Communicate 3.2.1 – The Newsletter Quest

ImageChef is an online tool that can be used for announcements or reminders by changing the image in some way.  ImageChef is free if you don't mind the watermark. There is an upgrade that costs as little as $8.25 per month for unlimited use with no watermark, or ads. Here is an example: 

Smilebox is another Newsletter/Flyer type service that allows users to create a variety of documents that an be used for ongoing communication with stakeholders. Smilebox requires a download of software, and is free for the basic program. Videos, maps, photos, documents and music. The creation can be emailed, saved, burned to a DVD, posted to a blog, or shared on Facebook. 

Remind is an online service that allows one to send text messages without sharing any phone numbers. I have known about Remind for a couple years, but have not used it before today. It is easy to set up and easy to use. 

Smore allows users to create gorgeous newsletters and announcements quite easily. The tool is extremely user-friendly. I was able to get signed up and created the newsletter below in less than an hour.
An example is below:

Communicate 3.1.2 News Quest

As an online instructor, how do you plan to incorporate news items and announcements? 

Weekly news items are an essential part of an online course. As an online instructor, one must diligently post updates on a specific day each week. The updates should be posted on the day after assignments for the prior week are due. The instructor should be very familiar with upcoming assignments and should be able to assist students with any changes in the normal weekly schedule.

created on ImageChef.com by C. Thornton

What resources would you reference to format news items? 
Google sites contain a built-in announcement page that can be used for news that needs to be updated weekly. Each week, the new announcement shows up on the homepage. It works very much like the news widget in an LMS, the previous announcements are available by clicking on view more. I did not "recreate the wheel" but used a video from YouTube for the discussion board etiquette part of my news items. The video has the standard YouTube license.
Other news items formatting tools that can be used are Voki, ImageChef, YouTube, Glogster, PowToon, Scratch, Prezi, and ToonDoo.

https://youtu.be/tVqWcrMPxfY

Communicate 3.1.1 – Homepages Quest

Please note the top announcement changes each week, or more often as needed. The highlighted week is the current week. The how to get around the course video is available throughout the course as a link rather than embedded as during Week 1.  Course information is available in the left-hand navigation bar. Direct links to discussion forums and assignments for the week are under the announcements.

Week 1 Homepage:

Week 2 Homepage:

Communicate 2.1.3 Ongoing Communication Quest

In addition to a welcome email and phone call, ongoing communication is a necessity to ensure learner participation and ultimately, completion of the course. Even adult learners need reminders, or a message providing the directions or rubric for the week's assignment. A quick communication is preferable than a learner forgetting to turn in an assignment on time, or not showing up for a field trip. 

Project due date reminder:

Field Trip date and time reminder...

Course Introduction from a
previously facilitated course

Communicate 2.1.2 – Communication Guidelines Quest

By Jetlum Ajeti (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

• Welcome email/newsletter - (generic for all courses, send prior to the beginning of the course) Include contact information, the name of the course, how to access the course, what to do if there are technical difficulties, any special project information, any special dates, a schedule including deadlines, and company policies. Include the date and time for the synchronous welcome meeting/orientation and how to access the meeting. Include a message regarding a welcome phone call.
• Welcome phone call - speak with the parent or guardian to make sure all contact information is correct and answer any questions.
• Personal notes versus mass communication to stakeholders (appropriate times)
  When addressing individual students, a personal communication should always be used, whether it is an email, a text, or a phone call. No grades or personal information should ever be sent in an email or text. An administrator should be cc'd on any issues with policy violations, or any other issue as stated in the school's communication policy.
  Mass communications may be used when addressing all students in the course, for example, deadline reminders, when grades are posted for an assignment, or last minute changes with a synchronous meeting time. Longer messages should be sent via email. Announcements placed on the course homepage will also be sent via Remind (formerly Remind 101).
• Stakeholders, students, parents, teachers, administrators will all follow the guidelines set forth by the school. All means of communication will be shared with those involved. Parents should be encouraged to check their child's progress in the course regularly.
• School Policies regarding communication will be shared prior to the course start date with parents and students.
•  Document all communications (within the course in a private area if possible). Include date, time, who was contacted, the reason for contact, and the response received. 
• Tools available for effective Communication:

          email
          texts via cell phone, Google Voice (keeps an organized record of messages), or both
          Remind
          in-course messages/discussion forums
          blogs
          calendar
          phone calls, DialMyCalls
       
       
          

Communicate 2.1.1 – Identify Stakeholders Quest

Do the descriptions correlate to your perception?

Yes, the descriptions do correlate to my perception of the roles of each stakeholder listed. 

How can they be expanded upon or described further?

The Instructor is responsible for providing timely and useful feedback to students, and for communicating continuously with the student and parents throughout the learning process. Communication is of the utmost importance in an online course as most contacts are written and tone, emotions and facial expressions cannot be seen. The lack of visual cues means the written words must be precise and to the point.

The student is responsible for asking questions when clarification is needed, and completing assignments on time. An online environment can free a student to ask questions when they would not do so in a face-to-face class. A shy student may become more open to asking questions online provided the online environment is friendly. Being able to ask questions for clarification can lead to timely assignment completion.

Parents are responsible for monitoring progress and communicating any problems with the teacher. Learning online is not the same as learning in a classroom. Parents need to know involvement is critical to the success of their child. The parents will need to closely monitor their child's progress, encourage the child to ask questions of the teacher, and provide them with sufficient quiet time so they can reflect on the content and assignments.

The Local School Administration is responsible for providing the learning platform, communicating with teachers, students, and parents. 

Are there other stakeholders within an online environment not considered above?
Yes, I think the other students/participants in the course should be considered. Each student has a responsibility to the other students in the course to share their knowledge, to learn from each other, and to support all others.
If the school is public, taxpayers are indirect stakeholders. Although they are not within the online environment, they certainly have a stake in the success of the students. The community as a whole has a stake in the success of students in that veterinarians, accountants, nurses, hotel managers, politicians, and many more are needed in the community. 

Communicate 1.1.2 – Laws of Communication Quest

by PugnoM

http://www.copyright.com/learn/media-download/copyright-basics/

• How can one refrain from violating FERPA guidelines in online communication?

When student information is requested by parents, make sure to either provide the information in person, snail mail it (NOT email), or speak with the person who needs the information over the phone. Share information ONLY with the legal parent or guardian. 

• What methods could be employed to verify that copyright is not being violated?

Copyright laws must be addressed with students at every opportunity. Teachers must model how copyright laws are followed. At the beginning of a course, basic copyright laws and the policies of the company one is teaching the course for should be taught. Copyright needs to be part of the instructions/rubric for each assignment.

Teach students the four factors of when a use may be considered fair use: 1) the purpose and character of use of the copyrighted work, 3) the nature of the copyrighted work, 3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole, and 4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. According to Electronic Frontier Foundation, "Fair use allows people other than the copyright owner to copy part or, in some circumstances, all of a copyrighted work, even where the copyright holder has not given permission or objects." Fair use might allow using a work for education, news reporting, scholarly research, commentary or parody.

Teach students about Creative Commons (CC) licensing, usually used for sharing educational materials of all types. There are 6 types of free licensing that differ in how the material can be used. All 6 help creators retain copyright of their work while allowing the sharing of the material. "Creative Commons licenses require licensees to get permission to do any of the things with a work that the law reserves exclusively to a licensor and that the license does not expressly allow. Licensees must credit the licensor, keep copyright notices intact on all copies of the work, and link to the license from copies of the work."

• Does copyright require that all work, images, words, and graphics must be original?

The United States Copyright Office says "...Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S.Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works." This applies to music, performances, literary work, dramatic works, pantomimes, pictures, sculptures, images, videos or any other audiovisual work. Ownership of a copyright can be transferred to another person. This makes the requirement of originality null for the secondary owner (the work must be original to the first owner of the copyright). 

Sources

"Keep the Internet Creative, Free and Open." Creative Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2016.

Taulbee, Dennis, Marie Lasseter, Burns Newsome, Ahrash Bissell, Lila Bailey, Phil Moss, Myk Garn, Alan Grant, and Bruce Chaloux. "An Expectation of Sharing: Guidelines for Effective Policies to Respect, Protect and Increase the Use O Digital Educational Resources." Southern Regional Education Board. N.p., Mar. 2010. Web. 23 Jan. 2016. <http://publications.sreb.org/2010/10T02_Guidelines_Eff_Pol.pdf>.

"Teaching Copyright." Teaching Copyright. Electronic Frontier Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2016. <https://www.teachingcopyright.org/handout/fair-use-faq>.

USA. Library of Congress. U.S. Copyright Office. Copyright Basics. Washington, DC: United States Copyright Office, 2012. Print. Circular 1.