The Case for Synchronous Social


Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to do things asynchronously…


By Andrew Vanden Heuvel


Asynchronous collaboration can lead to a lack of interest, a lack of depth, and the need for artificial supports to keep the collaboration active. I know this because I have seen it firsthand:


• When using asynchronous discussion boards in my high school physics classes, students rarely go beyond the three required posts – a lack of interest since no one else is right there to “dance” with.


• When using asynchronous forums to collaborate with other teachers, we rarely engage back and forth to build off one another’s work – a lack of depth since everyone is digging their own hole.


• And when using asynchronous social networks to build online PLCs, I have to go out of my way to seed interesting conversations and beg for people to respond – artificial support of a collaboration that would otherwise collapse.


By contrast, we all have mental pictures of what happens when people work together in sync: raising the barn, digging to China, and the Chicken Dance. Yes, working together synchronously can be a wonderful thing, but when you add the power of social networking tools, then synchronous collaboration becomes truly mind-blowing.


Here are five examples of synchronous social networking that can amplify collaboration in your classroom:


Chat Attack


Class discussions are so inefficient – only one person can talk at a time! The next time you want a lively class discussion, get out the computers. Post your questions on a chat wall, and have all the students participate in a synchronous written dialogue.


Group Write


For a frenetic twist on the quick write, ask all of your students to log in to the same Google Doc. Challenge them to collaborate synchronously to generate a 500-word summary of the topic


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under study. Give 5 minutes for group writing, and then 2 minutes for group editing. It will be fun (for everyone) to see what they come up with.


PhoTag Album


Pass out the mobile devices and ask each student to take 3 pictures illustrating a concept from your class. Provide a unique tag for students to use when they upload the images to Flikr. When everyone is finished, search on the unique tag and explore the collaborative gallery the students just built.


Twitter Wall


Create a Twitter hashtag for your class, and display the Twitter feed in your classroom during group work, while watching a video, or (if you are really brave) while you are lecturing. Encourage students to post questions, comments, or ideas to the Twitter Wall for everyone to see.


The Nebiwar


Next time you prepare a webinar, flip it! Record your presentation and send it to the participants in advance. During the synchronous session, use the conferencing software to have a Q&A, brainstorming session, or Chat Attack with all of the participants.


For more information on social networking, access the new Social Networks in the Classroom collection on MI Learning on iTunes U.


Andrew Vanden Heuvel is an online teacher and course developer. He provides teacher technology training and consulting services to schools, districts, and organizations across Michigan. He can be reached at avheuv@gmail.com.


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