By Dr. Martin Horejsi

Two years ago, I wrote a blog post here that explored the relationship between a physical meeting space and the technology that would support it while not competing with it. At that time, the iPad was a toddler, there was no Windows 10, and the iPhone 6 had yet to be released (thus breaking all previous cell phone sales records). Also, at that time, I described the question about the soul of a learning commons as a search to define what a modern learning commons should look like when technology competes with face-to-face interactions.

Back then, I was comfortable designing collaborative spaces and embedding technology into every possible nook and cranny, whether it would be used heavily or rarely. So the conundrum was squarely rooted in the difference between synchronous and asynchronous space.  

A synchronous space is one where the essence of use is anchored to the same moment in time. Asynchronous space, on the other hand, is a conceptual storage area where content can be consumed and replenished at the leisure of its users. The asynchronicity of the space only works if time is a variable. While synchronous space holds time as a constant and measures productive work as a function of real time, an asynchronous workspace provides its users on-demand feeding through a flexible digital environment where time expands and contracts at the whims of its users.