In this post I will be exploring the benefits and disadvantages of online communication. I will look into these three ways of communicating: a threaded discussion, email discussion and online live chat.
Threaded discussion
A threaded discussion is commonly used on social media apps, google chats, Schoology, etc. What I find beneficial to a threaded discussion is how you can organize a conversation. Each thread is about a certain topic so you can easily follow and contribute to those ideas. When using threaded discussions with students on Schoology this is a great way for them to engage with one another and share their thoughts on a topic together. This is a more meaningful way to have conversations and for students to validate one another. Another reason I would use a threaded discussion is for its accessibility and ability to provide a record of conversation. What I find challenging as a teacher with threaded discussions is that students may start multiple posts about similar ideas. This makes the volume of threads and replies a lot to follow leading to misunderstandings as you need to read across multiple threads making it difficult to follow.
Email Discussion
Email is a highly effective communication tool in the education setting to communicate with both students and parents. Email provides a convenient and accessible way to communicate important information to students and families. Messages can be sent a received at any time providing flexibility. Through email I can quickly send out updates or information to students and families. This ensures that everyone is kept informed in a timely matter and action is taken as needed. Some barriers to email communication are email overload. From the student view they receive a large volume of emails from various sources. Some students have a hard time managing this and can miss important emails. Another barrier is miscommunication. Email is prone to misinterpretation and misunderstanding since it does not include verbal cues and tone of voice. This can lead to confusion or conflict.
Online Live Chat
Live chat is effective in being able to offer real-time interaction with students and families. This can be useful for addressing urgent concerns or quick assistance that need more prompt feedback. I use this with zoom or phone calls when parents are unable to come in person and we want to be on the same page to support a student. This makes zoom convenient and flexible when trying to schedule a meeting. With online tools brings technical issues like internet connectivity and glitches. Technical issues can be disruptful to communication and the effectiveness of the call can be decreased. Using zoom can also but not as accessible if you are struggling to find areas with effective internet access and the right equipment. If you can implement best practices for live chat communication you can enhance student support and learning outcomes.
Overall all three types of online communication can be effective when communicating with students and families. I think you just have to find what works best for each situation.
Great post! I'm curious…what prompted this exploration?
I just discovered the threads feature on Schoology. I used it for responses and reflections to Henrietta Lacks in Honors Bio. I suppose we could start discussion topics, and have them reply to that, or to moderate what gets posted, but both of those seem like onerous tasks on top of what all else we deal with.
I'm from the age of the internet when BBS was big, so I have a fondness for this format, but I also understand all of the drawbacks inherent to it.
I also want to know what prompted the post. I actually think the exercise of organizing your thoughts around the multiple tools we have to communicate is awesome… Sometimes we do things the way we always have without thinking about the why and what problem we are trying to solve. If we have a clear idea of the different tools and what they are for, we have a better chance of getting the results we have.
"Email is prone to misinterpretation and misunderstanding since it does not include verbal cues and tone of voice. This can lead to confusion or conflict." I agree with this … there is also the barrier of not having immediate accountability for what you say which sometimes make people say things they would not say in person. But I think that is probably true off all written communication systems