Gmail Chat and TokBox Screen Shots

Here are the screen shots of my synchronous and asynchronous videos. I definitely prefer synchronous because it is more like a conversation. However, I can see the value of asynchronous video. Particularly I can see myself creating a video message to my husband just to say hi, sorta like a surprise. It's like deciding whether to write a letter/email or to call someone on the phone. They both have the benefits and their down falls, it just depends on what you want to do.

I can see this being used in the classroom in a couple of different ways. With synchronous video, you could have community members and the like talk to your students. For example, if you were reading a book about WWII, it might be possible to get a survivor of the Holocaust to talk to your students over synchronous video chat. This would be a cheap alternative to inviting the person to come speak in person, but it doesn't eliminate the opportunity for students to ask the guest speaker questions, etc. You could also have the students use it when they are completing group projects. I think you could use asynchronous video in order to give your students messages (especially posted to the blog). You could also have the students use it to complete projects.