Synchronous interaction requires all participants to be online at the same moment in time.
Text-Based Chat
Text-based chat allows users to talk with each other using their keyboards to type and send messages. Users experience the "conversation" as a continually scrolling transcript. Users who log off or otherwise lose their connection to the conversation can't recapture dialog that unfolds in their absence, unless a transcript is kept and posted online for later retrieval.
Examples of chat servers you can use to support your resource include:
- ChatPlanet
- ParaChat
- iChat.
Internet Telephony
Internet telephony is just what it sounds like: users interact one-on-one with spoken conversation. The Internet becomes their "long distance carrier," with an important difference. Participants can reach people half a world away for the price of the local call that connects them with the Internet. Examples include:
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing allows participants to see and hear each other in real time. Groups of individuals can convene for meetings and discussions. With the proper software, it's even possible to display and work on documents and diagrams together, while you talk. Examples include:
Video conferencing is a bandwidth-intensive application, however. It isn't always a good experience for users who must connect via slow dial up. It also requires more than basic hardware and software. You can't assume that all your users will be suitably equipped to get maximum value from real-time interactions.
MUDs, MOOs and MUSEs
MUDs, MOOs and MUSEs are like great, themed halls where many people may gather simultaneously, and interact as themselves or as characters in a text-based virtual environment. Unlike simple chat, however, these environments often have landscapes, and participation is defined by laws and other cultural constructions. In some settings, participants learn through collaboration and discussion; in others, learners absorb new material through role-play and gaming.
- Language MOOs and The MOO Page at Diversity University are a good places to start if you are new to this experience. You'll find links to help and education-themed MOOs.
- The Akhet-Aten Home Page introduces and links to a MUSE on the theme of ancient Egypt.
- MOOse Crossing by Amy Bruckman is a MOO designed for kids to program.
While synchronous communication can lend an immediacy to student-student and student-teacher interactions, it is not always practical. Many people are involved in distance learning because they can't commit to a standard schedule, so depending on such real-time interaction may be counter-productive to participation. Also, if a student (or you!) experiences a software, hardware, or network glitch during the scheduled time, that person is cut out of the activity.
That doesn't mean you must avoid cutting edge technologies. It does mean that you should not make assumptions about what your users can and can't do. Be explicit about the hardware and software requirements, and point users toward the components they may need to add to their systems. Offer alternatives to the activities and learning pathways that demand non-standard set-ups. Above all, weigh the tradeoffs between value added and users lost when deciding what role real-time interaction will play in your resource.
