This is a bit of a buzzword right now in education so maybe, like me, you have come across asynchrony and wondered what it means when it comes to kids learning.
So what is asynchrony?
Asynchrony means being unsynchronized or 'out of sync'. It's the opposite of synchrony or being 'in sync'. Things that don't happen at the same time as one another are asynchronous.
Asynchronous communication
Asynchronous communication means that there is a time lag between people's responses in a conversation.
Talking to someone face-to-face or over the phone is real-time communication whereas on the internet communication is often asynchronous. For example, when you send an email you have to wait for a response. When you post on a forum, you have to wait to get replies. If you post a Youtube video you will have to wait for people to watch it before they comment.
What is Asynchronous Distance Learning?
Distance learning is education or instruction that isn’t restricted to a certain time, place or a network of people. In other words, remote learning. Asynchronous distance learning is learning that is done remotely but also that can be done at any time. Kids won't have to log on at specific times of the day or complete tasks at the same time as their classmates - instead, the emphasis is on student-paced learning.
