Overview: Things to Think About
A primary concern for schools is security. In many schools this concern is more of a roadblock as filters or proxy servers are set up to block all sorts of messaging and chat. When getting started, work with a small pilot group and set security and permission levels at highest levels. Make sure that you have ultimate control over what is being published with ability to edit or delete posts or even monitor certain students. A great feature is that some tools have filters that won’t allow naughty words or phrases to be used.
Even though your students may be experts in online tools, you will still have plenty to teach. Structure, examples, and support will be very important as you get started. Initially students may be fascinated by emoticons and you’ll quickly see hundreds of messages with “i agree ”.
You may quickly find that online exchanges ignore rules of grammar and spelling. Quick messages with no caps or punctuation are often the rule. If you want students to use proper writing conventions, then you will need to set up this as a guideline and reinforce constantly.
Outsourcing of email or other communication tools makes sense for overburdened tech administrators. Rather than housing everything on a networked server, schools can turn to vendors to supply needed resources with a cost that can often be cheaper and more reliable than hosting the service “in-house”.
This presentation will provide you with a quick overview of each along with resources and ideas for evolving your home and student connections.
Terms
- Synchronous: Occurring “in sync” or at the same time. Requires users to share a space that is connected in time. Examples: phone, face-to-face, videoconference, webcast, instant messaging, or chat.
- Asynchronous: The opposite of synchronous. Users can access and respond to messages at times convenient to their schedules. Content is easily archived for future retrieval and access. Examples: email, discussion boards, listservs, and blogs.
|
|
|
