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Synchronous e-learning, is commonly supported by media such as videoconferencing and chat. It allows teachers to conduct classes over
the Internet using technology. It supports e-learners in the development of learning communities and allows learners and teachers to experience synchronous e-learning at a more social level by asking and answering questions in real time. Synchronous sessions help e-learners feel like participants it the learning experience by allowing them to interact with peers and content experts.
Virtual Classroom
Virtual
classrooms duplicate electronically many of the capabilities found in a
real classroom and can provide a cost effective alternative in on-line
form. Virtual on-line universities can unlock the limitations of a local
classroom and expand that same class topic to a global audience.
The virtual classroom provides a place for
students and teachers
to meet via their computers. Whether students are completing
on-line courses, tests or interacting via forums, chat rooms and virtual meeting
rooms the virtual electronic classroom provides a valid substitute for
the traditional
classroom.
Digital Virtual Classrooms Allow:
- A Meeting Place: Students and teachers using on-line web tools attend a virtual meeting place instead of a classroom.
- Track Compliance: Run reports to verify compliance with mandatory
training.
- Track attendance: The ability to record electronically students that
attend lectures, online classes events.
- Lecture: Teachers can choose from a
variety of web streaming technologies including:
- Interact with students: Students may
indicate when they wish to speak by pressing a webpage button and virtually raising their hand.
Teachers may then allow students to speak through
audio
and video conferencing tools Teachers and students can use
instant
messaging and
chat.
- Breakout Sessions: Students can work
together in groups.
- Quizzes and Polling: Teachers can present questions and polls to students
to students.
- Most companies that sell virtual classroom software provide all of
these capabilities in a single package.
Audio and Video Conferencing
Audio and Video conferencing is a
cost-effective, Web-Based solution that enables a real-time, interactive
Web conference with one or even hundreds of participants.
Audio conferencing can be implemented several ways:
- Via Computers with a microphone connected to the Internet. Common implementations
of this type are IP Audio Conferencing or Voice-over-IP(VOIP).
- Phone conferences. People dial into the same number to participate in an
audio conference.
Video conferencing is implemented in two ways:
- Computers with web cameras are connected to the Internet.
- Special independent video conferencing devices that connect over the
Internet
Chat and Forums
Chat and forum pages allow several people to communicate with each other
through a common webpage. Each
participant uses a computer to type their comments or questions, other participants
seeing these web postings can then reply in kind
Shared Whiteboard Tools
A shared whiteboard allows groups of people to communicate by typing
comments, drawing, highlighting and pointing. Shared whiteboards are a
common feature within any virtual classroom software packages.
Application Sharing
Application Sharing is another element of e-learning that falls under the collaborative software umbrella.
It enables two or more users to access a shared application or document from their respective computers
simultaneously in real time from anywhere in the world. An instructor can share a slideshow that he is
using for his lecture or a teacher may allow participants to take control of a software package that
they are using for training. Generally, the shared application or document will be running on the instructors computer,
and remote access to the shared content will be provided to that are part of the meeting.
Instant Messaging or IM
Instant messaging is similar to forums and chat except that with
instant messaging people communicate in real time with one
another. It is a type of communications service that enables you
to create a kind of private chat room with another individual
in order to communicate in real time over the Internet,
analogous to a telephone conversation but using text-based,
not voice-based, communication. Typically, the instant messaging
system alerts you whenever somebody on your private list is online.
You can then initiate a instant chat session with that particular individual.
These features make instant messaging an excellent tool for peer to peer communications.
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