Communicate 4.2.2 Digital Feedback

Feedback is an essential part of any classroom.  For the virtual teacher, feedback must be specific and personable in order to enhance the experience of students.  The digital resources below are excellent additions to the virtual teachers toolbox, especially as a means to provide the feedback students need to be successful in an e-learning environment.

No. 1 Audio Feedback using Evernote
I was first introduced to Evernote a couple of years ago at an EdTech Conference.  I was immediately drawn to its promise to make my life more organized and to be the workspace to get everything done.  My Type A personality was buzzing as I downloaded the app as fast as I could open the iTunes store.

Since then, I have not utilized Evernote as much as I imagined I would... but I am excited about the new prospect of rediscovering it as a means to deliver feedback as a virtual teacher.  Upon reading about 'Speaking to Students' with audio feedback in Online Courses, I was especially intrigued how teachers can email an audio note to students.  This is an excellent resource for giving personable and individualized feedback to students and I am looking forward to trying out this Evernote feature.

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 No. 2 A Kudos & Challenges Email using Mail Chimp
A few posts ago I showcased Mail Chimp for creating beautiful email newsletters to maintain ongoing communication [Read the post here].  I am excited to share another example of how a virtual teacher can utilize Mail Chimp to send out summative feedback to all students with a special focus on discussion forums.

I love the idea of sending an email to students to give kudos for great posts and participation.  This not only calls out awesome work of students, but gives other students an example to emulate.  Students will naturally be inclined to engage at a deeper level.

View this email live: http://eepurl.com/bbafcD

Note: The graphics I used as part of this template were created in canva!

No. 3 Creating images for an Excellent Job using free Meme Makers
Just as effective as sending a mass email to identify and praise students' hard work, virtual teachers should communicate praise-worthy feedback individually.  Free meme makers on the internet are a great way for teachers to bring some humor and personality into their feedback.

Memes can be created very quickly and infinitely individualized.  What's even better, memes are part of our students' digital culture and they make immediate connections to the messages.  It is for this last reason, making relevant connections to students' lives, that I believe memes can be a powerful tool for giving personable feedback in the virtual classroom.

Below are a sampling of memes I created to showcase how they can be used to give feedback.  In my own classroom, I would attach/embed these into an email I was sending to the student discussing their great work!  I would even cc the parent as an added emphasis of praise!