As stated in the text, When teaching in an online environment, communication tools are essential components for student success. There are a variety of social networking tools to assist in online learning which can promote understanding because we are using tools that students use often like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
According to the text, using social networking sites for learning is a dynamic medium to help students share information and knowledge. Through this dynamic medium, an opportunity is created to develop dynamic online courses which include current news or events and develop perceptions or insights into such events. Engaging students in real-time, authentic learning provides an opportunity for online instructors and students to engage in real-world learning in a more participatory environment.
To enchance the knowledge of the instructor to understand the tool available to make the student more successful in the on-line learning environment, is needed to make both parties comfortable on line.
WE NEED TO USE A VARIETY OF TOOLS TO ENGAGE STUDENT PARTICIPATION
Utilizing multiple tools is important to keep the course interactive and captivating
The options regarding the use of online tools seems endless and that i a good thing as different learners have different needs. When lots of tools atre in the toolbox usually the right one for the job is available.
I learned the importance of use in class different techniques of Social Networking.
Using the social tools, ( Facebook, Linkin, Etc..) that students re familiar with, will help keep them engaged.
It is very important to know and use different synchronous communication tools.
In this module, you learned that students must have visual and information literacy skills to work effectively. I will apply in my online courses when using social media that I should not assume that students have technological skills.
It stood out to me that the course says although you should present content in various ways, that you should be careful not to overdo it with the flashy multimedia type deliverables - and I agree with that!
Certainly some extent of tech savvy is necessary for online students. Since I started teaching online classes, I have found that the younger generation, that I presumed would adapt easily to online, are not as knowledgable as I had expected. Conversely, I have found that older generation students know more than I assumed they would. I've also found that younger students have a tendency to get frustrated and give up more often than older students.
I enjoyed this module. It stressed the importance of balancing content with presentation. Another key takeawy was deliverying information in chuncks such as modules is more effective. Lastly, it is important to make the student feel they are part of the learning community.
Cheryl
Moreso than previous courses I have taken, this one seemed dated. I cannot imagine anyone of my daughter's generation not being adept at social media sites and these other forms of online community and communication. Today, more of a problem surrounds setting up differences between social media and the classroom.
Nancy Tosh
Our online content is ever evolving, sometimes better, sometimes not so much, but we keep evolving.The students seeem to appreciate the efort and learning is improving. As students needs and industry demands change, we have to keep up or drop out and dropping out s not an option.I think we are heading in the right direction.
I learned that using social networking sites can be used to develop student engagement and communication. This is my most important take away.
This is a hot tip for sure: Being proactive in finding out what these deficiencies are, and setting aside time to deal with them at the beginning of your course, will help eliminate much frustration at a later time.
It is extremely important to understand all of the technical components along with ensuring that students understand or your able to to get them to understand so they get the most out of their online experience
These new tools are enhancing my skills as well, this course is very informative and extreamly useful, this is the future of the world, it's not going away any time soon we have to adjust and continue up grading in order to communite.
I have never been a fan of social networking sites and am personally not on sites such as Facebook and Instagram. However, understanding that students are familiar and comfortable with social networking, it is a communication tool to consider.
Its important to research a variety of tools and use varies means of communication to fit the course needs.
