Hi All! While I understand the need to utilize social media, as it is prevalent in our society, with first term students there is so much on their plate. Not only are they learning a new LMS (and sometimes how to use a computer), but learning to create a time management system, getting the balance of work, home and school as well as the numerous resources the schools provide these days - I think adding social media may be overwhelming. I also believe that as an adjunct, it is very hard to dedicate that much additional time to keep personal and work separate [on social media] when you are teaching one or two classes for two or three schools. In theory it sounds great, but I am not sure it would work in practice for someone in my situation. What do you all think about first term students using social media, as well as adjuncts who work for more than one school? I look forward to your thoughts. Thanks!

I appreciate that this section shared that a number of online learners are not comfortable using technology. I recall when I first found out that I had students who "never had a computer" and those who never used the internet or Microsoft products I was stunned, however over the years have come to realize this is something that will continue to happen over and over. In my first term class I teach one class a week, which allows me to review the concept for a large portion of the time we share and use the last 20-30 minutes for assignment details and "how to" elements. In week one I share how to save a file and where to upload it, week two how to create formatting, etc. Each week they are taken out to my desktop to share step by step processes, which they can follow by going back to the recording when class ends. I know this has been very helpful for many, however I am thinking about creating these to play in the classroom and always have available. Has anyone done this? If so, did you find it easiest to create in Adobe, JING or some other program? Thanks for your thoughts and insights.

I teach first term students who may or may not, have ever attended college. Some have minimal computer skills, which means added stress learning their way around the classroom while also trying to figure out how to create a document, save and upload it. All this leads to a great deal more time in the classroom and working on assignments than they originally thought. In my first week I share with them the different types of time management tools. I share with them that if they have never used a time management plan, beginning with a calendar is the best method. I suggest the Google Calendar to students as it can be used on your computer, smart phone, etc with minimal set up. I also encourage students [using time management for the first time] to use a blank calendar for one week and write down everything that takes them one hour or more to do. At the end of the week, they will be able to find where they can pull time from to create their own "class schedule". I am also always reinforcing that their time management plan will be unique for each of them and while they can pull ideas from classmates, they must focus on creating a schedule that works for them. For the remainder of week one and throughout the term, I send numerous email reminders about deadlines and reinforce that though they do not need to "be in class" at a specific time, they should create their own class schedule to create a "habit of learning". Finally, I share how when I took my first online course I left everything until the last 3 days of class. This helped me to learn to create a class schedule and work day by day, week by week to ensure my best work was submitted without added stress and frustration. I find many of the students can relate to my 60 hour work week and a family to care for, so sharing personal challenges and how they were overcome helps a great deal with my students creating their time management plans.

Blogging is everywhere, major corporations hire bloggers to buy, try and share knowledge of their products. In the classroom, students can share material, resources and have study groups all online.

Micorblogging is healthy for social environment for later generations. The use of micorblogging can be successful in an online classroom by engaging in more innovative tools that interest the younger generation.

Hosting social media can be difficult when deciding selecting assignments. Students may have difficulty with using correct verbiage and online jargons. As an instructor the instructions must be clear for grading and understanding for those who are not familiar with the network language.

There are some advantages and disadvantages of social media in the classroom. The advantage is a more innovative method of learning, a disadvantage is the generation gap of learning new jargon.

If discussion boards are a part of your online platform you've surely run into a student who is completely put-off about something. Sometimes the comments are merely eye-roll inducing while other times they are scratching the surface of bringing other folks down (making an otherwise happy student decide that they, too, aren't happy). When this occurs, instructors basically have two proactive solutions: replying with humor or killing them with kindness to help them "develop a better language of constructive feedback". Or the censoring/outright deletion of a post (which preserves the environment but often ignites a fire with the individual). In sum, I often find myself questioning my decision to "re-direct or delete". Is this a black and white issue for anyone? Or does anyone else feel conflicted when this happens? I'd love to hear your perspective!

I was wondering if anyone has ever felt like they are communicating too much with a student. For example, besides grading papers or answering discussions at our school we are responsible for our student retention. If I have a student who is failing or not participating we are encouraged to contact them often. I usually either call or email every other day to see if I can get student to participate. We have accrediting guidelines that a student must submit work at least every week, or sooner if possible. We, as instructors, are calling students as well as our student services department. I am always worried that we are chasing our students away. Any thoughts would be helpful!

I have found while teaching in the online environment that many students underestimate the amount of time an assignment will take to complete, especially within the first few weeks of a course. I try to offer time guidelines for the different assignments as well as reminders for them to get started. Many students think assignments may not take them too long but soon are faced with reality. Usually after the first few weeks they figure out a schedule and routine that works for them. Jean

As students are participating in an online environment, they need to be aware of the proper way to communicate with the instructor as well as their classmates. The classroom setting requires a more professional language than when communicating with friends. It is amazing to me but many students are not familiar with the effective ways to communicate in an email or in the discussion boards. I have found myself providing the necessary guidelines (online etiquette)at the beginning of my classes as well as offering reminders throughout the course. I have received several emails from students in all caps and I have to explain why this isn't appropriate. The online environment may be a new experience and the students need to learn how to communicate effectively.

I have been teaching online classes for several years and it doesn't matter if it is the students first college course or students taking courses in a graduate program, time management is always a challenge. I make it a point during the first week of class to discuss time management and offer different strategies that can be of benefit including the course assignment schedule with due dates. I also post weekly announcements stating the different assignments that are due along with the actual due date as well as reminders as the due dates gets closer. I offer sample schedules and actually have them complete one for the upcoming week. This makes them account for everything that happens in their daily lives - eating, showering, traveling, work, school work, house cleaning, chores, sleeping, other priorities along with scheduling time for themselves to relax and have fun. I also emphasize how much time they should be devoting to course work whether it be reading or actually completing assignments. I encourage them to set up a routine where they work a little bit each day rather than trying to complete everything in a few days. I send reminder emails and announcements regarding assignments to serve as a gentle push. Time management is essential for the online student. Once a student falls behind, it is challenging to get caught up because most online courses move quickly and require a good amount of work to be completed. Falling behind can be very overwhelming and this is why time management skills are so important. Jean

Synchronous tools are important aspects to enhance students learning and comprehension. Using the tool call "join.me" is a valuable asset to the LMS. This application allow the instructor to gain access to the student browsers. This comes in handy when instructor need to help student navigate their Blackboard or LMS. IE... showing student how to use the drop box.

To help student improved reading, writing and communication skills, I encourage students to read as many books, blogs, journal and articles as often as they can. The more one read,the better they become at producing a great work of literature. Proofreading in front of a peer review is the best way to complete a paper. Reading out aloud is one other technique to fix errors. Also, I mention to students that to correct grammatical errors on essays, try reading the essay starting from the ending sentences to the first sentence of the essay.

Is important for all online instructors to understand what flaming is and how to handle this within the online classroom. Flaming is a hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users, often involving the use of profanity.

One aspect of the double edged sword of technological communication can be its anonymity. Anonymity is positive in some aspects- such as reducing self-consciousness when asking questions. However, anonymity can reduce social constraints that prevent some people from acting out inappropriately toward others.

I'm curious about what people think about the pros and cons of allowing a class blog to be public. I have never used blogging as part of one of my classes before, but other colleagues have, and made them public. They were excited that people who the students were writing about found the blog and commented on it. Perhaps because I have never done this before, there is something intimidating about a blog being linked to my name (a course that I teach) without me really having control over it. We can give students guidelines, but they may not completely follow them, for example. Do instructors monitor blogs like this and have the ability to remove posts that could be considered plagiarism or netiquette violations?

I have been teaching online for since August of 2012. During this period I continue to evolve and use different strategies to get to know my student. I found out that while there is no “on size fit all” in the online environment a combination of strategies will yield maximum result. My first line of contact is to send out my “Instructor’s Introductory Email” on the Sunday evening before the class starts. Despite doing this religiously, I learnt that not every student reads the email, so my conservative expectation is to get about 30-40% of my student to take a peek. During the first week of class I called each of my student and here again my expectation is speak to about 30-40% of my student, those I am unable to get in touch with will receive a voice mail from me if that option is available, and finally, a text is sent to all of my student that has a cell phone listed. I think the Online Learning Environment is very dynamic and as I continue to read my peers postings I am learning new strategies and tips to help the student –my primary objective.

Feeling isolated from the classroom can be the first step in a student drop. A pleasant announcement, a comforting “reach-out” email, or a great story on the discussion board can reignite the learning fire and boost retention. We save students one at a time. Granted, sometimes we don’t know if we’ve done things right as faculty until months later when a graduate sends a ‘thank you’ email telling us so, but we should never underestimate what our words might do for a student who is teetering on the brink of dropping out of school. By heightening the presence of faculty through outreach, interactive methodologies and faculty-student contact in our online student environment, we might stave-off the threat of student drops, maintain and enhance retention and add value to both internal and external marketing missions. As competition heats up in the online educational universe, the time is now to gain market share based on sound customer service and forward-looking strategies.

FOCUS ON THE NEGATIVES: TECHNOLOGY We've all gotten emails about students who end up with no working computer, internet cut off due to non-payment, you name it. Some students even start school with no computer and use a public PC, or one at work. While not having internet or a computer may not be the best scenario, we need to come together with the student and find ways that the course tasks can be accomplished. The situation is: the student is in your class and expending funds to be enrolled, so why do we discourage a student who already has some technological strikes against them? Here is an actual email from a faculty member to a student in Class #1 of the AABA program: From: Negative Instructor To: Struggling Student I am surprised that the school is allowing you to begin classes without a computer email me when you submit please Let me translate the email: Student- I have no confidence in you; you are not going to pass the class anyway so you might as well drop out