Digital Learning with a Human Touch

Asynchronous (self-paced, highly independent forms of teaching) complemented by synchronous (taught from a remote location, teacher-lead, temporally-dependent) forms of teaching are best blended to meet the diverse learning needs of online students  (Murphy, E., Rodriguez-Manzanares, M.A., & Barbour, M. 2011, p. 2). Just as I am an online student and require the flexibility of asynchronous teaching/responding schedules, I like the synchronous aspect of direct human connection with feed-back and feed-forward to motivate me.  However, it is easy to recognize that synchronous learning environments may be better geared towards younger students who may not have developed a sense of self-discipline as Murphy et al. explains, "for younger learners, the structure of synchronous DE may be better suited to their academic schedules and their need for spontaneous guidance and feedback" (2011, p.3).

I see the benefit for students to engage in both asynchronous and synchronous learning, as Murphy et al. explain that, "Synchronous communication appeared to support personal participation, including motivation and increased convergence on meaning, social relation and the exchange of information with a lower degree of complexity than what would be communicated with asynchronous communication" (ibid. p.3).  I think it is important for students to develop their ability to interact with their peers socially, learning how to communicate verbally with attention to tone, body language and vocabulary. These synchronous lessons are important for when they enter the work force, for example:  learning how to be comfortable on a video  Skype interview, or leading a WebEx meeting.  Having these practical skills are great for preparing students for their professional careers as these are all used in professional society whether their careers are from home or in an office setting.  And asynchronous learning is very useful if students are shy or introverted because they have the ability to contribute to online discussions in a less imposing way.  Students are enabled to take the information shared by their peers and process their thoughts on the subject matter without feeling pressured to give the first thing that comes to mind.  They are able to reflect on a deeper level than if they were expected to answer in a limited time-frame (Murphy et al. 2011, p.3).  The blended approach allows for digital learning with a sensitive, human touch because it pays more attention to different learning needs and abilities.

I think it is important to reiterate the ideas that Rourke and Coleman (2011) stressed, "educators need to approach e-learning from the perspective that the pedagogy drives the technology" and that "educators who choose to embrace technology for learning do so with a clear educational rational and a solid pedagogical grounding" (Rourke, A. & Coleman, K. 2011, p. 14).  The sensitivity toward students who may not have a solid technological background is important and scaffolding will need to have particular attention paid to it to ensure students don't get discouraged, overwhelmed and lose motivation (ibid 2011).  I think it is very easy for educators to forget that not everyone has daily access to digital technology or unlimited use of the internet.  With the blended asynchronous and synchronous approach to learning, educators "can fulfill different types of needs and foster the participation of people with different capabilities and competencies" (Zi-Gang Ge, 2012, p. 2). 

References: 

Murphy, E., Rodríguez-Manzanares, M. A., & Barbour, M. (2011). Asynchronous and synchronous online teaching: perspectives of Canadian high school distance education teachers. British Journal Of Educational Technology, 42(4), 583-591

Rourke, A., & Coleman, K. (2010). E-learning in crisis: should not the pedagogy lead the technology? Journal Of Education Research, 4(3), 265-282.

Zi-Gang, G. (2012). Cyber asynchronous versus blended cyber approach in distance english learning. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 15(2), 286-297.