Being teachers in this era pushes us to think outside of the box of ways to interact with our students. The challenges keep on rising as COVID 19 hits us, and we are still expected to bring out the best of the students and prepare them for their life after school with plethora of skills (soft skills, technology skills, etc.) During the pandemic, it is clear that the world of the internet and computers are exponentially increased in importance, as most meetings are done online, and even students continue their studies from their home as schools are operated online.
As teachers, it is our responsibility to train ourselves to master some of the tools available that could enhance and improve teaching and learning sessions. So, for today's class, we learn about web-based communication, collaboration, design, creation, and making. I believe that if I am able to use some of the apps and websites suggested in the class, I can make my class more fun and engaging. My students can benefit from this too, and it can increase their skills.
Web-Based Communication
A web-based communication channel, or an online communication channel, is a website that allows you to talk and communicate with other people around the world through the internet. There are a lot of examples of web-based communications, like emails, blogs, vlogs, podcast, video conferencing (Google Meet), and social media (Facebook).
Online communications has its own perks. One of them is that through internet communication, time and money are saved. it is much cheaper and quicker to transfer information around. We can also have a face-to-face communication without having to move ourselves from our seat as video conferencing sites like Skype and Zoom are available for that purpose. However, when internet has made almost everything accessible to users, privacy problems arise. From email hacking to phone signal interceptions, people are now exposed to having their personal life shown to the public without consent.
Web-Based Collaboration
Web-based collaboration is a process of connecting students digitally to communicate in an online space. It is usually supplemented using a software system that lets team members chat using video, audio, and text. Examples of web-based collaboration are Edmodo, Google Drive, Padlet, and Kahoot. There are 2 categories of web collaboration, synchronous and asynchronous.
Synchronous
Immediate forms of communication, such as video calls or chat messaging, are free of interruptions. All stakeholders are available to participate in discussions in real-time.
Although teams work toward a common goal, members spend chunks of their work-day focused on individual work tasks aligned with their area of expertise. When overused, chat messages can interrupt productive, innovative work. Scheduling video calls or chat discussions can help keep synchronous web collaboration from disrupting workflow and aggravating teammates with too much digital chatter.
Asynchronous
Asynchronous collaboration takes place intermittently; responses aren’t immediate, but discussions are ongoing as team members break from focused work or become available. Employees aren’t pressured to answer immediately but can share knowledge and give feedback promptly through email, news feeds, and channel discussions.
Remote workers in other time zones can participate freely in ongoing, asynchronous dialogues. Sometimes, employees need to process and “chew on” an idea or concept before responding with an answer. Asynchronous communication allows more time to contemplate responses before speaking out.
Web Design and Development
Web design and development is a term describing the process of creating a website. It involves two skill sets; web design and web development. Web design determines the look and feel of a website, and web development determines hot it functions. Exposing students to such skills helps them to understand how the web works with web design and development tools. Learning HTML, CSS, and PHP will help students to learn the basics of a website which could serve as a platform for them to share their knowledge.
When designing a website, all elements used must provide a means of clarifying, synthesizing and dramatizing a word, , a picture, a product, or an event. Some of the web design elements that are crucial to be looked upon are the layouts, visual hierarchy (the process of determining which aesthetic aspects of the website should stand out using size, colour, spacing, etc), navigation, and colours.
Some examples of web design tools are Roblox Education, Codecademy, Wordpress, Codemoji, Adobe Spark, Wix, Weebly, and Google Sites.
Online Design, Creation, and Making
In order to bring out students' creativity in completing tasks in class or at home, expose them to online design sites. They can use it in their presentation, designing posters, infographics, or even booklets. The right visuals help to communicate difficult concepts easily, emotionally connect with users, and distinguish one's work from the rest of the other students' work.
There are plenty of web design tools that students can use for their assignments, and a lot of them are free to use. Some examples would be Canva, Freepik, PosterMyWall, and Slidesgo.
Reference
Thompson, M. (2021, July 6). New to Web Collaboration? Start Here. Kissflow. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://kissflow.com/digital-workplace/collaboration/web-collaboration-guide/#:%7E:text=Web%20collaboration%20is%20using%20internet,effectively%20toward%20a%20specific%20goal.
Web design and development | InVision. (n.d.). InVision. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.invisionapp.com/defined/web-design-and-development
A. (2021, May 7). 45+ Online Design Tools to Create Stunning Visuals for Your Digital Content. AdEspresso. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://adespresso.com/blog/online-design-tools/
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