Week 6: Exploring Digital Solutions—Synchronous Teaching and Learning Tools (Fall 2023 Webster)

Overview

In Week 5, you began to compile a list of potential technologies that you could incorporate into your own practice, and into your Technology Integration Activity project, as we explored asynchronous technologies commonly used in teaching and learning. This week, we will look at synchronous educational technologies. While there is a wide range of technology types used to communicate and collaborate when students and teachers are not connected in the same time and space (asynchronously), the types of technologies used to connect in real time (synchronously) are a bit more limited.

Week 6 will focus primarily on the use of video conferencing technologies to facilitate communication and collaboration between students, their peers, and teachers. We will discuss applications that use audio and video to connect individuals in telephone-like conversations (personal video conferencing). We will also look at more sophisticated applications that integrate suites of collaborative tools, and how they can be used to create online, real-time classroom meeting spaces and presentations.

In this week’s Technology Exploration activities, you will have a chance to try out a personal video conferencing application to connect and collaborate with one (or more!) of your classmates. You will also have an opportunity to explore the use of a virtual reality application (Second Life) to create alternate real-time meeting and learning spaces. By the end of this week, you will finalize your technology choice(s) for your Technology Integration Activity project. You will complete Assignment 3, where you will prepare an online presentation that describes the technology you have chosen, and what that technology will allow you to achieve in your Technology Integration Activity, along with demonstrating how to use current example applications.

Topics

Week 6 is divided into four topics:

Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this week’s activities, you should be able to:

Resources

Barclay, A., Ceccolini, K., Clarke, K., Domonchuk, N., Shapiro, S., Singh, J., Young, M., Hayman, J., Beer, J. & Arseneau, C. (2022). HyFlex Course Design and Teaching Strategies. eCampus Ontario. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/hyflexcoursedesignandteachingstrategies/

Candarli, D., & Yuksel, H. G. (2012). Students’ perceptions of video-conferencing in the classrooms in higher education. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, 357-361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.663 (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Doggett, A. M. (2008). The videoconferencing classroom: What do students think? Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 44 (4), 29-41. Retrieved from https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JITE/v44n4/pdf/doggett.pdf (CC BY 4.0)

Feldon, F. (2010, November 7). Second Life in higher education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/6JC6nveI9wg

Ghazal, S., Samsudin, Z., & Aldowah, H. (2015). Students’ perception of synchronous courses using Skype-based video conferencing. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 8 (30), 1-9. Retrieved from http://www.indjst.org/index.php/indjst/article/viewFile/84021/64976

Gregory, S., Lee, M. J. W., Dalgarno, B., & Tynan, B. (Eds). (2016). Learning in virtual worlds: Research and applications [E-book]. Athabasca, AB: AU Press. Retrieved from http://aupress.ca/index.php/books/120254 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Hart, J. (2018, September 24). Webinar, web meeting & virtual classroom tools. Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies . Retrieved from http://c4lpt.co.uk/directory-of-learning-performance-tools/webinar-webmeeting-tools/

Linden Research. (2019). Second Life [Computer application]. Retrieved from https://secondlife.com/

Mengel, M. A. [MaryAnnCLT]. (2007, August 10). Educational uses of Second Life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/qOFU9oUF2HA

Oberheinrich, A. (2019, Sep. 9). The Granny Cloud [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/L8xBccllaZU

Purewal, S. J. (2011, August 9). Luddite’s guide to online conferencing. ITBusiness.ca. Retrieved from https://www.itbusiness.ca/news/luddites-guide-to-online-video-conferencing/16347

Schneider, C. (2013, April 5). How to get started with Second Life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/TPHTknDn9Fo

Second Life. (n.d.). Learning Desitnations. https://secondlife.com/destinations/learning

Stratton, J. (2013, March 11). What is Second Life? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/v54nkeX8Ak0

University of Guelph. (2022). Web Conferencing Options. https://opened.uoguelph.ca/instructor-resources/web-conferencing-options

Webster, K. (2020). Preparing for a Good Web Conferencing Experience. Keith’s Portfolio. https://keith-webster-portfolio.eddl.tru.ca/preparing-for-a-good-web-conferencing-experience/

Topic 1: Technology Integration

Video Conferencing in Education

Video conferencing technologies allow users to connect using audio and video feeds in real time. They can be powerful tools for enabling synchronous communication and collaboration between students, their peers, and instructors. They allow students and teachers to come together for formal classes, and informal support, regardless of geographical separation. These technologies can help to establish more personal connections, reduce transactional distance (Moore, 1989, 1991) between students and teachers, and promote the development of communities of inquiry (Athabasca University, n.d.).

There are several models for the use of video conferencing tools in education.

• Online synchronous classroom: the instructor lectures (possibly with student activities or questions)
• Guest speaker into classroom: a remote expert speaks to a classroom of learners
• One on one discussion: office hours with the instructor, learning pairs meet online
• Small group synchronous discussion / brainstorming: small groups of students meet outside of class time or as part of a lecture
• Hybrid classroom learning: synchronous lessons are delivered for face-to-face students in the classroom and for students joining via video conferencing platform at the same time

The use of video conferencing for teaching and learning has grown from a very exclusive (and expensive) niche into a common possibility for instructors in most teaching contexts. The pandemic accelerated the development of web conferencing features, the robustness of some web conference platforms, and the market share of the dominant vendors. Before the pandemic, while there were a few major players, various web conferencing platforms were used individually by educators or were made available by educational institutions. Features like screen-sharing and chat were common but closed captioning was rare.

Today educational institutions in Canada are likely to adopt video conferencing platforms from among the top players: Zoom, MS Teams, Vimeo and WebEx. Features that were once rare, like captioning or cloud recording, are now considered mandatory.

As in all teaching and learning, the most important aspect of education supported by video conferencing is the design of activities to make the most of your synchronous time together and the best support of interactivity: student-content; student-student; student-instructor.

Many K-12 teachers discovered during the pandemic that the utility of video conferencing was impacted by student age and technical ability, the technology and internet connection in the home, and the availability of parents or guardians to assist students and keep them on task. In K-12 it is even more important to focus on the high impact uses of web conferencing.

Two main instruction methods supported by video conferencing are the online synchronous classroom and the hybrid classroom.

The Online Synchronous Classroom

In the online synchronous classroom the instructor teaches a traditional lesson, but via a web conferencing platform. This can offer less of an interpersonal impact as a live lecture, but advantages can include:

• the ability to ask questions during the lecture using chat
• the ability to add hyper links during the lecture
• the ability to record the lecture for later review by students
• the ability to use breakout rooms for group activities that would have been cumbersome in class

Instructors should ensure that synchronous lecture time is dedicated to material not covered well by assigned readings and resources. For example the discussion of controversies between assigned works is a better use of time than a simple review of assigned works.

The Hybrid Classroom

In the hybrid classroom the instructor tries to facilitate the same learning experience for on-campus learners and those joining via a web conferencing platform. This means the lessons must be designed to deliver content effectively in both modes and, more importantly, that learning activities must work for both physically present and online learners.

In many cases activities such as small group discussions can be accomodated using breakout rooms (if the web conferencing platform has this feature). In cases where something is being produced a tool that allows simultaneous contributions (like Google Docs) will help. In some cases the instructor may be forced to design different activities that support the same learning. Small group activities where each group includes in-class and online members are harder to support.

The technical supports for a hybrid classroom are more complicated than for an online classroom. A seamless media bridge between the physical classroom and online participants will help to put the technology in the background. Remote participants should use headsets for audio (with microphones muted when not in use) and webcams for a personal visual presence.

In the classroom a ceiling array of microphones can deliver good audio out for the instructor and in-class students alike. Alternatively, a podium microphone or an instructor lavalier microphone and wireless handheld microphones for in-class students will work (until someone forgets they need to use a microphone).

The visual media in use by the instructor (or by a presenting student) should be prominent for both in-class and online participants. This is typically easy to accomplish with screen or application sharing to display slides, or with a whiteboard feature within the web conferencing platform. Cameras in the classroom should include views of the instructor and podium and the gathered students in general. Preset views on each camera (e.g. instructor and podium, front of classroom) will be more useful if the instructor needs to switch specific views for online students.

Take a look at Unit 3: learning Activities for HyFlex Courses in HyFlex Course Design and Teaching Strategies. The collection of activities at the bottom of the page offer versions for in-class, online synchronous and online asynchronous environments (we are interested in the first two). Explore some of these activities. Consider which might support topics you have taught, and what challenges might arise in trying to use these activities with your learners.

Topic 2: Technology Exploration

Activity 1: Connect with a Classmate

You have likely used FaceTime, or some other personal video conferencing application, to connect with family, friends or colleagues. If not, now is your chance to get hands-on to see how you could use personal video conferencing to collaborate with a classmate, and to provide each other with support for your learning activities.

For this Technology Exploration activity, you will work in pairs or groups of three. Your instructor will create discussion topic where you can connect with a classmate. Make arrangements to connect with your classmates using a personal video conferencing application of your choosing.

When you meet, discuss:

You will have more opportunities to connect with your classmates, who you can think of as “study partners,” as the course progresses. In future weeks, you will be asked to re-connect to provide each other with feedback and help as you work through the design and development of your Technology Integration Activity projects.

Prepare a short post that describes:

As part of this week’s Community Engagement activities, you will have the option of engaging with one another’s posts on this subject.

Activity 2: Exploring an Alternative Learning Space—Second Life

Virtual reality applications like Second Life have been explored as potential alternate learning spaces, allowing teachers and students to connect in a virtual world in much the same way they would using web conferencing applications. Alternate learning spaces like Second Life have the added potential benefit of being able to transport students and teachers to spaces and places that would otherwise be impossible—such as exploring Medieval Europe, or taking a trip to the International Space Station.

For a brief overview of what Second Life is, watch Jeremy Stratton’s (2013) What Is Second Life?

Source: YouTube, Jeremy Stratton

Do you think a virtual reality environment like Second Life could be useful as an educational tool?

Watch MaryAnnCLT’s (2007) quick overview, Educational Uses of Second Life.

Source: YouTube, MaryAnnCLT

Then watch Fred Feldon’s (2010) Second Life in Higher Education to see how Second Life was used to create a virtual campus.

Feldon, F. (2010, November 7). Second Life in higher education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/6JC6nveI9wg

If you have time, create a personal avatar (your virtual reality persona) by joining Second Life. Download and install the Second Life Viewer application. Watch Schneider’s (2013) How to Get Started with Second Life for some tips on how to get up and running.

Schneider, C. (2013, April 5). How to get started with Second Life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/TPHTknDn9Fo

Once you have your account set up, explore the Second Life “Learning Destinations.” Perhaps make arrangements with your classmate partner(s) from the previous activity to meet at the Education Portal at the same time!

Prepare a short post that describes:

As part of this week’s Community Engagement activities, you will have the option of engaging with one another’s posts on this subject.

Optional Reading: Expand Your Understanding

If you are curious about why you would want to use virtual worlds in teaching, or if you simply want to learn more about learning in virtual worlds such as Second Life, check out Gregory, Lee, Dalgarno and Tynan’s (2016) Learning in Virtual Words (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) e-book.

Activity 3: Exploring Digital Solutions (Assignment 3)

In Week 5’s Technology Exploration activities, you started to compile a list of potential asynchronous technologies that you could incorporate into your Technology Integration Activity project. Now it’s time to finalize your technology choices for that project, and to prepare a presentation about the technologies you plan to integrate, how you chose those technologies, how they will be used as instructional tools, and how to use those tools (technically). Do you plan to use any synchronous technologies in your Technology Integration Activity? If so, add the specific technologies to your list, and complete Assignment 3.

Using your personal portfolio, create a web-based presentation that:

You will be asked to share your presentation as part of this week’s Community Engagement activities.

Topic 3: Community Engagement

Activity 4: Discussion Questions (Optional)

Your instructor will post questions in the course discussion forum related to this week’s topics. Respond to these questions, and check out (and reply to) some of the responses posted by your classmates. Feel free to use the course forum to post any thoughts or questions you may have related to this week’s readings and activities.

Activity 5:

Your Thoughts on Synchronous Video Conferencing

Share the blog post that you created after connecting with one of your classmates using a personal video conferencing application. Be sure to read and comment on some of your classmates’ posts.

OR

Your Thoughts on Alternate Learning Spaces

Did you explore Second Life as an alternate learning space this week? Did you meet up in the Education Portal with one of your classmates? Share the portfolio post that you created to describe your experiences, your thoughts on the potential applications of alternate learning spaces, and the challenges and limitations you would expect to encounter. Be sure to check out and comment on some of your classmates’ portfolio posts.

Activity 6: Share Your Final Tool Choices

Now that you have completed your web-based presentation on your technology choices for the Technology Integration Activity project, share your presentation using your personal course portfolio, and via the course discussion forum (if your instructor has created a thread for this purpose). Use the course discussion platform to respond to questions, comments, and reviews posted by your classmates. Review and comment on the presentations posted by at least two (2) of your classmates.

Topic 4: Assignment 3 Submission

By the end of Week 6, you will submit a completed presentation for Assignment 3: Exploring Digital Solutions. Your assignment will be considered submitted once it has been posted and shared with your classmates and instructor via your personal portfolio..

Refer to the Assignment 3: Exploring Digital Solutions assignment guide for further details about specific assignment completion requirements.

Due Date:
End of Week 6.

References

University of Ontario Institute of Technology. (2016). Learning module: eBooks in the elementary classroom—Benefits of eBooks. Retrieved from http://guides.library.uoit.ca/c.php?g=33133&p=210168

Young, N. (Host). (2010, June 8). 401: Google for Education [Radio program]. In M. Parise (Producer), Spark. Toronto, ON: CBC. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/401-google-for-education-1.4694935

Week 6 Summary

This week, we have looked at the most common type of synchronous digital tools used in educational contexts—video conferencing applications. We have examined the features and uses of personal video conferencing applications, web conferencing applications, and room-based video conferencing. We have discussed the findings of recent research into students’ perceptions of the benefits and limitations of using video conferencing in teaching and learning. And you have had a chance to use a personal video conferencing application to connect and collaborate with one (or more) of your classmates from EDDL 5101, as well as explore potential applications of alternate learning spaces with virtual reality. By the end of this week, you will also have completed Assignment 3, and shared your presentation on your technology selections for your Technology Integration Activity project with the rest of the class. In Week 7, we will discuss some of the barriers to integrating technology into teaching and learning.

References

Athabasca University. (n.d.). The community of inquiry. Retrieved from https://coi.athabascau.ca/

Montgomerie, C. (2013, October 8). Interview with Danny Maas, coordinator of the Alberta VCRLN [YouTube playlist]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL8hJxQrfRRfwyUtDpF1yH7RAToy-vMA89&v=OxRVAzfCxK4

Moore, M. G. (1989). Editorial: Three types of interaction. The American Journal of Distance Education, 3 (2), 1-7. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923648909526659

Moore, M. G. (1991). Editorial: Distance education theory. The American Journal of Distance Education, 5 (3), 1-6. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923649109526758