Interact 2: Communicating

Communication and teaching are inextricably linked. Teachers need to be able to explain concepts clearly, to present information logically, and to clarify complex concepts into simpler parts and smaller steps for students to understand.   Image from NWABR (https://www.flickr.com/photos/nwabr/6917567087/in/photostream/) used under a creative commons licence 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

As a teacher you need to choose appropriate tools to meet your learning outcomes and inform learners as to what, how and why various communication tools will be used, and of your expectations of student interaction and behaviour. What are some purposes of online communication in higher education? They could include the exchange of ideas, being able to work collaboratively, or being able to achieve higher levels of learning. Image from NWABR (https://www.flickr.com/photos/nwabr/6917567087/in/photostream/) used under a creative commons licence 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

How can we communicate in Interact2? Blogs and journals Announcements Chat Online Meeting Discussion boards Wikis Moving truck image is public domain from openclipart.org Email

Announcements The Announcements tool is only for academics; students cannot create announcements. Announcements are a one-way communication tool used to provide students with course reminders and updates. Announcements can contain text, images, multimedia, and links to content. Help and How-to guides. Blackboard help pages Announcements Blackboard on demand help videos How to create an announcement For example, in an announcement reminding students of a chat session, you can provide a link to the session.

Blogs and Journals In Interact2 you can have: A subject blog where you can post subject updates Student blogs where students can reflect and document their learning, & read other student blogs. Group blogs where groups can document their progress and learning. Journals, which are viewable only between the student and the subject coordinator. Course Blogs: Only the Instructor can create a Course Blog and determines the topic to be addressed. All Course members can add Blog entries and add comments to Blog entries. Individual Blogs: Only the Instructor can create a Blog for individual Course members to use. Only the owner of the Blog is able to add Blog entries. All other Course members can view and add comments. Both blogs are completely public, i.e,. everyone can see everyone else’s entry. The Individual blog only provides filtering options by individual names. The Course blog provides filtering options by individual name AND a list all “All Course Members”

Blogs and Journals A blog is a personal online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs encourage people to clearly express their ideas and addresses the need to expand various aspects of social learning. Blogs are an effective means of gaining insight into students' activities and provide a way to share the knowledge and materials collected. 7

Blogs and Journals Help and How-to guides. Blackboard help pages Journals - Using Journals Blogs Blackboard on demand help videos How to create a blog Creating and editing a blog entry Blogs & their uses in education Educause 7 things you should know about …Blogs Stephen Downes Blogs in Education Edudemic How and why teachers should blog Using blogs for peer feedback and discussion Using Blackboard blogs to Increase student engagement image is public domain from openclipart.org (http://openclipart.org/image/300px/svg_to_png/193121/Education_Wheel_Woofer.png)

Chat The Chat tool allows you to interact with other users using a text-based chat in real time, allowing you to discuss real time issues and events. The chat transcript can be recorded for later access. The Chat tool was designed to work in low bandwidth situations, such as when your students are connecting to the subject using a dial-up connection. Help and How-to guides. Blackboard help pages Chat Blackboard on demand help videos The chat tool

Discussion Boards The discussion board in Interact2 is an asynchronous tool to facilitate discussion, questioning, and to support collaboration. Discussion boards are easily set up and can be utilised for a number of different purposes. General discussion boards can be established to manage general class questions around schedules, assessments, and so forth. Social forums can also allow students a place to establish relationships and form informal learning communities. Discussion boards for particular topics, learning activities, outcomes, reflections, or directed discussion can be highly useful for student learning and are easily set up and integrated into your subject.

Discussion Boards Help and How-to guides. Blackboard help pages Discussions Blackboard on demand help videos How to use Blackboard discussions How to create Discussion board forums Discussions & their uses in education Cornell University - Discussions Flexible Learning From Lurkers to Posters and Designing and developing eLearning COFA.online (ALTC project) Conducting effective online discussion - Stratagies and tips (PDF) COFA.online (ALTC project Conducting effective online discussions (video) Blackboard TV The ins and out of writing effective discussion questions image is public domain from openclipart.org (http://openclipart.org/image/300px/svg_to_png/193121/Education_Wheel_Woofer.png)

Email Help and How-to guides. Blackboard help pages Email Blackboard on demand help videos How to send email in Blackboard learn The email function in Interact2 enables you to send email to external email addresses of site members. Interact2 keeps no record of emails, but sends copy to sender. Academics can limit the ability of students to send email to various groups of users in order to limit the potential misuse of email..

Online meeting – Adobe Connect Adobe Connect is the virtual classroom software that is used to help deliver some CSU subject accessible through Interact2. Adobe connect allows you to have lectures/tutorials or meetings via the web. Help and How-to guides. Adobe help pages Adobe Connect CSU Help pages Online meeting (Adobe Connect)

Wikis A wiki is a collaborative writing space, allowing a number of people to work on the same document, with the ability to see history of its development and access older versions. They are useful for planning as well as summative documents such as reports, research articles, learning glossaries and so on. They are great tools for collaboration and also for authentic tasks where the focus is on process as well as product. You can use wikis to collaboratively develop glossaries, explanations, create FAQs to answer key questions, or for students to develop a range of collaborate documents for assessment.

Wikis Help and How-to guides. Blackboard help pages Wikis Blackboard on demand help videos Creating a Blackboard wiki How to create and manage wikis How to create and edit wiki pages Wikis & their uses in education Higdon, J. Teaching, Learning, and Other Uses for Wikis in Academia: All Users Are Not Necessarily Created Equal. Educause 7 things you should know about …Wikis Australian Flexible Learning Framework Wikis in Education Using blogs and wikis in higher education image is public domain from openclipart.org (http://openclipart.org/image/300px/svg_to_png/193121/Education_Wheel_Woofer.png)

Over to you.... hands-on activity Go to your organisation, and add some communication tools to it. 1 Post a message on the discussion board of an organisation you belong to. 2 Add a post to a blog or wiki. 3 Respond or comment on a discussion board, wiki or blog post. 4