Focus Question 2: How can teachers use email or instant messaging to foster information exchanges with and among students?
- Children and adolescents are the largest users of email and instant messaging (IM) technologies.
- Many teachers use email as away to communicate with students, families, and professional collagues.
- Fewer teachers use instant messaging because the kind of informal language found in IM can be misunderstood or misused.
- Sometimes it is challenging to find time during class to visit with students. A quick email message might be a solution. Knowing that it is alright for them to contact you via email may open lines of communication. Also, students may be more comfortable sharing their thoughts digitally as opposed to face-to-face.
It is important to maintain that boundary between teacher and friend. I think private messaging (text messages, private chats) between a teacher and student should be avoided.
Tech Tool 8.1: Approach 3 (Open Source Software)
Use a free online course management system (CMS) for educators such as Moodle that provides email, online discussion boards, instant messaging, and discussion forums for school districts and individual classrooms. Blogger is another free blog-building option for teachers. Edmodo is a microblogging tool, for teachers and students to share ideas and information. Teachers can post homework assignments and invite discussion both in and out of the classroom.
Conclusion
Communication technologies provide ways that teachers can use to create a good learning environment in their classrooms and the different ways that teachers and students can use technology to share ideas and information within the classroom and online. Many teachers use email as a way to communicate with students, families, and professional colleagues.
Resources
Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2010). Transforming teaching with new technologies. Allyn & Bacon
Edmodo is very popular tool to get students engaged as it is a type of social networking tool that resembles the favorite Facebook! We will try it out in one of our EME2040 classes in a couple of weeks, too. Email works nicely for adults, but often students don't use it and if the message is not 'received' is it effective communication?
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