Elements of Distance Education Diffusion-EDUC 7102 Module 2

With the growth of distance education and training over the last several years, collaboration tools have allowed for effective learning experience for students and educators.  There are benefits of collaborating online such as the ability to communicate synchronously and asynchronously.  Participants can be located anywhere in the world and may participate in anyplace at anytime.  Lauron (2008) wrote about several innovative collaboration tools available to online learners such as:

1.     “Synchronous conferencing which consist of text chat technologies, audio/video conferencing or instant messaging systems” (Lauron, 2008, p. 5).  Some examples of synchronous conferencing tools include:  Jabber, Internet Relay Chat, MUDs, and WebChats.

2.     Electronic mail or e-mail. 

3.     Instant Messaging. 

4.     Voicemail.

5.     Internet Forums. Forums include “ web forums, message boards, discussion boards, (electronic) discussion groups, discussion forums, bulletin boards, fora (the Latin plural) or simply forums” Lauron, 2008, p. 6).

6.     Videoconference which is a “set of interactive telecommunication technologies and video conference which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously” Lauron, 2008, p. 7).

7.     Electronic Meeting System which is a “is a type of computer software that facilitates group decision-making within an organisation. To work with such a system, networked computers, a projection screen, and EMS software are required” Lauron, 2008, p. 8).

Online collaboration tools have allowed for learning to take place in different ways than face-to-face education.  While learning in this way is not the same as face-to-face education, distances learning through these tools have paved their way to a new form of education which allows students new opportunities in communication, knowledge, and experience. 

Lauron, A. G. (2008). Fostering Collaboration to Enhance Online Instruction. Online Submission, Retrieved from EBSCOhost.