John Tamblyn

Setting up the rules for communication will help all the students to better understand and hopefully not be intimidated so that all will participate.

For effective communication to take place you will need to choose the appropriate tool for that type of communication.

You are transforming the material to allow for student success in the distance learning environment.

Once again, communication during all of the components of the course is vital to the students’ success.

Communication is key, the communication of what is expected of your students, communication of content, communication of student questions and answers, and student submissions with corrections and comments.

Looking at the teaching styles it is interesting to think about who you are and how effective the combination of different styles can be, and when one type might be more effective.

It is good to be reminded that all of the students’ characteristics and needs will need to be addressed just like they would in the traditional classroom setting.  Making sure these are addressed in appropriate ways regarding privacy and your schools policies apply to e-learning environments as well as the classroom setting.

Learning about the best uses of asynchronous discussions and synchronous discussions was very helpful.

The idea of sharing a biography of the teacher and also a student biography to allow for a more personal approach is a very good first interaction.

In finishing out the school year teaching online I found that it be necessary that I understand all of the software that the students were being required to use, and how they could submit work so I could be there technical support.