Asynchronous Communication

Asynchronous communication is essentially communication that is not synchronized at the ends of the communication.  This is opposite to synchronous communication, where the end points are synchronized.  There are both general and more technical definitions of these terms, and I will cover these definitions here.

According to www.linfo.org (Linux Information Project), ‘Asynchronous communication is the exchange of messages… by reading and responding as schedules permit…’  This forms the general definition of the term.  Asynchronous communication does not require parties to be present at the same time, while synchronous communication does require parties to be synchronized.  Examples of asynchronous communication include text messaging and e-mail, where communications can be read and responded to at convenience.  Of note is that our course is a form of asynchronous communication, since the students and instructor are not required to all be online at the same time to receive and give instruction.

The more technical definition of asynchronous communication has to do with the actual electronic process of sending and receiving information.  According to www.businessdictionary.com, asynchronous communication is done with a starting/stopping stream of data, whereas synchronous communication is done with a continuous stream of data.

About Me

Hi, I'm Lawton Huffman.  I'm a home-schooled high school senior working for dual credit on this course.  I am finishing up my high school education, and hope to begin my career/college education next year with entrance to the U.S. Air Force Academy.  By the end of this semester, I expect to be finished with college applications, sitting back waiting for word on them and for next semester to begin.

Blogs vs Wikis

Blogs and wikis are two important tools to our society.  They are ways to find information, opinion, and personal stories, with both similarities and differences.

Blogs and wikis are similar in that both offer a broad range and large volume of information to the public.  Both are useful tools that can give us information and insight about the subjects and issues that surround us.  They give an everyday person the ability to share their knowledge and experience with the world.  There are, however, differences between the two.  A principle difference between a blog and a wiki is the number of users: a blog is usually maintained by an individual or a few individuals representing an organization, while a wiki often has many users pooling their knowledge and opinions.  Another primary difference is often the purpose.  A blog is usually a collection of personal thoughts, experiences, and/or opinions, while a wiki is a collective database of many users.  Also, a blog is almost always public, but a wiki may be used privately on a corporate intranet.

Convergence is an important topic in the modern, connected world.  With all the tools including blogs and wikis available to people around the world, it would be foolish to ignore them.  These tools offer an excellent opportunity for people all over the world to converge with their knowledge, experience, and opinions.  The networked world offers the opportunity to share, debate, and learn through this convergence.

Blogs can be well used for collaboration by people who wish to bounce off each others’ ideas, opinions, and research, but would still like to voice personalized responses and developments

A wiki that I have yet to find is a pilots’ wiki – a site where pilots can share their experience, advice, and stories to further the knowledge, safety, and community of the aviation world.