Monitoring+&+record+keeping

=Monitoring & record keeping=

Your collaborative ideas about monitoring & record keeping can be added here...

In previous experience with online resources I have found the 'activity reports' in the programmes very helpful for tracking which students have been online and which tasks they have completed, this allows for email contact if they need prompting or an opportunity to comment on individual/group progress.. || I need to learn more about some areas myself! but I think being as familiar as possible with the 'tools' you are using is essential if you are to support the students...keeping it simple seems to work well. || Choose technologies that help you as the facilitator as well, for example, Moodle quiz using Scorm and Adobe Captivate allows you to utililise the automatic marking rather than you manually doing it yourself... ||
 * **Your name** || **Your ideas about how to manage online communications** || **Your ideas about how to manage housekeeping** || **Your ideas about managing student participation** || **Your ideas about managing the technology!** ||
 * Alicia || for our students I think keeping the communication options to a 'few' quick messaging systems would be effective eg email, even sms is effective with our students, then we have the luxury of also seeing them for 'face to face' sessions which allows for more personal communication. Due to the nature of our course content, the use of forum type communication may not be neccessary/effective. || I like the idea of setting up guidelines in the orientation sessions, and maybe even having an activity where the students acknowledge / agree to guidlines at orientation...also may be necessary to revisit some areas during the coursee.g., an email or remind during 'face to face' sessons. || setting clear timeframes for completeion of activites/tasks makes sense and then providing feedback as soon as possible should encourage participation.
 * Melinda || So many students have phones that they receive emails on which would make this a quick and convenient communciation tool. We do not have any online students. They are either flexible with written content or face to face. Emails are beneficial to monitor flexible students and assist them to keep on track. || By having the information available for viewing so that students can see the progression of the course, Similiar to what we do face to face with roles and responsibilities, assesments and expectations as a seperate part that can be reintroduced where necessary. || Limits on what they can access so that they proceed through the information in a systematic and organised fashion would assist in management. Maybe needing to be 'signed off' by the facilitator before continuing could be a start || One note or other systems which allow filing of information and communication could be effective. With all of them simplicity is the key ||
 * Helen || I'm trying not to be a magpie here, but the way we are doing it with Des is working for me and would work particularly well with my web students. So I'd replicate this for my students. That is, I'd set a "routine" for the technologies for each topic using firstly email, then Adobe Connect, then direct them to use Moodle site forums and quizzes and a Wiki for summing up ideas. I'd too get the students to use either a reflection journal or perhaps a wordpress blog for their thoughts on each activity. (Setting up a wordpress blog is relevant given my classes are usually about creating websites so it would kill 2 birds with one stone..) || Email as a group as well as personal followups if need be. Perhaps use something fun especially for younger groups like a voki. Always have the course outline and requirements on the Moodle site as well. I think students need constant "reminders" all the way through. || Face I have always addressed the group with questions and if no-one volunteers I enforce an "around the room" question and answer session. In a e-facilitation environment I would use forums outlining participation of at least e.g 3 mandatory responses is necessary. I'd use a task sheet that clearly states the tasks and activities required to complete them. Again as mentioned getting students to utilise a Blog? / Reflection Diary / Wiki for summary of their ideas would help. || Choosing enough to keep the e-learning interesting and varied but not so many that "it's another one to learn" and ends up detracting from the course materials.
 * Steve || Email stands out to me as the one tool everyone involved with eLearning will have and should be able to use, ie any eLearning environment will need a minimum IT skill level to participate. Email is one of the first things a PC user will learn. It is therefore a great option to provide the first contact, the reminders and possibly some of the feedback. The email can provide the links to other eResources such as where and when a Connect session is held, very much like Des is doing here. || I use a checklist of tasks/activities which need to be completed, ensuring learners know which are essential (perhaps as part of their assessment) and those that are optional for training purposes. Apart from the normal formal recording of marks in CLAMS, I also keep a spreadsheet record which details the activities the learner has started, completed (handed in), mark, CLAMS entry, comments and group to which they belong. A little conditional formatting helps identify the missing bits once a student starts an activity. || As in the class room, student participation in the eLearning environment can vary. It will always be difficult to get students to participate equally but you must try to get the 'shy' learners to 'have a go', they might eventually feel more comfortable to freely participate. This is already evident in the eLF group. I am one of those who would rather sit back and listen rather than talk, (please don't take this as a challenge Des!!!). Variation within the tools used might help with participation provided it doesn't get to complex learning and moving from tool to tool. || Using a variety of eTools and giving support to students who are struggling with technology is important. The course may be difficult but it will be impossible if they cannot use the tools. As a facilitator, having a good understanding of the tools used is essential. Keeping up with all of them is the trick!!! ||
 * Kirrily || Make students check in at or by a certain time (like we have to). Give feedback to the group and to individuals about contributions. keep everyone invovled regardless of how slack they are - creating opportunities for them to reconnect with the learning || To Do List for each week/month, record emails and forum/wiki contributions in CLAMS || Make it fun, make it form part of the assessment, little bits often (and opportunities to catch up for the slackers). Collaborative work to encourage those who need a team to succeed || Don't use everything at once if it is too much for you and/or the students. Use only what serves a purpose and is accepted by the group - maybe have options so you can pick 3 ways to interact or contribute?? ||
 * Simone || Emails are good to alert the learner to what is required and how to access the resources they will be needing. I also let the learners know if they are struggling with this process they can contact me and I can help guide them through what they need to do. Online learning for many is very daunting and I feel once students know there is a real person behind the scenes who they can access is reassuring. SMS could be used to alert them to due dates for assessments for eg. send 7 days prior to assessment due. || I think to do an orientation with the participants when they commence the course is essential as it sets clear expectations and allows the students to ask questions as to how to navigate the system, particularly if they are new to online learning. I really like the idea of a process sheet in excel where at a quick glance I have an understanding of where each student is at. || I really like what Steve has said our role as a facilitator is to encourage all of our participants to contribute and as Helen has mentioned that often involves us doing an "around the room" questions. This is also a great way of checking in on each student and clarifying their understanding. || I think dont overdo it and add too many new things, consolidate each week and gradually introduce another feature of the technology. Otherwise, brain overload and often learning is lost and too much time is spent on the complexity of managing the delivery. ||
 * Sharon || Depending on the student groupI like to email (great from the Moodle platform Participants List) and follow up the difficult ones with a text message. I like the interesting informal and friendly way Des has managed the emails...not the conventional business layout (Elf pics - big bold writing etc)...so this grabs attention We mostly use blended delivery format so classroom catch up every few weeks with online work in between also affords the personal face to face touch to talk with students. For me though...the email record is great and managing through Moodle means no tedious entering of addresses...who do i have?...all laid out there and ready to go for a quick reminder. || I always like to clarify expectations at the beginning ...so establishing an agreement to communication protocols is normal both in class and for online. What is your preference? Emails, texts, phone calls? Also give them an idea of my response time to their enquiries. Always ensure task outline and submission checklist is available in hard copy for face to face session but ensure it is also available online in case lost. Encourage students to keep their own record and monitor own work too. || I have found with Connected Classroom and Adobe that at some stage early it is advisable to do an "around the room" contribution just to get everyone off the mark with a contribution. This is time consuming and can be tedious if the question posted does not have considerable variety in the possible answers...but worth getting people started. From here I think you can be more selective in calling for contributions. When I did second Connected Classroom I had a student list by the location they were dialling in from...then rotated the questions down the list...Q1 Lithgow? Q2 Bathurst? etc || The use of technology is often limited by my comfort but I am improving. I am a baby boomer so having a techo generation person on stand by in case of problems is useful the first few times eg connected classroom, bridgit sessions, video confs, adobe etc But after a couple of goes I am mostly right... I love to keep an eye out on what is available and posible and see where I can include it...but as Simone says "don't overdue".... A little variety to address the VARK styles is what I am for... ||
 * Ann || Managing online comms was easy with the use of inworld chat and skype for voice. Class was synchronous – in real time so students had access to their teacher as they would in a face to face environment. Any “bullying” was able to be managed with chatlogs and was handled immediately || Cyber safety was one area we covered prior to taking the students inworld. All activities were linked to Moodle / SLoodle and a class wiki. Once set up the management was far easier than we expected. || Only one student did not engage initially, but once she had time to put to the development of her avatar, she was fine. All students were keen to participate & usually had to be reminded to pack up at the end of class. They enjoyed the experience. || Targeting certain groups of students is critical in this type of delivery. An intermediate level of digital literacy is required and an interest in developing gaming skills ||
 * Cara || Online communication can be managed in a variety of ways. The first that jumps out is obviously email and telephone. These are valuable tools that shouldn't be forgotten. With that said though having a weekly time to participate in a web conference, ensures students remember where they are up to, what is expected of them and by what date certain things are due. || Having a personal progress sheet, would help keep students accountable for their own learning. This has been a wonderful tool for me throughout this course and it acts as a reminder to what needs to be done. Again like Des has done emailing students participation spreadsheets to ensure no gaps is a wonderful way of students keeping track. In terms of online Netiquette I would need to establish boundarys and expectations right at the beginning of the course. || Student participation online can be difficult. Some students race ahead and others lag behind. Timeframes and set dates need to be set early on in the piece. As the facilitator I would have to coax the shy students to ensure they contributed, (the same way you would in a classroom). Also setting other tasks for students that are working too quickly would be an advantage || I agree with Alicia here. I have learned so much this year about new technologies, but just when I think I am going well, there is another 10 that are developed. Still have so much to learn. Using a variety is key here, without overkill. Students need to be supported, especially if they are new to the area of elearning. Make sure you know what you are doing prior to expecting the students to learn how. ||