Online Communication Tools

This week’s reading discussed academic software and online communication tools. Both of these can be huge assets in the classroom. Academic software is a wide variety of software packages that are used to enrich the teaching and learning environment for both teachers and students. Many different types and choices can be used to reinforce concepts. These include Power Points, graphics software, reference software, tutorials, educational games, simulations, authoring systems, and special needs software.PowerPoint presentations can be used to create visually communicate concepts to students. Graphics software can be used to create newsletters and fliers,and to create, edit, or enhance digital images. Reference software contains dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases as electronic sources. Tutorials and drill practice software allow for one on one interactive review that engages learners. Simulations give students the opportunity to interact with a model environment that promotes discovery learning. Authoring systems help teachers create their own hypermedia tutorials and web pages to support curriculum. Special needs software assists in many ways from reading screens to enlarging pointers.
These tools, along with online communication tools that are used by professionals are easily adapted to the classroom. Online communication tools may be either synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous allows real time communication. It connects people at a single point in time at the same time. The drawback to synchronous communication is that same time participation can be difficult with conflicting schedules and differing time zones. These are also very costly. Asynchronous allows communication to take place over a period of time at a different time and place. It allows people to connect together at each person’s own convenience and own schedule.
Online communication tools enable us to make connections with others around the world, develop a public voice and to compare ideas with those of our peers. These tools create opportunities for students to learn away from the school setting. Anytime communication helps make students available to teachers when needed. This allows teachers to be able to manage classroom activities outside of the classroom by providing time sensitive information about assignments. It also allows teachers to reach more than one student at a time.
Blogs, VoIP, wikis, and chat are a few types of online communication tools that can be used in the classroom, if the supporting school district allows for it. Blogs provide a way to have conversations with people who have similar interests. VoIP is a new communication tool that allows internet users to make phone calls. Modems allow computers to use telephone lines to communicate. Wikis are a collaborative writing space on the internet. They can be either public or private. Each wiki is created on a specific topic. The information available to users grows with the contributions from the wiki users.
Many of these online communication tools are new to me. I plan to incorporate as many as I can into my classroom. The only online communication tool I have used thus far is email and this is discouraged at my school. Any contact with parent or student is to be made face to face in a meeting, or by phone. I would love to be able to blog and use it as a review for the day, or week. I think this would be a great way to post the daily or weekly agenda for your class. If students are absent, all they have to do to see what they missed is visit the blog.