2013 Conference Proceedings - University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Moyer, 2007). At his or her own pace, the student can work though the activity and then receiveimmediate feedback through the computer.A threaded discussion board is also an example of an asynchronous interaction, as is e-mail.Threaded discussion boards are organized systematic learning tools that allow students to postquestions anytime time and receive feedback directly from either the teacher or other students(Holden & Westfal, 2010). When the initial content is delivered by the computer, a teacher isable to spend more time focused on discussion by providing students the opportunity to foster adeeper level of quality mathematical understanding through discourse (Smith et al., 2003;Warschauer, 1997). Collectively, teachers and students have the opportunity to share their ideas,elaborate on their thought process, and compare their ideas with previous statements or work(Simonsen & Banfield, 2006). Smith (et.al.) charges that, in this new milieu, there is a higherexpectation of teachers’ accuracy; specifically, that “their standing may be only as good as theirlast posting” (p.53). The asynchronous nature of the medium allows the teacher the time fornecessary reflection to compose appropriate responses to individual student questions as opposedto traditional settings that require answers on the fly or apparent delayed responses, which canharm teacher credibility (Smith et al., 2003).Unlike the anytime model that asynchronous activities provide, synchronous activities occurin real time and are often described as similar to those in a standard chalk-talk classroom(Wahlstrom et al., 2003). As with a traditional brick-and-mortar setting, a group of students wholog in at a specified time can learn all together, but without a shared physical presence (NationalForum on Educational Statistics, 2006). Studies reported that students felt a strong socialpresence with their teacher, thereby fostering a strong sense of participation in the class(Anderson & Kuskis, 2007; Watson & Ryan, 2006).The balance between such interactions is key. Students can solely interact asynchronouslythrough the online content but as Holden and Westfal suggest, this may be more appropriate foractivities involving drill & practice (2010). However, Anderson suggests synchronousenvironments are “particularly rich and encourage the development of social skills, collaborativelearning, and the development of personal relationships amongst participants as components ofthe learning process” (2003, p. 9). Moore charges that true potential of online stems from the useof each interaction. That is, the program must match the appropriate interactions according tosubject areas as well learning styles and developments (Moore, 1989).Proceedings of the 40 th Annual Meeting of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning 2013 164