Collaboration and Communication Apps Review
Collaboration and Communication Apps Review
Jonathon Kamor
App # 1 for Personal,
Pedagogical, or Professional Use-Google Meet
Description:
Google Meet is one of several applications that are featured in the Google
Suite. This program has been exceptional for teaching virtually during the
pandemic. I use this application because my school district has a Google domain
where I know that my work with students is secure and private. Also, Google
Meet is easy to navigate for my students and allows me to break groups into
smaller sections to provide individualized instruction. I also use Google Meet
to coordinate with my PBIS colleagues and for district meetings.
Evidence
of Engagement.
Description:
Remind is an application that I choose to use to communicate with students and
parents regarding their missing assignments and school announcements. Since we
are virtual, this application has streamlined the sharing of information and
updates to our district through text messages. Our district created our own
Remind app accounts through our Google Suite to share Google Classroom updates
as well. I use the Remind app because it sends text messages to students and
parents that have trouble accessing the app or just do not respond. This is
also a great tool I use to relay information and share content with the clubs
that I run in the school.
Evidence
of Engagement
Description:
Google Meet is an application that is a part of the Google Suite. In this app,
users that have a Google Account can collaborate together through the video
chat feature. Along with the ability to video chat, users can share files,
screen displays, and ideas in a user-friendly setup. The Google Meet program
also features the ability to incorporate other Google apps so that
collaboration with others is easy and secure. From experience, Google Meet
allows me to share content and files through video chat so my students can
follow along and I can assess their understanding. This feature is important, especially in our virtual learning environment. Overall, the Google Meet app is
a great way to share information and work as a team from behind your computer
screen!
Warnings:
Any kind of web-based application used by a school district should have
different warnings and safeguards in place to protect the information of
students in schools and district network security. One thing that teachers
should be aware of while using Google Meet is to ensure that parental
supervision is nearby while the application is being
used. This is to prevent students from accessing anything that could be harmful
to them. Also, students should be aware that they should not share the meeting
codes with anyone outside of their classes or on social media. This is
important because, with the meeting code, external threats can easily enter the
Google Meet that the student is in. This should be managed by the district in a
domain specifically for the school so that only district-issued logins can be
used to gain access (Fritchen, 2020).
Safeguards:
Safeguards that should be in place for using Google Meets in the teaching and
learning process are that students and teachers should receive training and
professional development on the different functions of the Google Meet
platform, and what they can expect while using it. This training will help
districts eliminate misunderstandings in student and teacher expectations for
the district and their networking policies (Kongnso, 2015). Districts should
also encourage the use of school-specific domains to manage student activity.
Managing activity on a domain can reduce the number of external threats that
occur while tracking inside threats that may be found as the application is
used (Whitman & Mattord, 2016). Lastly, parents of the students should
supervise their child on these platforms to ensure accountability and monitor
their child’s activity within the program.
Relevant Links:
App # 2-Remind App
Description:
Remind is an application that allows districts, teachers, and students to share
important information and content to mobile devices. The Remind app uses
features like SMS messaging to reach students and families that have cell
phones and would like to receive updates. From experience, the Remind app
during the pandemic was very helpful in ensuring families and the district was
on the same page. It also allows students to send photos and videos of their
work to teachers making assessment easy and fun! This app also allows other
outside applications to log in and make sharing content from other applications
seamless and accessible (Online Tools for Teaching & Learning, n.d).
Warnings:
For the Remind app, parents should be aware of how their child is using the
Remind app. Since all messages through the remind app are assigned by the app,
it may be easier for students with bad intentions to share inappropriate
information and media. Though all messages are archived, school districts and
parents should work together to ensure that their child is using district
logins to access school information and not for personal use (Miguel, Caballé, Xhafa, & Prieto, 2015). Another
warning for the use of this app is that students should not share their login
information with anyone but a parent or teacher. This is because the remind app
can access content from multiple external applications when given permission.
If a threat were to compromise the Remind app, it can also gain access to
valuable data with those other applications.
Safeguards:
To use this application safely, school districts should encourage the use of
domain-based logins so the school can manage what information is shared (Furnell, 1998). Reducing these external threats upfront will help schools focus on bigger threats that might occur through
devices on the district network. Another safeguard for teaching and learning
with this app is that students and teachers should have clear expectations on
using the application. Since the app can access a variety of media, it is
essential that the app should be used for school purposes only and not for
personal gain. Furthermore, parents should also be able to access their child's account and be involved in the Remind app so they can monitor their use and
stay up to date with announcements (Terms and Conditions, n.d).
Using Remind in Virtual
Learning Environments
App # 3-Twitter
Description:
Twitter has been popular since its release in 2006. Twitter has been connecting
millions of people around the world and is another platform to share media and
information to all who subscribe to certain feeds. Twitter in education has
found great benefits for teachers relaying content to students, staying
connected to parents, learning about trends and current events, and even used
as a way to announce due dates (Kumbhar, 2014). Twitter connects students and
teachers to the world and allows the learning process to go beyond the
classroom walls (Cox, 2020).
Warnings: One thing that should be considered when using Twitter for instructional
purposes is that Twitter allows many people to post their own interpretations
of information. Though some information may be factual, students might be lead
to misinformation. Teachers should ensure that their students understand how to
think critically and question information that they find online before using
it. Another warning is that the use of Twitter for younger students should be
monitored by the teacher and parents at home. Students might come across
inappropriate photos and information that may not be age-appropriate. Though
filters in schools help reduce this content, teachers and parents should remain
active and vigilant with what their child is viewing (Dedkova,
Smahel, & Just, 2020).
Safeguards:
From experience, Twitter is a great way to manage assignments and create cool
ways to engage your students! Though Twitter can supplement instruction and
connect everyone in the class, students should be taught about using the
internet safely and securely (Hertz, 2017). This includes teaching students
about what information is appropriate to share, stranger danger, what secure
sights look like, and how to be responsible with the information they find.
Since the internet is full of threats and misinformation, students should be
aware of the risks that they may face on Twitter. Teachers should also receive
training on safe internet practices and prevention for internal and external
threats. With permission from parents, teachers and students can learn how to
be more digitally literate and contribute positively to what the internet can
offer!
App # 4-Diigo
Description:
Diigo is a web-based bookmarking tool that allows users to collaborate and
store useful links with ease. The program also features the ability to
annotate, organize, and provide feedback on the links that are saved in the
Diigo account (Diigo, 2018). From these features that the program has, students, have found easier ways to share where they find important information while
streamlining the research process. For teachers, Diigo allows them to monitor
their student's research and help organize links to make projects easier.
Warnings:
Some warnings that teachers and parents should be aware of is that some sources
that they find may contain misinformation and bias. Students should be
taught how to critically evaluate their sources so that once the link is saved
in Diigo, the misinformation won’t spread to other team members. Another warning to consider is the privacy settings on
the Diigo account that is being used. Since Diigo allows users to share their
libraries with the world, some students might have annotations with personal
information on them. It is very important to make sure that the privacy
settings align with the school district policy, and the goal of what is being
researched (Ferriter, 2009).
Safeguards:
Some safeguards that should be in place for teaching and learning while using
this program are that students must understand what sources they are finding
and how to respond to it. For example, some students may save a link to their
account but once they click on the link, an untrustworthy program could be
downloaded without them knowing. For learning,
students should also understand how to read into sources that they find before
going into it further. According to Dedkova, Smahel, & Just (2020), “people
often do not evaluate information systematically and instead rely on simple
heuristics such as the familiarity”. For students in the learning process, they
should understand that not every source is a good source and teachers should
help monitor what their students are looking into.
Tools
for Online Learning and Teaching: Diigo
Using Diigo to
Engage Learners
App # 5- GroupMe
Description:
GroupMe is an application that using text messaging to manage groups and help
make communication easier. The app features similar traits to the Remind app
except that GroupMe allows phone conferences. In the GroupMe app, students and teachers
can use different tools from the app to collaborate inside and outside of class
with the click of a button. This also allows students that may not have phones
that can handle apps to participate through the text message instead of needing
the application downloaded to view messages.
Warnings:
Some warnings that parents should be aware of when using of GroupMe is that
students can also use the app for inappropriate purposes that won’t show up on the
phone bill. Also, the application can also have features that give access to
location and talk to strangers that are near them (Smart
Social, 2020). Parents and teachers should make sure that their students should
understand what the app is used for and how to address inappropriate behavior
while using the app. From experience, students cannot delete messages and are
archived so in case there is a breach in information and security, it is easily recoverable.
Lastly, parents should actively manage what their child is posting on the app
in case there is information that is beyond educational purposes.
Safeguards:
The safeguards that should be implemented for teaching and learning while using
GroupMe is that teachers should make sure that the content being shared in
their group is for educational purposes only. Since students can access content
directly through the app, some content may not be age-appropriate for those
students. For the learning process, GroupMe can increase time on task, provide
fast feedback, and help students learn from each other through discussions (Gronseth
& Hebert, 2018). From experience, this application allowed me, and my colleagues,
to work together on school projects and share information at the click of a
finger. When used correctly, GroupMe can be another important tool to
supplement instruction, especially in our current virtual format.
References:
Cox,
J. (2020, August 19). How Can Twitter Be Used in the Classroom? Retrieved from https://www.teachhub.com/technology-in-the-classroom/2020/02/how-can-twitter-be-used-in-the-classroom/
Dedkova,
L., Smahel, D., & Just, M. (2020). Digital security in families: The
sources of information relate to the active mediation of internet safety and
parental internet skills. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1-13.
doi:10.1080/0144929x.2020.1851769
Diigo. (2018). Retrieved from
https://teachinghistory.org/digital-classroom/tech-for-teachers/23471
Ferriter,
W. (2009, August 15). Digitally Speaking: Social Bookmarking and Annotating
[Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/w/page/17791579/Social-Bookmarking-and-Annotating
Fritchen,
K. (2020, May 21). Google Meet Best Practices for K-12 Remote Learning Safety
& Security. Retrieved from https://managedmethods.com/blog/google-meet-best-practices/
Furnell,
S. M., Onions, P. D., Knahl, M., Sanders, P. W., Bleimann, U., Gojny, U., &
Roder, H. F. (1998). A security framework for online distance learning and
training. Internet Research, 8(3), 236-242. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1108/10662249810217821
Gronseth,
S., & Hebert, W. (2018). GroupMe: Investigating Use of Mobile Instant
Messaging in Higher Education Courses. TechTrends, 63(1),
15-22. doi:10.1007/s11528-018-0361-y
Hagen,
J., Albrechtsen, E., & Johnsen, S. O. (2011). The long-term effects of
information security e-learning on organizational learning. Information
Management & Computer Security, 19(3), 140-154. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1108/09685221111153537
Hertz,
M. B. (2017, September 28). How to Teach Internet Safety to Younger Elementary
Students. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/internet-safety-younger-elementary-mary-beth-hertz
Kongnso,
F. J. (2015). Best Practices to Minimize Data Security Breaches for
Increased Business Performance (Order No. 3739769). Available from
ProQuest Central; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1749766213). http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdissertations-theses%2Fbest-practices-minimize-data-security-breaches%2Fdocview%2F1749766213%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
Kumbhar,
R. M. (2014). Academic Library's Responses to the Emerging Trends in Higher
Education. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information
Technology, 34(6) http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Facademic-librarys-responses-emerging-trends%2Fdocview%2F1645696388%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
Miguel,
J., Caballé, S., Xhafa, F., & Prieto, J. (2015). Security in online web
learning assessment: Providing an effective trustworthiness approach to support
e-learning teams. World Wide Web, 18(6), 1655-1676. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1007/s11280-014-0320-2
Online
Tools for Teaching & Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://blogs.umass.edu/onlinetools/community-centered-tools/remind/
Smart
Social. (2020, March 14). What Is the Groupme App and Is It Safe? Retrieved
from https://smartsocial.com/groupme-parent-app-guide/
Stanley-Becker, I. (2019, May 30). Twitter is eroding your
intelligence. Now there's data to prove it. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/05/30/twitter-hurting-intelligence-not-smart-study/
Terms
and Policies. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.remind.com/community-guidelines
Whitman,
M. E., & Mattord, H. J. (2016). Principles of Information Security.
Comments
Post a Comment