Standard 3.7 Communication & Collaboration
Candidates utilize digital communication and collaboration tools to communicate locally and globally with students, parents, peers, and the larger community. (PSC 3.7/ISTE 3g)
Artifact: Class WikiSpace, Website, Schoology and Email
Reflection:
Communication is more important than ever! I use a variety of tools to facilitate the communication and collaboration process of my students, parents and the community. Everyday I use Schoology to communicate activities and learning objectives. Students also use this LMS to meet their learning needs in a specific class and also to communicate and submit assignments. I utilize my Class WikiSpace for feedback, discussions to handle housekeeping items. I have also created Webpages that unit-specific that I link to Schoology at the appropriate time.
Even though parents have access to Schoology, communication is strongly encouraged via e-mail or telephone. To communicate with the larger community in a local and/or global manner, we have designated person that handles DCHS’s Twitter, Facebook page and Website. All outgoing information to the masses is distributed through these tools.
We also use our LMS to collaborate with peers. We are able to efficiently have discussions, lessons and share resources. By utilizing Schoology, I am able to share ideas and ask questions on a platform that has the audience I need to collaborate effectively.
I was so excited after I began researching and learning about all of the various tools that I could use in my classroom that I believe I overwhelmed my students. I remember the first blended project I implemented, I had students going to my website, LMS, WikiSpace and a blogspot – all of those for one project. Fortunately for me, these were advanced level students and they provided useful and appropriate feedback. One female student said, “Mrs. Bearden, just because you have 100 necklaces doesn’t mean you wear them all at once – you need to streamline this – we can’t keep up!” She was right. I had incorporated too many tools and instead of streamlining or facilitating a process, it complicated the entire project. Since that first attempt, I keep a routine, but I select which tools I will incorporate instead of throwing them all in at once.
By utilizing these digital tools to communicate and collaborate, we at DCHS hope to reach a global audience. I try to use tools that I know my students are using to give the communication process a sense of familiarity. The impact that social media and other digital tools have had on the learning process is clear. People are constantly “talking” or communicating in some way. Education is now an open book and the use of these tools facilitates and appeases the needs for students, parents, teachers and the community to be “in the know”.
Communication is more important than ever! I use a variety of tools to facilitate the communication and collaboration process of my students, parents and the community. Everyday I use Schoology to communicate activities and learning objectives. Students also use this LMS to meet their learning needs in a specific class and also to communicate and submit assignments. I utilize my Class WikiSpace for feedback, discussions to handle housekeeping items. I have also created Webpages that unit-specific that I link to Schoology at the appropriate time.
Even though parents have access to Schoology, communication is strongly encouraged via e-mail or telephone. To communicate with the larger community in a local and/or global manner, we have designated person that handles DCHS’s Twitter, Facebook page and Website. All outgoing information to the masses is distributed through these tools.
We also use our LMS to collaborate with peers. We are able to efficiently have discussions, lessons and share resources. By utilizing Schoology, I am able to share ideas and ask questions on a platform that has the audience I need to collaborate effectively.
I was so excited after I began researching and learning about all of the various tools that I could use in my classroom that I believe I overwhelmed my students. I remember the first blended project I implemented, I had students going to my website, LMS, WikiSpace and a blogspot – all of those for one project. Fortunately for me, these were advanced level students and they provided useful and appropriate feedback. One female student said, “Mrs. Bearden, just because you have 100 necklaces doesn’t mean you wear them all at once – you need to streamline this – we can’t keep up!” She was right. I had incorporated too many tools and instead of streamlining or facilitating a process, it complicated the entire project. Since that first attempt, I keep a routine, but I select which tools I will incorporate instead of throwing them all in at once.
By utilizing these digital tools to communicate and collaborate, we at DCHS hope to reach a global audience. I try to use tools that I know my students are using to give the communication process a sense of familiarity. The impact that social media and other digital tools have had on the learning process is clear. People are constantly “talking” or communicating in some way. Education is now an open book and the use of these tools facilitates and appeases the needs for students, parents, teachers and the community to be “in the know”.