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Distance learning technologies can be broadly classified into two categories: synchronous communication and asynchronous communication. Synchronous means that the teacher and the student interact with each other in real time, such as a telephone conversation or chartroom discussion. Asynchronous delivery technologies do not take place simultaneously, meaning there is an inherent time delay between the sender and receiver. A discussion board or email is a popular form of asynchronous communication.  What is the benefit to synchronous technology over asynchronous technology in computer programming instruction? There answer is: it depends. The particular synchronous technology discussed here is called Elluminate Live!. Elluminate Live! is a tool that has gained tremendous attention in higher education. The answer is "it depends" because it depends upon which synchronous technology is being used to deliver instruction. A phone conversation is not always fruitful in helping students debug thier source code. A chatroom or instant messaging conversation also sometimes lacks the same capacity to communicate technical ideas. The tool in consideration, Elluminate Live!, is a leading technology for live Web conferencing and eLearning solutions, real-time. The tool enables real-time discussion and dynamic interaction in a virtual classroom environment. What's more, all the sessions in Elluminate Live! are recorded, so that they can be viewed at a latter point in time if a student misses the virtual class or can be re-viewed to clarify ideas. The next section will discuss how Elluminate Live! can be used for programming instruction. |