Limits and Possibilities - digital discussion

 As any teacher can tell you, communicating with students and fostering meaningful discussion poses a significant challenge. Instructors need to be able to reach out to students, to receive their questions and concerns, and to disseminate information. But communication modalities change so quickly, especially among students, and our concern for student safety matters so much, that we struggle to find a balance between effective communication and efficient, safe, appropriate communication. When it comes to discussion, the problem is compounded by the need to measure student learning. If discussion modes fail to engage students, then their learning may suffer. Thus, questions around digital methods for communication and engagement touch on many of the core questions in education. 

Consider 3 potential ways to reach out to students: Online synchronous discussion, email communication, and threaded discussions (through an LMS or email systems like listservs). 

ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSIONS:

    Thanks to COVID-19, many more teachers and students have engaged in live discussions through online communication systems like Google Meet or Zoom. Are they the most effective mode for interaction? Sometimes.

A positive component of synchronous discussion and communication is its personal touch. In a Zoom "room," students and teachers can respond in real time to questions, comments, and observations. They can evaluate documents through screen sharing, give presentations, and even enjoy virtual field trips. For communication with students and families, platforms like Google Meet also offer a chance to see and hear from educational partners in ways that can help reveal specific components of their lives (which may be affecting the student) or can reassure families about the good will or expertise of the instructor. The human touch is important in teacher-student interactions of all kinds so synchronous discussions offer a significant "pro" in that regard.

A second positive component of synchronous discussion is its synchronicity. Digital learning can suffer from a time lag that slows down feedback and learning. Teachers struggle to keep up with things like posts, comments, and submissions, leaving students to figure out new material alone while the teacher attempts to evaluate the older work product. Synchronous online interactions happen in the moment, helping to minimize that lag. 

There are real costs to synchronous discussion, though. It can sometimes reveal a student's life in ways that make everyone uncomfortable (remember students coming to class from their bed during the lockdown?). Some studies suggest that because Zoom shows the participant their own face during meetings, they are always distracted by the dual mental load of seeing themselves and seeing others. For some people, synchronous interaction requires technology and connectivity that they can't easily manage. Their learning suffers because they can't manage the tech, not because they can't understand the material. 

EMAIL COMMUNICATION:

Email and other "inbox" methods solve some of the problems posed by Zoom, Teams, etc. But just as with synchronous methods, there are both positives and negatives to using email for communication.

First, email is very useful for direct communication with students and families on logistical or conflict topics. Email provides documentation of contact. It allows the person communicating to express themself without interruption. It can include attached documents as evidence of the topic being discussed. 

When it comes to discussions, though, email has some limitations. It's slow, for one thing. Most email discussion fora update once a day. More than that can feel a bit like inbox bombing. So the discussion moves in fits and starts. In addition, the response format is a bit stilted. Some people copy the post they hope to react to, interject in another color, or just use bullets. But it lacks the fluid, human element of spoken interactions. Sometimes, that means greater organization and thought. Other times, it means greater confusion for everyone. 

A final concern about email relates to generational change. Younger people simply don't use email the way older people do. GenX, older Millennials, and some types of business prefer email. But GenZ and GenAlpha do not. For them, email is an external communication form, it requires them to open an app or platform, check consciously - it doesn't come directly to them via their phone so it needs several extra steps. Anyone who has had to impose an artificial rule (check the inbox once a day!) knows that such rules respond to the disinclination of younger students to read email. If students don't read what you write, the whole enterprise collapses. 

THREADED DISCUSSIONS:

Interactions which balance synchronicity and asynchronicity can occur through learning-management systems as threaded discussions. These sometimes offer a balance between the clunky, slow inbox approach and the anxiety-inducing need to be on camera, performing learning. 

A positive element of threaded discussions lies in their value as documented participation. Unlike a Zoom call, even one with AI note taking, the discussion board allows the teacher and student to show exactly what was said, by whom, and when. It makes evaluation easier in that sense. Threaded discussions can also replicate the value of email in allowing attached documents, presentations, and links. 

However, threaded discussions suffer a bit from the same slowness as inbox communications when people respond over several days. Some LMS also fail to make reading comments easy. Canvas, for instance, does't help writers to see responses specifically to their posts. Instead, they scroll through the entire discussion board to see whether someone responded to them alone. Perhaps this is a good thing. Students would read and consider many views, not just those in conversation with their own ideas. But it's slow and frustrating at times, as well. Only rarely does a discussion in an LMS result in an organic, spontaneous exchange of interpretations. 

As for me and my house, I'll stick with in-person discussions. Editing online? Yes. Composing online? Yes. Discussions and debates? I think students need to see and interact with each other and their teacher in real time, face to face. They practice the kinds of eustress and distress that help them learn adult skills. They prepare for college. They learn that sometimes we're a little nervous but that's ok. We can do it anyway. Best of all, they send messages and "read" messages in the body language, tone, and gestures of their peers, preparing them for a life lived not online but in contact with other people.