Reflection Paper

Asynchronous Communication

Karin Grisham
What is asynchronous communication? Asynchronous communication takes place when
people are able to communicate with each other, but not at the same time or place (Nandi,
Hamilton, & Harland, 2012). For example, e-mail could be considered a type of asynchronous
communication since communication can take place between individuals that could be in
different cities, states or even countries and there is a time delay between responses that could be
anywhere from a few seconds to days, weeks, months or even years.
Alisa Slavens and I were partners throughout this phase of the assignment. We explored
various types of asynchronous communication tools and decided to concentrate on two specific
tools. We evaluated a blog, Edublog, and a discussion board, Google Groups. A blog allows the
user to update collaborators or teachers on the progress of a project as well as share reflective
comments with members of their group or multiple groups (Lindsay & Davis, 2013; Simonson,
Smaldino, Albright, & Svacek, 2012). Where a blog is author centered, a discussion board is
topic centered (Differences between, 2014). They have similar components such as both are
web-based and are considered Web 2.0 technologies, communication tool for group discussions,
post thoughts and ideas, and allow for feedback and comments on other peoples posts
(Differences between, 2014; Lindsay & Davis, 2013; Simonson et al., 2012).
Alisa chose to set up the Google Groups page for us to practice with, while I set up the
Edublog. Below is a table that summarizes my personal experience with each asynchronous tool.
Table 2

Comparing and Contrasting a Blog and Discussion Board: Edublog and Google Groups
Name of Tool Edublog Google Groups
Type of Tool Blog Discussion Board
Cost Free Free
Ease of Use Not User Friendly Very User Friendly
Ease of Setup
(administrative
perspective)
Cumbersome to set up
blog and not easy to
find the blog once
posted

Very easy to set up
and maintain
Easy to create a
discussion

Ease of post or
comment
(student
perspective)
Difficult to find post
to make a comment
Easy to find and post
How to invite
members to join
Invite by input of a
valid email address
Invite by input of a
valid email address

Who should use Teachers and students Teachers and students
Insert a file Drag and drop feature Drag and drop feature
Video Upload
Capable
Yes (max 25 MB) No
File Upload
Capable
Yes Yes

This was my first experience with Edublogs. I found it difficult to navigate and not very
user friendly. However, I really liked versatility of media and files that can be uploaded,
including the drag and drop feature. It would be wonderful to post a video and have students
watch and then post comments about it, or even have students post videos. The downside is that
the maximum upload size of any file or media is 25 MB. I was took the role of administrator on
this site while Alisa was the student. I had to resend the email invitation three times before she
was able to click on the link to join. This could have been user error or technical problems with
the site itself or the various email addresses that I tried. If utilized correctly, students would be
able to use higher order thinking skills in their posts and responses, but this would be a learning
process for students who have not had any experience with this type of learning. I feel that this
tool would be beneficial for any grade level and any content area, but it does take some getting
used to. Currently, this type of tool is not one that I am looking to use in my classroom. I am
looking specifically for something that will allow to edit documents easily from one group to
another group in an asynchronous situation. This is a wonderful site for commenting,
brainstorming, and project reflection, but not on actual product creation.
Google Groups is an example of a discussion board. This particular tool has a format that
is very easy to use. I have used Google Groups in my classroom previously, so I did have some
level of comfort and familiarity with this tool prior to this assignment. Alisa took the role of
administrator and I was the student when using this particular tool. I received the invitation via
email and I clicked on the link to join the Google Group she created. I immediately saw her
post, which was refreshing after using Edublog where it was more difficult to locate the initial
post. Commenting was easy, but while you can upload files to your post, you cannot upload
media. I did create a group for my high school, dual credit chemistry class, and while creating
the class went smoothly, the students are not able to post. I did not have the problem when I was
a student in Alisas classroom, so I am not sure if the high school has implemented a block since
all of the email addresses were from the school district or it there is something else. This is a
wonderful that could be used within any classroom, grade level or content area. Because it is
part of the Google community, this is something that is compatible with the Google Apps which
are easily accessible and readily available for free.

References
Differences between discussion boards, blogs, and wikis. (2014). Retrieved from The University
of Adelaide

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/staff/resources/tutorials/content/Differences_between

_Discussion_Boards__Blogs_and_Wikis.html
Lindsay, J., and Davis, V. (2013). Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to global
collaboration one step at a time. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Nandi, D., Hamilton, M., & Harland, J. (2012). Evaluating the quality of interaction in
asynchronous discussion forums in fully online courses. Distance Education, 33(1), 5-
30.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a
distance: Foundations of distance education (5
th
ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.