I'ts important to make sure the tool you use is beneficial and easy to use for the students. Also, they mention Facebook as a platfrom and many of our high school students don't use this platform because they think it's for old people (LOL) so using this platform may not be the best idea for them.
I found that there are many technology-based tools out there to help in more efficient communication with students. Additionally, I found that social media is also a valid tool which is often overlooked in student-to-teacher communication.
Teachers should make sure and evaluate all tools available before choosing the best ones. They should also provide a variety to help meet the different modes of learning. To evaluate effectiveness teachers should survey students and if their attitudes match up then they probably have an accurate picture.
I learned how to evaluate different communication tools for online teaching before, during, and after the course. It's imperative that I familliarize myself with the tools that I have only used on a limited basis or not at all.
It is important to set rules and regulations for email communication and note that email may also function as a one-to-many type of communication tool.
I realized that there are so many technology tools I need to review and know how to use effectively. In choosing what technologies to implement and for what purposes the instructor can make or break a course. Planning is essential for effective communication to happen.
I learned a little bit more about some of these tools that I am not very familiar with such as blackboard collaborate, google hangouts, zoom, Flickr, Instagram, Linkedln, Tik Tok, and Twitter. I also learned that students should be checked on every 3 to 5 weeks to ensure the technology is working. I will be sure to use this timeframe when checking on students throughout the course.
Chosen technology communication tools should be evaluated both formatively and summatively. This should also include input from both students and the teacher. I plan to use this to ensure that I (and my students) are evaluating the tools used in courses throughout the course term and at the end of the course. This way communication has the best opportunity to be of high quality.
As with any job, to get it done right you have to have the right tools. With Online learning, the right technology tools are essential for communication and learning outcomes. As an instructor/facilitator I need to assess technology tools, know the functions,pros and cons of the tools, identify with the students what tools we will be using, get student feedback on the effectiveness of the tools.
From this module, I have learned that I need to do some reserach on TikTok and Flickr. I didn't know anything about that until this class.
We, as teachers, have the opportunity to use different tech tools to enhance comunication with our students. Also that we have to study which one best fit to our goals. Always ask for feeback to redesign the strategy.
I have learned more communication tools than email and texting that enhances learning.
I learned that we must understand and use the correct form of communication when dealing with online courses. It is vital to understand which form of communication is suitable for the topic at hand.
With the ever increasing numbers of communication tools, the first step is to evaluate the tools available and choose carefully the ones most appropriate to the goals for the class. The formative assessments froquently throughout the class are beneficial because immediate change can be implemented if necessary with the sumative assessment at the end of the course providing an overall evaluative of the communication tools used in the course.
I have learned the importance of both student feedback and assessment of the pros and cons of communication method(s). I plan to apply these lessons learned when teaching online courses.
I learned that the onlne tools that you are going to use have to be compatable with the right resources. They have to be checked out before so esnsure the students have full access to the tools and they are working properly and to ensure to disable any functions that you do not need the students to use.
I had never thought about the use of social media for online course discussions. I like this. I like being able to use less email and replacing with more creative communications.
Right now, when the whole world seems to be "remote," it's more important than ever to understand the difference ways to use technology to interact with students. This module has made me think about how to implement a multi-modal approach and to get feedback from my students, so that I am using the most effective tool or tools - what is most useful for my students, no necessarily what I THINK is the best.
Spending more time on choosing/evaluationing the communication tools will definetly be implemented in my choice structure from now on. Often we get in a dryspell and simply use what is easiest for us. Although easy is a good thing, is it most appropriate for the communication structureIi need in this specific class?
There are many ways to communicate with students. Sometimes a bit of out-of-the-box thinking is required to meet them where they are!
