This document discusses using text messaging tools like Remind 101 and Twitter to enhance communication and engagement in online courses. It argues that these tools allow teachers to be more omnipresent and respond quickly to student needs. The document reviews the tools Google Voice, Remind 101, and Twitter, providing examples of how each can be used. It emphasizes using these tools to supplement but not replace other communication and balancing the need for accessibility with avoiding overwhelming students.

1. Setting up Engagement
Through Text Messaging:
Using Remind 101 and
Twitter in Online Courses
Jason Neiffer
Montana Digital Academy
Online Workshop for Teachers

2. Agenda
 Justification: Communication and
OmniPresence
 Justification: Why text messaging?
 Tool: Google Voice
 Tool: Remind 101
 Tool: Twitter

3. Today’s Format
Expose... Explore…
today later

4. Justification:
Communication &
Omnipresence

5. Instructional Goals that Justify
Adopting Alternative
Communication Platforms
 Enhanced effort to create communication
conduits between teachers and students
 Immediate re-engagement at the first sign of
instructional trouble
 Quick response to student questions

6. Face-to-face frameworks?
Rigor
Relevance
Relationships
Learning?
 Daggett et al 2005

7. Experience tells me…

10. The rules…
1. Create regular “footprints” in a course
2. Professional is great, but, polish can also
be dangerous
3. Presence should be public when possible
and appropriate
4. Be mindful of workflow and adopting
technologies that are easy to maintain
5. Abandon these rules of they don’t work
for you

11. Justification: Mobile
and Text
Messaging as a
Platform

12. “Teach the students sitting in
your class…”
 Although we provide email (Gmail for
Moodle students, messaging for
PowerSpeak users) for each student, do
they check email?

15. Tool: Google Voice

16. Why Google Voice?
 One number can ring all of your phones: home,
mobile, school, desktop
 Mobile apps for iPhone and Android platforms
 Cans can be made and/or ring to your gmail
account
 Avoid giving out your private call/home number
to students
 Fine-tuned controls: block numbers, set
custom messages
 Voicemail-to-text
 Text messages to email/mobile devices etc.

17. Google Voice
Demo

18. Tool: Remind 101

19. Why Remind 101?
 Built for teachers in an educational context
 Free and no ads
 Can set up different classes in one location
 Usable by teachers and parents

20. Remind 101 Demo

21. Twitter

22. Why Twitter?
 Using Twitter is a different context, but…
 Twitter is public, adding “transparency” to
your classroom
 Potentially already used by your students
 Accessible from any number of apps
 Can be displayed in a course (Moodle, in
particular) or website

23. Twitter Demo

24. Tips for the short message
universe!
 Balance the need to communicate with the
need not to overwhelm
 Supplement with text, don’t replace with text
 Remember to mind your tone with text
messaging
 24 hour access means 24 hour access;
balance access realistically!

25. Questions?