Digital Communication

Introduction

What would Vygotsky have made of the kinds of digital communication we have in the 21st Century? Lev Vygotsky lived in an era when the fastest form of communication outside of face-to-face contact was the telegram or listening to radio transmissions. He could not have conceived of a world where people from all over the world could communicate with each other instantly, sending pictures, and video messages across the globe to entertain or inform.

But Vygotsky's theories have continued to form the backbone of much of the educational theory in recent years, even with the rise of online education. This section aims to address the relevance of Vygotsky's original theories to the modern day, especially as it relates to online communication, both synchronous and asynchronous.

Synchronous Digital Communication

Synchronous digital communication is that which is carried out in "real time," and usually takes the form of either a text-based chat, a voice call, or a video conference. Examples might include a WhatsApp group, a Skype call, or a Google Hangout. These interactions have the benefit of being the most similar to an in-person dialogue. Vygotsky's argument that knowledge is constructed in a social environment is still valid in this context, as this environment is increasingly social. The more "social" types of synchronous communication (voice and video) have the advantage of being the most familiar to digital immigrants, or those who are not as comfortable with the digital sphere. They can still debate and engage in dialog over a video call as they would in real life, across a table.

The added advantage of a text-based chat is that it can blur the line between synchronous and asynchronous. The conversation can be in real-time and the language and knowledge developed together, but it also forms a continuous record of the language and knowledge contained within that discussion to be archived, referred back to, referenced, and developed further in an asynchronous setting.




Asynchronous Digital Communication


Asynchronous digital communication is any that is not engaged in "live" or in real-time. This encompasses not only written communication like a forum post on Canvas or via email but also multimedia creations that are responded to at a later date, like a YouTube video with comments below or a Facebook post and resulting comment thread.

One of the bonuses of asynchronous communication is that the language used can be more carefully thought out. It can be edited, reviewed, deleted, references can be added and the overall tone can be changed after the fact. This can prove problematic for the Vygotskyian idea of social interaction and dialogue. One of the keys to constructivism is the authentic experiences that constitute the learning environment. Participants must be comfortable within the learning environment if the "community of learners" is to exist and knowledge can be constructed successfully.

Dialogue

As an example of digital communication and as a place to engage in the process of knowledge building that would make Vygotsky very happy, consider the following questions and then answer one (or more) on the Padlet below:

  1. Do you consider synchronous or asynchronous communication to be more useful for creating knowledge in your own experience? What's better for you, an email thread or chat conversation?
  2. Both methods of communication have their advantages. Which do you consider more valuable in an online learning environment?

Once you've answered one, have a look at what others have posted. Feel free to "like" posts or add your own comments. (That's what this is all about, after all.)