Level 1: Navigate

1.1.1  Delineating Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Content Quest

Synchronous (synch) and Asynchronous (asynch) online educational experiences are something that I have had vast experiences with in past 5 years.  My father died of cancer in 2010 and I was required to finish the final year of my BA online after spending the beginning of my degree in a traditional classroom.  Then my husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and I started my MAT online with the University of West Georgia shortly after.  I have been tutoring students online and in person for the past 4 years using both sync and a asynch methods and have found them to be very successful.

Synchronous education takes place when everyone is moving in the same space, experiencing the same thing at the same time.  This could be in a classroom, online chat, or video chat.

Asynchronous education takes place in separate spaces.  Examples of this would be online forums, online courses, or any method in which the student processes the posted materials in anticipation of the teacher reviewing their progress at a later date/time.

The below example is a dry, yet very clear explanation. It reminds me of how some synchronous classes can feel.


 

Navigate 1.1.2  Describe Roles and Functions in an Online Learning Environment

The roles in an OLE remind me very much of roles in the IT world in general.  There are Developers, Professionals, and Administrators.

• Developers build the platform and control the content and GUI with input from the Professional staff. This would line up with the LMS Admin and Content developers from the Georgia Virtual Learning description.
• Professionals use the platform on a daily basis and feed suggestions up through forums and feedback to the Developers.  They are the Facilitators for the course.
• Administrators compile data, handle the ongoing maintenance, and perform quality checks.

All of these roles work together to provide an effective and dynamic learning environment for the Professionals and Students.

Navigate 1.1.3  Discussing the LMS and CMS

I have actually been working in higher education administration for 5 years and in my experience the CMS and LMS are two, distinct environments.

I used a CMS system in a larger context to track applications, student fees, coursework, etc...it held ALL student information.  

The LMS held my content, general student data, had a student GUI and was used on a day-to-day basis.

Based on what I have read the same holds true at all education levels and both are useful in their own way to pull simple and complex data to inform my instructional decisions.