Regina Rundles

Blogging is everywhere, major corporations hire bloggers to buy, try and share knowledge of their products. In the classroom, students can share material, resources and have study groups all online.

Micorblogging is healthy for social environment for later generations. The use of micorblogging can be successful in an online classroom by engaging in more innovative tools that interest the younger generation.

Hosting social media can be difficult when deciding selecting assignments. Students may have difficulty with using correct verbiage and online jargons. As an instructor the instructions must be clear for grading and understanding for those who are not familiar with the network language.

There are some advantages and disadvantages of social media in the classroom. The advantage is a more innovative method of learning, a disadvantage is the generation gap of learning new jargon.

Instructor expectations To be prepared for assignments, by reading chapters, notes and online material To priortize work if taking multiple classes To submit work on time, ask for assistance when needed Participate in discussions.

The discussion board is a great place for leveraging knowledge, it can also be a gateway for disruption. Monitor the discussion board daily, try to read between the lines and connect with each student and their style of learning. If you encounter a disruptive student, address them head on and create firm requirements going forward. Engage those quite learners by guiding their thoughts and conversation to pull them into the full cycle of the discussion.

Online learning fosters unique types of learners, instructors need to appeal to each type of learner and engage each respectively. Perhaps, a good method is creating thinking, posing a question that is inline with the unit content and review/ share the responses. Some students are natural writers whereas others maybe thinkers and work best in groups. Find out what appeals and work toward that direction.