Communication
After students create online content:
Who will view it?
Anyone online can view your students' content . . . but who are the people motivated to explore and digest this information? The #1 viewers will always be the parents. Additional interested parties might be relatives, peers, teachers looking for ways to present content to their students, or students from other schools who are looking for learning resources. Online student work can also be viewed by your incoming students as examples when beginning a project. Experts in a field may be willing to view and respond to students' content if notified.
How will this audience become aware that content has been posted?
Teachers can take an active role in notifying the target audience of new online content. As a teacher, you can set up your infrastructure early in the year so that contacting your audience is simple and even automated.
One easy way to notify parents (or a larger audience) is by creating an email list. When content is published, send one email to the entire list. (Please remember to send it BCC so that email addresses are not shared with everyone on the list!)
Also, be sure that you use your webpage as a way to communicate with parents. Promote high participation by sending home a letter and even offering to help parents subscribe to email updates. By posting updates to your webpage, you can take advantage of the "be notified" option for parents. They will not have to come find your content - it will come to them. Post links to your students' online content, and explicitly request that parents visit and comment.
Partner with teachers at different schools, sharing your students' content with them and exposing your students to other students' projects online. Exchange comments and feedback.
You as the teacher have the power and the responsibility to create a safe online community for your students. Digital literacy and citizenship will be an integral part of their lives - so let's start building those skills now.
Teachers can take an active role in notifying the target audience of new online content. As a teacher, you can set up your infrastructure early in the year so that contacting your audience is simple and even automated.
One easy way to notify parents (or a larger audience) is by creating an email list. When content is published, send one email to the entire list. (Please remember to send it BCC so that email addresses are not shared with everyone on the list!)
Also, be sure that you use your webpage as a way to communicate with parents. Promote high participation by sending home a letter and even offering to help parents subscribe to email updates. By posting updates to your webpage, you can take advantage of the "be notified" option for parents. They will not have to come find your content - it will come to them. Post links to your students' online content, and explicitly request that parents visit and comment.
Partner with teachers at different schools, sharing your students' content with them and exposing your students to other students' projects online. Exchange comments and feedback.
You as the teacher have the power and the responsibility to create a safe online community for your students. Digital literacy and citizenship will be an integral part of their lives - so let's start building those skills now.
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