jimenez's post:I currently use discussions in the LMS I use with my students. Since I'll be leaning more heavily on using the LMS to teach now that we're out until the middle of May, I'm going to also post these guidelines to be used in discussions posts moving forward.
I learned the difference between the 2 types of delivering information online teaching (asynchronous and synchronous ) and the online discussions. I think the asynchronous discussion is more useful for large class due to the fact that everyone will get the time to participate.
