I fully support all asynchronous, as well as a blended approach (and I do not mean f2f as the synchronous piece). I have used very successfully Chat  for guest speakers to come in and share what they know about a topic. I  have students generate 1 question in the course (so everyone can see the questions and there are no repeats). Then, I send the questions to the speaker and they answer the questions by including the question and their response on a word document.

When we have the Chat, there are rules to follow for communicating. Students arrive… >>>

I would like to add a comment here, specific to encouraging active learning. This is a skill for the facilitator to hone into. One way I do so is to follow the ABC rule in discussion forums. A - Acknowledge what the student has written; B - Back it up with readings for the week or other resources or even my own personal or professional experiences; C - Continue active learning by asking a question (probing or Socratic Questionning Techniques).

I also require students to ask questions at the end of their responses and find that they appreciate the… >>>

These are great icebreakers that I have already added to my list. Here are several icebreakers that I have used successfully:

Students create a glogster (Web 2.0 tool) - where they created a multi-media poster following criteria I set up for them (what they do, where they live, goals for the course, personal items they would like to share). I teach e-learning instructional design so students coming into the course are somewhat tech savvy or at least willing to try something new.

Students write about the view they see outside a window in the location they will be doing their… >>>

I found that if you stop and think before you post works well, because what we write may not be interpreted in the manner in which we think. Sometimes I will write a response in a word document, read it, and come back to it a couple of hours later before I post it.

Another strategy I use is to always compliment first and then correct while providing examples. I also use video with audio feedback on assignments. Students are blown away and they say that the video and audio provides a more personal method of feedback, while also demonstrating… >>>

I agree, I keep a database of students and how they are progressing (grades) in the course. I also include a section for Comments and I keep track of the kudos I send along to students. The database allows me to see who I have responded to and what I said. You can always find something positive to say to a student, even if it is acknowledging how well they are trying. After a vacation, I send each of them a little welcome back note. Feedback I receive is that they appreciate these comments and that no one else has… >>>