A couple of years ago I began to let my online college students know that I was more than just an email away. There were additional means by which you can contact me. Opening up additional lines of communication came about because of my wife. She has a group of educators scattered across the country that meets, talks, and shares on a platform called Voxer. Well, the kid in me loved it because Voxer acted like a walkie-talkie, which was one of my favorite toys. Voxer is much more than a walkie-talkie, though. Other features include texting, photo sharing, playing a GIF, attaching documents; in other words, Voxer as an app allowed me to connect to students in a myriad of ways outside the online classroom framework.
Many teachers will argue that communication with students ought to be kept inhouse or using only the tools that the learning module platform provides. I understand that. Canvas, the learning module I use, supplies a number of ways that a teacher can communicate with students. ConferZoom, for example, is a terrific way to communicate with a student allowing for face-to-face, real-time sharing of screens and work.
But I am finding that students operate in a world I sometimes call “panic mode.” I may jest, but the number of students working and carrying a full load of courses has only increased over the years. I want to serve these students as best I can. The reality is that students today grew up in a culture of instantaneous results – just click here … and something happens. Meeting on ConferZoom takes time, and students are already stressed. The last thing they want to do is get online, go to their Canvas login, type their user ID and password, navigate to the ConferZoom link – that’s six links right there as compared to Voxer which is open the app, press record, talk, release.
In addition to Voxer, I also share with students my Twitter and Skype accounts. I cannot tell you the number of times students have thanked me for having several ways to stay in touch. They know that I am there for them and cheer them on when they need it. If you’re like me and wish to give students every chance to succeed, please consider opening up an additional life-line or two.