COMMUNICATION PLAN

Mildred Smith
http://milliebsmih.weebly.com
May 21, 2015
Instructor Goodwin

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Introduction
Communication has changed drastically in the past twenty-five years, especially in education.
The importance of keeping students, parents, and stakeholders informed has not. There are many
ways of communicating while keeping up with current technology. Below are listed some of the
best communication tools used in education today.
Technology to Enhance Communication
Classroom Website: Maintaining a well-organized and easy to use website in the classroom is
an excellent way of keeping parents and students informed about class activities, upcoming
events, assignments, etc. (Guntner/Guntner, 2014) This method of communication also provides
parents with access to online forms, such as enrollment, permission slips, or complaint forms.
Links to learning tools are very helpful in keeping parents involved in their childs education and
should be posted on every class website. Local school districts and principals can stay informed
on class activities and progress made in the core subjects.
E-mail: This type of communication has been used perhaps longer than any of the others
mentioned and is excellent tool for communicating with parents, fellow faculty members, and
supervisors. This is a much faster and more accurate way of expressing ideas, giving information
or asking questions than the traditional letter writing. E-mails also provide verification of
exactly what was said by all parties involved. E-mail is a free service by most all providers,
making it very cost effective. Messages are easily stored on computers for future reference and
keeping a list of addresses. E-mail in the classroom is very useful in alerting parents or other
stakeholders of problems affecting student outcomes. Parents of special needs students have a
particular interest in making sure assignments are manageable for their child. Also editing and

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rephrasing your words before you send your correspondence is much easier with e-mail
(Babcock, 2007). Teacher e-mail addresses are usually posted on their Home Page or under
Contact Me.
Blogs: Blogging is a relatively new way to communicate. Blogs are an online diary of sorts,
with events listed in chronological order. Classroom Blogs may contain information on school
events, test reminders, links to practice tests, etc. They can also be used to share ideas and
information on any given subject, such a blog on cooking. Students can share recipes, discuss
the cost, ease of preparation and taste. Parents and other stakeholders in the community may
find blogs useful in keeping up with classroom activities.
SKYPE: Skyping is perhaps one the most valuable communication tools a classroom can have.
Skype allows people from all over the world to see and talk to each other in real time. (Baird,
2013). In a Social Studies class, the ability to talk to people from other countries is an excellent
learning tool. Students can also Skype with students in other classes inside their own building,
district rules permitting. Skyping is an entertaining and useful communication tool; however, the
instructor must monitor its use closely. There is no cost for basic Skype, all one needs is internet
access, and a webcam, which can be stand alone or installed into the computer.
Communication Internet Security and Safety
Internet safety is something students must be taught at an early age. Because the internet
remains largely un-regulated by the federal government, sexual predators pose a real danger to
anyone using the internet, especially children and young teens. Cyber bullying is another threat
to the well- being our students, and it is our responsibility as teachers and adults to make sure our
young people are prepared Rules and usage guidelines must be put in place and enforced.

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Parents must take responsibility for their childs online activity at home. Supervise your childs
online activity the same as you would television (Steve M. Dorman, 1997). Classroom rules on
internet use should be specific: Never give out personal information (i.e., full name, address,
phone number etc.). Do not go online without permission. Report any mean or ugly
correspondence immediately. Most of this information is common sense but it still bears
repeating every time a student logs on to the internet. There are additional, easy to find, online
resources focused on keeping children safe while surfing the Internet.
Concluding Paragraph
There are many different ways to communicate in our education system today. The tools
listed above provide fast, accurate, and fun ways to talk to each other .Students are more eager
to learn and become actively engaged in the learning process with the use of these tools. While
some of the ideas presented above are relatively new to some in the teaching profession, it is a
duty and a privilege for teachers to learn and make the best possible use of these online
communication formats. This is how students learn today and the old school methods just will
not work anymore. After, it is all about the students!

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References

Babcock, J. (2007, March 19). Advantages of E-mail Communication. Retrieved from

practicalanalyst.com: http://practicalanalyst.com/advantages-of-e-mailcommunication/#axzz3anRTueBM
Baird, P. (2013, January 7). Skyping School. Retrieved from gcu.edu:
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/detail/detail?
sid=46a00002-8b94-4e85-b40441d4a56d77d6%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&hid=113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzL
WxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=nfh&AN=2W62697149335
Steve M. Dorman, P. M. (1997). Journal of School Health. Retrieved from gcu.edu:
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
sid=08c2a8f1-63b8-42ca-804a4a41c74bba27%40sessionmgr4005&vid=15&hid=4108
Teachers Discovering Computers, Eighth Edition. (2014). In Guntner/Guntner,
Teachers Discovering Computers, Eighth Edition (p. 311). Shelly Cashman
Series.

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