Learning to Differentiate...

I once took an online course that was asynchronous.

Each group was assigned and instructor. The group "met" online with the instructor (weekly) basis to "review" the materials. We communicated via chat room with the instructor having audio capability. If you were not able to attend the session, you could review the playback. Also, there were other groups (same course) meeting at 1 hour intervals.

In retrospect, what I found distressing was:

(1) the group was too large. There were approximately 25 people per group.
(2) because of the "chat" feature, there were many times that the window would scroll before you could see/read another student's question.

As a result there was, in some cases, a lag between your asking a question and the instructor's answer!

Because of this experience, I'm leaning more toward synchronous learning.

I'm not against asynchronous learning, however, this type of learning would have to be more animated or interactive so that it compensates for the lack of the "people connection."

What's your thoughts?

A Good Site!

Since I'm new to e-Instructing, I'm always surfing for new info. Many of our class discussions have focused on software and technology, I happened onto a site (one of many) that focuses on e-learning (E-LearningGuru.com).

Generally, I like this site because it's equivalent to "one stop shopping" as it contains information in many e-learing areas.

Particularly, what I liked about this site is you can sign up for a free monthly newsletter that provides up-to-date info on what is happening in the e-learning environment. It also includes white-papers in its Knowledge Center.

One of the papers I found helpful - Conducting an E-Learning Break-Even Analysis. http://www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art5_5.htm

Check it out.....

Reflecting....

Now that I've had the opportunity to become involved in e-learning as a learner, I'm realizing that I have to be more "aware" of others. Generally, in a face-to-face exchange, I have other "cues" that assist my communication skills. There was a connection taking place that I had not paid much attention to before.

Am I new to the online environment? No. But, outside of business communication (formal), I've never really paid attention to the emotion (or lack of) part of online communication. Now that I'm focusing on communicating with others on another level - serious topics vs. quick notes - I actually take a step back and think before I speak.

I guess this process is an evolutionary one. I'll see......

Vlogging

I read an article on Vlogging which tends to lean to "the brighter side" of the expansion into another phase of Cyberspace activity! I'm not so sure I agree. For small businesses and entrepreneurs this may be a good thing because it will serve an "informative" purpose. For individuals, it can be a low-cost communication tool for staying in touch with family and friends.

However, I also see this as another potential "rip" in the cloak of privacy! While my focus is on the "better" uses of Vlogging, I can also imagine the types of videos that would be "shared" with the global community.

I'm trying to take the optimistic view, soooooooo I'll have to revisit this issue.

My First Attempt

Today was my first attempt at creating a blog. WOW! I didn't realize how this process would motivate me to be creative! I thought up approx. 30 names before I found a blog name that wasn't taken! This is going to be fun!