One of the things you might have noticed about EGJ is that we don’t cover video conferencing very much. The truth is – there really isn’t that much to cover. Most video conferencing news is about better quality video or better connections. Which is pretty cool – but there is just not much more to say about that. Not to mention that this is also news about expensive products that we can’t afford to buy. For me personally, there is also another reason I don’t cover video conferencing very much: I don’t believe they have much of a place in online learning.
Sure, for making a presentation or lecture from a distance, they can be great. To me, active learning is the way to go for learning in general, so presentations and lectures should take up as little class time as possible. Students should interact, in my opinion. Some feel that video conferencing tool is also excellent for interaction. I would disagree with that thought. I feel that asynchronous learning methods are better for online learning.
To me, one of the weaknesses of online synchronous meetings is time. Synchronous meetings always have an extremely limited time factor
Matt is currently an Instructional Designer II at Orbis Education and a Part-Time Instructor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Previously he worked as a Learning Innovation Researcher with the UT Arlington LINK Research Lab. His work focuses on learning theory, Heutagogy, and learner agency. Matt holds a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas, a Master of Education in Educational Technology from UT Brownsville, and a Bachelors of Science in Education from Baylor University. His research interests include instructional design, learning pathways, sociocultural theory, heutagogy, virtual reality, and open networked learning. He has a background in instructional design and teaching at both the secondary and university levels and has been an active blogger and conference presenter. He also enjoys networking and collaborative efforts involving faculty, students, administration, and anyone involved in the education process.
Discussion for this post seems to be happening over here:
http://rcjeduc8823.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-7-aysnchronous-or-synchronous.html