tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35268624.post4188628263266573841..comments2024-01-03T04:41:22.547-05:00Comments on Webslinger: Identity CrisisGlen Farrellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12343517452512258227noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35268624.post-70436839335458682042009-11-18T10:13:37.838-05:002009-11-18T10:13:37.838-05:00The distance learning models I'm using for con...The distance learning models I'm using for continuing education of ministry personnel across the country include regular telephone (or web-based) conference calls as well as written materials like forums, discussion boards, and blogs. We're finding that the asynchronous communication models, while convenient in some respects, don't allow for the same kind of depth of discussion (or relationship-building) that can occur in a 1 1/2 hour voice conference. <br /><br />I haven't worked enough with video conferencing yet to make a useful evaluation of whether actually seeing pictures of the speakers is helpful ... but one thing that has proven extremely effective is to keep detailed minutes of our voice conferences with a web-meeting tool that will allow the minute taker to share their desktop. We use the free service DimDim.com ... and everyone on the voice conference can watch as the notes develop. It provides an extra level of input for visual learners, and a common record for everyone on the call.<br /><br />We find this kind of procedure is working with calls of up to 8 people ... beyond that it gets very confusing to distinguish the different voices ... but even that's a useful sized sub-set of a class of 45. If your prof divided the class into 5 groups, and set up each group as a web-conference which met on a regular basis, you find valuable discussion emerges more efficiently, and that relationships built more quickly than in written forms of interaction.Stephen Fetternoreply@blogger.com