Designing Social Presence

Social Presence Strategies:

Ice Breaker / Introduction activities 

• Super-hero Powers, DC vs. Marvel Debate, What is your Spirit Animal and why
• Nemesis Therapy Introspection Download Nemesis Therapy Introspection

• Bingeworthy Suggestion Board (Discussion Board or Class Twitter)
• Song(s) of Your Life Download Song(s) of Your Life

Teacher and Student Bios 

• Bios with images (may choose to use an avatar)
• Digital Stories Download Digital Stories
  (Intermediate to Advanced Technology Use)
  To get an idea of a digital story (a collection of images, music, and voice-over) watch Patrick Lowenthal's video below. 

Personable Welcome Emails 

• Welcome students to the class
• Include images and hobbies to help your students get to know you as a person

Announcements 

Humanize the announcement with:

• Pictures or a video of yourself
• Address content from discussions into the announcement
• Praise or highlight student work
• Memes - Make yourself a meme or find a humorous content related meme 
  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Minute Phone Call 

• A phone call to your students so you can put a voice with a name 
• Use humor make your goal to make each other laugh before the end of the call

Orientation Videos

• Orientate your students to the course navigation and welcome them to your class. Many courses have content organized differently. Provide a roadmap. 

Assignment Feedback Strategies 

• Use Jing or Screencastomatic Links to an external site. to provide video feedback to 1-2 assignments per quarter.

Synchronous Meetings 

Use Zoom to meet with individual students, groups, or your entire class

• Send calendar invites
• Make class sessions graded. If they can’t make it live, offer an alternative assignment

Social Media

Twitter in the Classroom Download Twitter in the Classroom

Use Twitter

• Click on the Bluebird above and establish an account
• Set up a #(hashtag for your class)
• Use hashtags so relevant topics can be followed
• Include your hashtag and handle in your syllabus and announcement so that students can follow you
• Remember you are limited to 240 characters

Ideas to connect and educate

• Have students tweet their reflections of recent learning
• Use it as a class notepad for brainstorming (large group, small group)
• Quotes (teaching bite-sized info)
• Help Board for class (students assist each other)
• Meme Tracking
• Class Story
  • Students can create a story taking turns contributing one line each.
• Gives quiet shy students the chance to have a voice
• Introduce students to important people in history by taking on their persona and tweeting as them

 

   Instagram in the Classroom

• Click on the camera above and establish an account
• Post pictures and memes for students
• Have students share pictures relevant to content

 

Click Next to Share Strategies for Developing Presence