Virtual Communication

Email is an invaluable tool in the everyday life of pretty much every student (or person in general).  I myself rely heavily upon day to day – especially since I hate being on the phone.  I plan on using email with my students to help them with their work, to communicate with their parents, and to occasionally allow work to be submitted. 

However, I do not want my students to be constantly emailing me work that is due.  It is their responsibility to type and print their own work and hand it in in hard copy.  Emailed work will only be allowed when students are absent or ill and would like to hand in the work they have completed.  I believe students need to learn accountability, as it is an invaluable life tool – to do this they need to be able to follow explicit instructions and follow the rules laid out for them. 

Having said that – emailed work is better than no work.  I hope my students will feel comfortable enough to email me with questions, comments, and concerns about work, life, and their grades.  Giving the students the option to communicate virtually can be very important in helping them learn skills that relate directly to life and their future jobs. 

As for other forms of virtual communication.  I have myself experiences lessons taught by absent teachers over Skype.  It was an interesting experience for me as a student.  The teacher did not seem phased by the general lack of discipline in the classroom.  Although the main teacher was there (on Skype) the lack of any authority figure in the classroom was tantamount to having a very ineffective substitute teacher in the room.  I would like to try this technique with my students however I fell as though there must be a better way to run a classroom using this method then was demonstrated the day I saw it happen.