Enhancing Learning Through Electronic Communication in Teaching

1. Transforming Learning with New TechnologiesRobert W. MaloyRuth-Ellen Verock-O'LoughlinSharon A. EdwardsBeverly Park Woolf Chapter 8: Communicating and Collaborating with Social Media

2. Learning Outcomes • Describe how teachers can use communication and social networking technologies as teaching and learning tools • Assess email and text messaging as information exchanges for teachers and curriculum content for students • Understand how teachers can enhance communication and learning using websites and blogs • Demonstrate how to create and use teaching blogs • Examine wikis as a collaborative learning strategy for students and teachers

3. Focus Questions • How would you describe the impact of communications technologies for teachers and students? • How will your teacher communication systems create positive learning experiences for you and students? • How can teachers use email or instant messaging to foster information exchanges with and among students? • What is the best use of a classroom website or teaching blog and how can it improve learning for students? • How can wikis foster collaborative learning among teachers and students?

4. Electronic Communication Between Teachers and Students • Email and text messaging • Teacher or classroom websites • Blogs and microblogs • Online discussions • Wikis

5. Communicating Electronically as a Teacher

6. Social Networking for Educators • Social Networking: sharing personal information and profiles online using texting, blogging or websites for social purposes • Often restricted during school hours • Educational Networking: sharing educational, curriculum and instructional information for professional purposes • Teacher-to-teacher discussions, book groups, connecting to policy/reform organizations, exchanging research, group editing of projects/writing

7. Integrating Electronic Communications into Your Teaching • Teaching beyond the school day • Continue interaction when class is out • Share notes, inquiries, assignments, Web links, suggestions • Engaging Students • Puts students in position of “doing” rather than watching/listening • Sharing information with families • Maximize in-class instruction time • Minimize confusion and doubt

8. Using Electronic Communications in Your Teaching • Building learning communities • Create connections that make individuals part of learning groups through meaningful activities • “I Wonder Questions” open discussion topics • Publishing student work • Displaying student work celebrates student work and gives it permanence • Students can be active partners in creating/maintaining a teacher or classroom communication system

9. Using Electronic Communications in Your Teaching • Energizing student writing • Teachers open multiple opportunities for students to express ideas in writing • Writing is the “neglected R” in many schools • Students are eager and expressive writers when communicating with friends or for themselves in a journal • Writing along with verbal and artistic communication lets students express ideas and information they might not otherwise share

10. Email and Text Messaging Instant Messaging (IM): Real-time, typed text communications between people using computers or mobile devices Email: Electronic mail messages that are sent between people using computers and the Internet • Strategies for using email and IM • Use email for official communication • Establish email connections with libraries, museums and universities • Initiate email correspondence with elected officials • Hold online office hours • Use text messaging to teach about spelling

11. Websites and Blogs for Teachers and Students • Teacher/Classroom website • Teacher website: devoted to personal work as a teacher and educator, or as an online portfolio • Classroom website: devoted to the activites of a classroom; focus on students, not teacher • Teacher blog • Online journal of information/ideas on teaching • Can spark conversation/interaction with students

12. Differences Between Websites and Blogs • Blogs are easy to create and manage • Websites feature a more formal tone and format • Blogs invite personal voice and informal style

13. Teacher Blogs Uses of Teacher Blogs • Student learning:create new forums for learning • Student/family communications:offer transparency and insight into the classroom • Professional networking: foster communication with other teachers Three Types of Education-Related Blogs • Organizational blogs:formal information center for schools • Subject blogs:address a single subject area • Teaching and learning blogs:student-teacher communication around curriculum

14. Design Decisions in Building a Teacher Blog • Content Posting • How often do you add/replace content? • Reader Response • How are reader comments allowed and managed? Is it a conversation area? • Audience • Who may can view the site? Is it open, or limited to students in a given class? • Authorship • Who may post? Is it one person or several?

15. Examples of Blog Design Decisions by Teachers • Teacher A:Single author of a sitewith regular updates;open to all Internet usersbut with no comments offered • Teacher B:Multiple authors (teacher and students)with infrequent postings;password protected;students required to comment • Teacher C:Primary (but not only) author; students required to respondto frequent postingson password-protected site

16. Analyzing Teacher-Made Websites and Blogs • Creating a blog requires planning and care • Criteria for analysis • Locally-created sites may lack polish of commercial sites • Locally-created sites may be inviting to students

17. Strategies for Moderating Online Discussions • Focus on issues that have meaning and relevance to your students • Stress the importance of active, thoughtful participation • Emphasize rapid versus feedback • Establish clear rules for online conduct • Respond directly but tactfully • Develop an online reading response form for your students

18. Wikis as a Collaborative Learning Strategy • Wikis allow multiple users to collaboratively build and maintain a Web page • In schools, wikis allow students and teachers to: • Integrate technology in meaningful ways in the classroom. • Collaborate with peers and colleagues. • Synthesize and explain academic content Publish writing and other creative or scientific work • Receive feedback about teaching and learning both inside and outside the classroom

19. Collaborative Learning Environments • Wikis make collaborative learning environments possible • Students work together on projects • Teachers support peer-to-peer interaction and learning • Teamwork, question asking, and critical thinking • No one individual has all the knowledge or does all the work • Writing and editing is visible for everyone to see what has been contributed

20. Building a Standards Wiki • A standards wiki can help teachers address curriculum frameworks • Collection of academic information and materials • Directly connecting curriculum frameworks and standards

21. Creating a Wikitext • Wikitext: collection of electronic resources created together by teachers and students • Students are put in decision-making roles • Hightened sense of engagement • Students become content creators, not receivers • Review important information easily

22. Strategies for Using Wikis with Your Students • Establish and maintain collaboration between students • Group processes • Students work in small groups or as individuals for presentation to the group • Nature of the wikitext • Start fresh or work with previously created material? • Inappropriate or plagiarized material • Make clear rules, be a careful editor • Grades for students • Provide clear expectations and grading rubrics