Communicate with my Learners
Available Tools
There are many methods of contacting students in the world of digital learning. Just as in the face-to-face classroom ten years ago, email remains a convenient, simple tool for interacting with learners.
SMS
Short message service (SMS) is the formal name for text messages. Texting is a convenient way to collaborate and communicate with students. SMS text messaging has become the communication method-of-choice for students. If you text it, they will read it.
Blogs
Weblogs, also known as blogs, offer a unique forum for students both to publish ideas and to customize the ways in which their ideas are presented. Many websites, such as Blogger and WordPress, offer free, easy-to-use blogs for those new to the online journaling sphere. Encouraging blog comments and blog discussions can expand the traditional one-person weblog into a multi-learner interface.
It can be very convenient to post by email to a blog. Using any email account to post to a blog can enable you to post from any convenient location, as well as your mobile device.
Class Blogs: Advanced Tips
WordPress Screencasts
Blackboard Discussion
Blackboard allows faculty and students to interact through the BB discussion forum. Blackboard discussions enable learners to communicate easily using single-threaded discussions. By clicking on a discussion topic and pressing "reply," students can engage one another in conversation within only a few minutes. Faculty may use it for the clarification of a lesson or assignment, while students may post questions and receive answers from both faculty and their class members.
iPhone
In the 21st century, all of these functions - email, SMS, blogs and BlackBoard - can be accessed using your iPhone. The iPhone can, of course, still be used to make calls.
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Check out Rewind
The Adams Center podcasts most Faculty Enrichment Events. If you were unable to attend or would like to review an event, check out Rewind on iTunesU!
