When the teacher of a virtual classroom seeks to create a more authentic classroom environment for students, one in which collaboration and socialization play a role alongside simply understanding and absorbing content, he will turn to synchronous learning tools. (We've already discussed some of the many tools available to educators to facilitate synchronous learning sessions in these posts.)
The purpose of school is not simply to get students to learn information. Instead, it is to train students to think, to collaborate, to communicate ideas in a sound and effective way, to create. While the instructor in a virtual classroom can use asynchronous tools to achieve some of the objectives of a course, he will rely on synchronous tools to provide the students with opportunities to participate in activities or discussions that emulate some of the strengths of the traditional classroom. When a student can watch a teacher's lecture live through a tool such as BigBlueButton, and not only watch and participate in the lecture but also later replay parts of the lecture that may require extra review, then the instruction in a virtual classroom can surpass the instruction available in a traditional classroom.
Synchronous learning sessions can also foster a sense of community among students. When students can see their classmates in a web chat or use Google Hangouts to collaborate on a group project, they can experience some of the socialization that can too often be non-existent in a virtual classroom. Depending on the personality of the student, this socialization, this building of relationships, can help to create more positive associations with school and learning, which will often, in turn, result in increased student success in the classroom.
The purpose of school is not simply to get students to learn information. Instead, it is to train students to think, to collaborate, to communicate ideas in a sound and effective way, to create. While the instructor in a virtual classroom can use asynchronous tools to achieve some of the objectives of a course, he will rely on synchronous tools to provide the students with opportunities to participate in activities or discussions that emulate some of the strengths of the traditional classroom. When a student can watch a teacher's lecture live through a tool such as BigBlueButton, and not only watch and participate in the lecture but also later replay parts of the lecture that may require extra review, then the instruction in a virtual classroom can surpass the instruction available in a traditional classroom.
Synchronous learning sessions can also foster a sense of community among students. When students can see their classmates in a web chat or use Google Hangouts to collaborate on a group project, they can experience some of the socialization that can too often be non-existent in a virtual classroom. Depending on the personality of the student, this socialization, this building of relationships, can help to create more positive associations with school and learning, which will often, in turn, result in increased student success in the classroom.
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