Teacher Tech: Communication Methods

Growing up, after the last school bell rang, my teachers were

available for 10 minutes after class and then I was on my own until the morning bell rang. Homework questions were for Mom and Dad, the internet wasn't in every home and I had to do my research at the library, with a card catalogue and encyclopedias. There was no google, no online help and contacting my teachers after hours was a laughable thought. Today life has changed. Kids carry laptops, know more about the founder of facebook then the founding fathers and are very happy not setting foot in the library for research purposes. As a teacher though, how accessible do you make yourself to your students in this age of advanced technology? Lets look at some communication options and their potential pros and cons.

Phone – This could potentially be the easiest way to communicate with a student needing your help. Things can be explained clearly and using tone and vocal patterns to assist. On the other hand, handing out your phone number to a bunch of students could result in some (or a lot) of unwanted calls. Another downfall is that there is no record of the conversation. An after hours conversation between a teacher and student could easily be seen as inappropriate and should be done in a way in which there are records available.

Email - The advantages to this method are plenty. There is a record of the communication with your student, containing what was said and any answers you provide will be available for the student to go back and review. Email is done strictly on your time. You can check it once per night and not have to sit by your phone waiting for students to call. The downfall here is that there is no instant interaction with your student, if he or she has a follow-up question or is waiting for a reply to complete a task they may not get the information they need to finish the project.

Facebook - Being able to start a page where your students can all interact with each other and ask their peers if they need assistance is a great thing, having your students looking through your family vacation photos from your trip to Cuba is not. This is where that fine line between sharing and over-sharing comes into play. Many schools are beginning to actually implement policies forbidding facebook “friendships” between teachers and students.

Keeping your position as an authority figure for your students is often paramount in the education process and keeping a safe distance between your personal and professional life is a simple and effective way of keeping that authority. Don't hesitate to help your students but be aware of when, where and how you interact to avoid any issues.

By Jodi Sonoda

Jodi has been blogging for over 3 years, and is excited to currently be blogging with Nexxt for collegejobbank.com, realestatejobsite.com and educationjobsite.com. She is attached to the internet at the hip and enjoys the constant connection. She spends most of her offline time playing dolls and reading picture books with her two year old. You can also occasionally find her rocking the mic at karaoke night.