3 Free Synchronous Distance Learning Tools

Do you want to have a videoconferencing session with a student or parent at home? Maybe you want to connect to another classroom on the other side of the world to learn about a different culture or language. Perhaps you would like to invite an expert into your classroom, but that expert lives far away. 

For teachers who wish to communicate with students and others synchronously (live), there are a variety of free tools available online. These tools — which include Skype, Google+ Hangouts and Talky — allow the teacher to connect with students, experts and other classrooms for distance learning. This post is an excerpt from my textbook, Educational Technology for Teachers. 

Skype 

Perhaps the most ubiquitous free synchronous communication tool is Skype, a communication tool that allows you to chat, call and videoconference with anyone who has an Internet connection and Skype account. Skype wasn’t necessarily created for educational purposes, but it has been used by teachers and students worldwide to share lessons, connect to other classrooms and invite experts to the class. 

All participants in a Skype call must first sign up for a free Skype account, but it has been estimated that as many as 33% of voice calls worldwide are made through Skype, so a lot of people already have Skype accounts. Videoconferencing is limited to five separate locations at a time and is dependent on the quality of the Internet connections of each participant. For voice-only calls, the number of possible separate locations that can connect is 25. To start a session in skype, simply click on the person in your contact list that you wish to call and then click “call” or “video call.” When the call has been established, there is a “+” button that lets you add more people for a group call. 

Google+ Hangouts

Google+ Hangouts is another free synchronous communication tool that features group chat and videoconferencing. As is the case with Skype, Google+ Hangouts was not created for educational purposes, but can be used to present a lesson, connect to classrooms, answer questions, and do other learning activities. Google+ Hangouts videoconference sessions are limited to only 10 people, and all participants must have a Google+ account before participating in a chat or live session. 

To chat or videoconference with people using Google+ hangouts, login to Google+ and then type their name in the “New Hangout” field. For a group chat or videoconference session, you can check the checkboxes to add as many people as you want. A new chat window comes up in which you can chat with the group. To videoconference with a person or group, you can click the “video call” button in the chat window. 

Talky

Talky is relatively new in the synchronous communication world, but it provides a high-quality interface for videoconferencing which requires no login or previous software installation. Screen and video sharing is possible by all participants in a Talky session, and through screen sharing, the teacher can show presentations, software applications and documents. Students can also share presentations and concepts using screen sharing in Talky. Starting a synchronous session is simple, you just go to the Talky website and then enter a name for the session you want to start. Once you have a session started, participants can go to the correct web address and join the session. 

My book, Educational Technology for Teachers, also includes videos showing how to use these distance learning tools. Don't forget about these useful videoconferencing tools the next time you want to communicate from a distance!

Why Do Distance Learning?

In a previous post, I discussed which is better for learning, distance or face to face? The conclusion was that students learn as much in a distance course as they do in a face to face course. So if students learn as much in a face-to-face class as they do in a distance learning class, then what are the reasons for creating and providing distance learning? This post is an excerpt from my book, Educational Technology for Teachers.

Access is one of the main reasons that educational institutions offer distance learning options. Through distance learning, students can take classes that might not otherwise be available to them. An excellent example is the Center for Statewide E-Learning which is located on the campus of Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. In this center, distance teachers provide quality distance instruction to South Dakota high school students. The subjects covered include advanced language arts, math, chemistry, physics, and Spanish — subjects that would otherwise be unavailable to many rural students in South Dakota due to a lack of local qualified teachers in small communities, or the low numbers of students who would take the class (Gosmire & Vondruska, 2001). 

As is the case with the Center for Statewide E-Learning, the desire for increased access to educational opportunities has also led universities around the world to provide more and more online course offerings as they seek more funding from increased enrollment. Some universities offer entire programs completely online, reaching an ever-expanding population of students. The new educational fad of offering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) was also designed to increase access to more and more students, albeit within courses that are inferior in terms of instructor-to-student interaction and effective instruction (see Gardner & Young, 2013; Kolowich, 2013a, 2013b; Pappano, 2012). Even prestigious universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University offer free and open course materials online so that anyone can access, learn from and use these materials (“MIT open courseware,” 2014, “Open Yale Courses,” 2011). 

Other reasons that students need distance learning opportunities may include illness, medical issues or home schooling. As online learning technologies and options become more common, more and more students are demanding flexible learning options like those that can be supported from a distance (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2011). 

Have you taught from a distance? Why do your students need distance learning?

References:

Gardner, L., & Young, J. R. (2013, March 14). California’s move toward MOOCs sends shock waves, but key questions remain unanswered. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/A-Bold-Move-Toward-MOOCs-Sends/137903/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Gosmire, D., & Vondruska, J. (2001). Distance teaching and learning academy. TechTrends, 45(3), 31–34. doi:10.1007/BF02763554

Kolowich, S. (2013a). The professors behind the MOOC hype. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/The-Professors-Behind-the-MOOC/137905/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en#id=overview

Kolowich, S. (2013b). Why professors at San Jose State won’t use a Harvard professor’s MOOC. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Why-Professors-at-San-Jose/138941/

MIT open courseware. (2014). Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

Open Yale Courses. (2011). Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://oyc.yale.edu/

Pappano, L. (2012). Massive open online courses are multiplying at a rapid pace. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/education/edlife/massive-open-online-courses-are-multiplying-at-a-rapid-pace.html

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S. E., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2011). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5 edition.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Which is better for student learning, Distance or Face-to-Face?

So which form of learning is better for student learning? Distance or face to face? The answer may surprise you. In study after study, researchers have found that there is no significant difference between learning in a face-to-face environment and learning in a distance learning environment. In fact, so many research studies have supported this result, that it has been dubbed the “no significant difference phenomenon (Russell, 2001, 2009).” Russell (2009) has even compiled a list of over 350 no significant difference phenomenon studies that show that students learn the about same amount in a distance learning experience as they do in a face-to-face learning experience. This post is an excerpt from my textbook: Educational Technology for Teachers.

So what’s going on here? Why doesn't the amount that students learn differ between a face-to-face class and the same class delivered from a distance? Educational technology experts suggest that it is not the media or delivery method that makes the difference for learning, instead it is the learning method used that makes the difference (Clark, 1994). In the no significant difference phenomenon studies, the learning methods are the same in the face-to-face and distance classes that are compared – despite the different media or delivery method – therefore, the learning is also the same.

Some more information about the no significant difference phenomenon studies is relevant for K-12 teaching and learning. Most of these studies have compared university level learning experiences and not K-12 online learning. Therefore, the no significant difference phenomenon may not apply as directly to K-12 education. Also, when a study is set up to compare a face-to-face class to an online one, great care is taken to make sure the online course is of a high quality and has all of the necessary learning components. However, not all online courses are set up with this high level of care.

So, a course taught from a distance results in equivalent learning outcomes as the same course taught face-to-face. Is this outcome different from what you expected? If so, comment with your own opinions about the differences between face to face and distance learning. 

References:

Russell, T. L. (2001). The no significant difference phenomenon: A comparative research annotated bibliography on technology for distance education : as reported in 355 research reports, summaries and papers. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State University.

Russell, T. L. (2009). No significant difference phenomenon. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/

Clark, R. E. (1994). Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 21–29.