The Mentee Minute
Thoughts from Your Mentor
Introduction
Hello!
I hope you are having a great week. Each month, we will have a unique area to study. I will update the newsletter based on that focus. I will be checking your courses on a regular basis, but each month I will have an area to look at in-depth.Let's get started!
Focus of the Month:
HOMEPAGES
Start Here --> The Goal of the Homepage
The Homepage is the gateway for student/teacher interaction. The classroom homepage is a welcoming, interactive, timely and informative environment. Organization and information are keys for success in online education. Homepages need to be organized according to Georgia Virtual Learning guidelines. They need to be professional and well maintained. Homepages represent the quality of the program and the instructor.
Announcements
Points to Remember
• Announcements are posted weekly, but every 2 - 3 days is best during Fall/Spring.
• Start date included.
• End date included if appropriate.
• News announcements are current, inviting, and informative.
• New announcements are varied -- text/images -- so that they are not confused with
older announcements.
• News is used to communicate clear and concise information as well as provide
additional materials, resources, and opportunities for students.
• Conditional release is utilized to customize the classroom for different groups of
students.
• News announcements should be created in a way that does not distract from
the learning environment. It is important to be cognizant of the varying Internet
connections and devices students use to access the LMS.
Making Announcements
Text: www.flamingtext.com (interesting fonts)
Ancient Images: www.vroma.org (images maybe used if vroma citation is provided)
Image Chef: www.imagechef.com (put your own text on ready-made images)
Here is another Smore, full of ideas:
https://smore.com/fken
Links
User Links
Be sure to add your weekly Adobe sessions under Links at the top of your home page. This will allow students to view your recordings. Do not add links from the widget.
Sample News Items
General Reminders
- Be sure to release eyeballs in your grade book everyday.http://screencast.com/t/aZkmVkLnUR
- Update your communication log. Document all communication from parents and facilitators as well as important communication from students.
- Be sure to hold a welcome chat. (Use welcome synchronous session template on page 5 under Current School Year in the Teacher Forum to help you get started).
- Contact me if you have any questions.
Contact Me
Email: kelly.gardner@gavirtualschool.org
Phone: 706-315-9894