Communicate 3.2.1 The Newsletter Quest

Communication is the key to creating a sense of community in an online learning format. It is important for instructors to communicate with all stakeholders.  There are several ways to communicate with stakeholders including emails, phone calls, and the use of a newsletter.


1. Emails-Emails are going to be the main way to communicate inforamtion to all stakeholders.  It is important to set a proper tone in the email. It is also necessary to make sure no studetns are singled out and no sensitive/ confidential information is sent through email.

Student and Parents,

Welcome to Georgia Virtual School, American Sign Language I. Please make sure that you complete your first task, the Student Orientation Course. Please complete the topics in order and complete each item on the checklist.

·      Students completes all sign off

·      Students complete all agreement quizzes

·      Students earn a 100% on the final Student Orientation Quiz

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me or call me at the number below.

Thanks,

Teacher Name

Email

Phone Number

2. Phone calls-Making phone calls to parents is important when communicating sensitive information such as necessary accomodations and grades. It is important to contact parents early in the course and make sure that they are able to contact you when necessary.

Hello this is TEACHER NAME with Georgia Virtual. I am just calling to welcome you and STUDENT'S NAME to American Sign Language I. I would like to verify the course number with you and make sure you clearly understand the door deadline. I also want to make sure that you are able to access the course and that your speakers and microphones are working on your computer. Next we need to discuss the Student Orientation Course and how important that is to making sure you are able to enroll in the class. It has been great talking with you and I look forward to working with you and your child in the future. Please email me or call me if you have any questions.
Bye

3. Newsletter-I chose to create a newsletter through Smore. It was an easy platform for facilitating communication.Through Smore, I am able to choose and easy to use template and embed videos and sound clips.  This would be very valuable for teaching ASL.