I currently attend Walden University and was asked to choose a topic of study. I decided to choose Asynchronous vs Synchronous interaction. Below is the paper submitted for my choice:
The
invention of the internet has caused a ripple effect on almost every aspect of
21st century living. One of the major advancements associated with
the internet is our ability to communicate using a variety of different
methods. I am fascinated with the notion that I can communicate with someone in
the same time zone at the same time via the web and grow even more fascinated
with the idea that I can communicate without concern about an individuals’ time
zone or logging in to make sure that I am do not miss an important
meeting. The technology behind the
ability to communicate through the web is amazing and more than I can wrap my
head around. It is a reminder of the
genius that I have not been blessed with.
Amazing human beings have been given amazing gifts and shared them with
me and I am grateful. My strength lies
more in understanding the benefits of such technology for my students. I have been a middle school teacher for 9
years now and have had great experiences working with low-income, minority
youth. I have been successful in my
efforts to help them achieve goals and many have moved on to become successful
adults. I still receive e-mails from many of my students filling me in on what
goes on in their lives and it makes me feel good to know that I have had that
type of impact. Many of the students I
have taught are now leaving college and it puts a smile on my face when they
call me and tell me that of all the teachers they had, they remember me most.
Working
with the students in the way that I have, has not been an easy task. In fact, many times I felt a tremendous
amount of stress because the task of getting students, who, by definition,
society says will not be successful, to overcome the statistics and rise to the
challenge of being successful, was not an easy one. At one time in my career, I was the first
person to enter the building and the last person to leave. I took to heart every single workshop I
attended and tried to make sure that I implemented as many strategies as I
could to ensure success. In a community
where parents were not typically involved with their students, I was able to
have large amounts of parents come for parent tutorials and many other events
that involved their children. All of
these methods paid off, but eventually I grew discouraged as it seemed to take
more and more effort for me to have students realize their potential. It seemed as if the more I gave, the more
people expected and no longer was there a shared responsibility between myself,
the parent and the student. In fact, not
only did most of the responsibility fall on me, but the school system itself
seemed to grow extremely relaxed in their expectation of our students. I saw a breakdown in the culture and society
of the world around, from the influences of pop culture, to the school system’s
expectation of how low-income, minority students should perform. The monster grew to overwhelm me and I
decided it was time to leave the traditional public school setting. I am sure that you are wondering, “How does
all of this relate to communication and more specifically, the topic I chose
for my study (asynchronous and synchronous interaction)?” Well, I recently
applied and have been accepted to teach at an online public school called the
Georgia Cyber Academy.
The
Georgia Cyber Academy is an online, Title I public school. It is offered to any student in the state of
Georgia. Currently the school ranges
from grades K-11 and will eventually have a senior class in 2014. Although the school does have social events
where teachers, parents and students will get to meet in person, over 90% of
the interaction between student and teacher will take place through both
asynchronous and synchronous communication.
I will begin training for the job on July 16th of this year
(2012), but I thought that I might choose this topic as a way to help me get a
better understanding of the benefits of both forms of communication.
During
the interview process I was informed that in order for me to stay employed or
receive a contract for the following year, I must maintain my attendance and in
order to maintain attendance, I must keep the “customer” happy. I need to learn how I can use these forms of
communication to create the same environment I created when I was in a brick and
mortar building. My desire through the
study of asynchronous and synchronous interaction is to learn how to utilize
the benefits of both forms of communication to create a virtual classroom
environment that establishes high expectations, implements problem solving and
rigor while promoting comfortable classroom conversation and dialog between the
students and myself.
Some
interesting information I found came from the Encyclopedia of Distance
Learning. The encyclopedia’s format was
not organized in the format of a traditional encyclopedia. The Encyclopedia of Distance Learning was
composed of research studies on the many topics that fall under distance
learning. The encyclopedia was created
by Patricia Rogers and other professionals who gathered information from
professionals in the distance learning field.
Professionals such as Tiong Kung-Ming, from the University of Malaysia,
and Sim Khoon-Seng from Curtin University of Technology in Malaysia completed a
study on asynchronous vs. synchronous interaction in distance learning. Kung-Ming and Khoon-Seng describe two forms
of communication in the world of computer-based education; communication is
either asynchronous or synchronous (2005).
“Asynchronous interaction simply refers to interaction that occurs at
different times, that is, not real time (Kung-Ming & Khoon-Seng, 2005,
p.123).” Synchronous interaction is the
interaction or communication that occurs during real time. Both of these forms of communication are
essential to the distance learning process.
Kung- Ming and Khoon-Seng cite Garrison (1990) “the quality and
integrity of the educational process in distance learning, largely depends upon
sustained, two-way communication (p.122).”
The study completed by Kung-Ming and Khoon-Seng discusses the
differences between asynchronous and synchronous interaction as well as the
benefits of both forms of communication.
Asynchronous interaction allows flexibility, time to reflect, anonymity,
no time zone constrains, situated learning and is cost effective (Kung-Ming
& Khoon-Seng, 2005). Synchronous
interaction’s benefits include the ability to receive immediate feedback and
visual and aural cues (Kung-Ming & Khoon-Seng, 2005). After reading through the entire journal, it
is apparent that Kung-Ming and Khoon-Seng find asynchronous interaction more
beneficial to student learning.
Due
to my recent career shift, the topic of asynchronous and synchronous
communication and it benefits to learning is a topic that I find
intriguing. I wish to create a positive
learning environment through these two forms of virtual interaction. Because
the use of this type of technology has been primarily isolated toward college
students, there is little research on the benefits with regards to k-12
students. The information in this
journal was useful for the topic I chose, however, it is important to find
additional resources. I am currently
looking for information that pertains more specifically to the comparison
between asynchronous and synchronous communication methods for grade school
students.
References
Rogers, P. et al
(2009). Asynchronous vs. synchronous interaction. T. Kung-Ming & S. Khoon –
Seng, The Encylopedia of distance
learning (Vol. I, 2nd edition). Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=sC9Le3jIwzIC&pg=PA122&dq=asynchronous+versus+synchronous+interactions&hl=en&sa=X&ei=W6neT9iHFo-c8QSmqq3cCg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=asynchronous%20versus%20synchronous%20interactions&f=false
Wow, no pressure, you say your continued employment depends on the attendance? That is different from public schools; it's never the teacher who is penalized for student absences. Do you see a problem that if these students are not successful in a traditional classroom, they will not succeed in a non-traditional setting?
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your burn-out issues. Reading is my passion, and back in 2000 I got a masters in reading, giving me certification as Reading Specialist in VA. I went into it thinking I was going to do great things, helping struggling middle schoolers love reading. Sigh. I did it for 5 years. I saw the same thing with the parent support; part of the reason kids were not readers. Fortunately I have great admin. support, so moved back to English. This fall I have been asked to again assume the RS position at my school. I will go into it with different ideals, but new ideas.
I think everyone hits a point where they feel like that. It is funny because after a while we all feel a little trapped and don't know how to get out. I am thankful for the opportunity, but I will be taking a huge pay cut. It is just me and my son so I worry if I am making the right decision.
DeleteI just pray that everything will work out.
Just confirming access to your blog.
ReplyDeleteTim.
I just looked at my grade in the grade book and I will have to work more on my blog. I will look at other blogs to get my bearings. I think I was just excited that I was able to post a blog and did not get into responsibility of keeping it up to Walden University standards. I will do better.
DeleteI agree, the teacher is responsible for the continued attendace...that could be a problem. I know teachers are responsible for their teaching practices, but there are many factors outside the classroom that are reasons that contribute to students failing. If the teacher has to make the parents and students happy and want to return...I do know know If I want to be in that situation.
ReplyDeleteGeorge
The position is a little nerve wreaking and the contract is not the typical contract. I can be terminated at anytime. I am also taking a pay cut but the appeal of working from home on my own schedule seems worth the risk right now. I will update on how everything pans out.
DeleteGeorgia K12 is a great online school. Sometimes it not the teacher responsible, but the parents. We had a set of parents this year that was looking for any kind of trouble they could. They were looking for a law suite. What the parents did not understand we always make sure we had our backs cover. They took the could out of the school. It was over the summer I found out 3 other other school systems has been suited. Two won school systems won, and the other one did not.
ReplyDeleteThis is so exciting. It sounds like you work for K12. I would love to hear everything you know about K12. The main thing I would like to know is if there are other opportunities to make money because I have taken a salary cut.
Delete