GoalExplain real-time communication and weigh its good and not-so-good sides.
New words
real-time communication · reaching everyone at the same time, as it happensvideo conference · a meeting in which people see and hear each other through screenschat room · a place online where people type messages to each other at onceengaging · holding your attention so that you want to take part
Explanation
Cloud tools also let us talk with many people together. Real-time communication means that everyone is reached together, while it is happening. Examples are video chats, live TV programmes and chat rooms that answer at once. It can make a message more lively, especially in a video conference, where you see faces, hear voices and can react at once. Compare a letter or an e-mail, which are read later. What are the good sides of real time? It is quick, it feels personal, you can ask a question and hear the answer straight away, and many people can join. What are the not-so-good sides? You need a good connection, it can be hard to speak without interrupting, long calls can feel tiring, and other people can see you, so privacy matters. There is no perfect tool; the best one depends on what you want to do. This week we practise on paper, with no device.
Real time
Not real time
video chat
letter
live television show
recorded programme
instant chat room
e-mail read later
answer straight away
answer comes later
Worked examples
Live show
Recording
watched
while it happens
later
real time?
yes
no
A school’s sports day is shown live. Parents far away watch while it happens and cheer. A recorded video of the same day is watched later. The live one is real time; the recording is not.
Why video is engaging. Salma tells her cousin about her kite. In a letter he reads the words. In a video call he sees the kite, hears her excited voice and asks a question at once. The same message becomes more lively.
Good sides
Not-so-good sides
quick
needs a good connection
feels personal
hard to take turns
answers at once
others can see you
Good and not-so-good. Jana lists real-time good sides: quick, personal, questions answered at once. Her not-so-good sides: needs a good connection, hard to take turns, others can see you. Then she decides which tool to use for a quick question and which for a long story.
Class activity
Real time or not? Write eight ways of communicating on cards: video chat, letter, live television show, e-mail, instant chat room, recorded lesson, phone call, message left on a desk. Sort them into ‘real time’ and ‘not real time’. Write one good side and one not-so-good side of your favourite real-time way.
Practice
1
What is real-time communication?
Everyone is reached together, while it is happening.
2
Name two examples of real-time communication.
For example: a video chat, a live TV programme, a chat room that answers at once.
3
Why can a video conference be more engaging than a letter?
You see faces, hear voices and can react at once.
4
Give one not-so-good side of real-time tools.
For example: needs a good connection; hard to take turns; others can see you.
