Caitlin Maynard

ITEC 7500
Reflection – Standard 3.7

3.7 Communication & Collaboration - utilize digital communication and collaboration tools to
communicate locally and globally with students, parents, peers, and the larger community.
______________________________________________________________________________

Throughout the Instructional Technology program at Kennesaw State University, I have

grown in my use in educational platforms for the sake of collaboration and communication. To
demonstrate this growth, I’ve included four artifacts for this standard. First, in ITEC 8500, Issues
and Trends in Instructional Technology, we had to share our Twitter handles and tweet using the
hashtag for the course. I didn’t have an account at the time, so I took the plunge into the
Twitterverse. Second, in the Spring of 2020, I created an Instagram account for my Chorus and
Drama program to promote our upcoming musical, Mary Poppins, Jr. Third, due to the school
closures back in March, I began using Google Classroom in a more consistent and effective
manner. Finally, I have used Remind as a source of communication with the students and their
families.

While we are given many reasons to dislike some elements of social media, I am very
appreciative of the support and instructional guidance I was able to gather from Twitter during
the Spring of 2020. I think many of us found the resources available from our peers and
instructional companies as lifesavers during a crisis, as well as a desired comfort through
connections made with teachers both local and abroad. I utilized much of what I learned
immediately with my students via Google Classroom, such as EdPuzzle, methods of digitizing
worksheets, and creating breakout rooms for the students to use for collaboration during at-
home learning. With constant changes happening with our schedule that Spring, it was very
important to keep the families in the loop and Remind, a communication tool for messages, was
the best way to do that. Parents were able to join quickly and respond to messages via text,
which has been a preferred form of communication due to ease and timeliness, and teachers
aren’t giving out their personal number. The Instagram account for the Russell Middle School
Chorus and Drama programs has helped to reach the larger community and allow us to gain
more interest in our productions.

While using these communication and collaboration platforms, I have learned the importance
of consistency and timeliness of posts. Families have come to expect information to be released
as quickly and accurately as possible. When one has to retract or change messages, it can create
an environment of distrust. I also maintain my school’s Instagram and Facebook accounts and
have found it helpful to post information, such as a school closing due to severe weather, from
Instagram and share it to Facebook immediately within the Instagram app. This allows the same
message to appear on both platforms at the same time without any differences. If there is
anything that I need to do differently (and it is something that I hope to improve upon), I need to
post new information on the Instagram account to keep everyone updated on how we are still
singing in a COVID-19 world. Another artifact that I could have added to this standard, but
haven’t updated recently is my Chorus website. It is a great source of information and
communication.
 I feel that these artifacts have measurable impact on all three of these areas. First, the
professional learning and resources that I gained from Twitter increase my own faculty
development, which leads to more effective student learning. As the students improve in their
own skills (as measured through formative and summative assessments), so does the school as a
whole. One area of our school improvement plan has consistently been about the role of
stakeholders, both inside and outside of the building. By keeping the parents involved through
Remind and the community interested through Instagram, that school improvement plan goal is
reached as they complete surveys with positive feedback. Finally, student learning is greatly
impacted through the consistent use of Google Classroom as a source of classwork and
communication. So far, my students have already commented on how easy it is to find
assignments and that I have created a safe space for them to interact with myself and their peers.