Online Communication Tools

This week we have been learning about the various types of online communication tools and how they can be utilized in the classroom. Some of these tools I use on an almost daily basis, like email, others I have never used, wikis, for example. Blogging is a communication tool that I am new to. This class is actually my first experience with using blogs, so I am learning as I go.
I am not yet teaching, so I haven't had the opportunity to use online communication tools in the classroom. However, I have used some on my last job, which was working as a case manager for a mentoring program at my district's middle school. For this job, I used email almost daily to communicate with program staff, potential mentors, and my supervisor. My school district provides email accounts for all employees, and the one we used was through Microsoft Outlook. Email is an efficient, convenient means to communicate with people on the job. It saves time by allowing you to compose a short message and send it immediately. However, there are a couple disadvantages that I have come across when using email. One of these is that it might take someone a few days to reply to the email. If time is not an issue then this will not pose a problem, but if an immediate answer is needed, email might not be the best tool to choose. Another disadvantage of email is that sometimes it can be difficult to get a message across in the exact way you mean it. The email recipient could misunderstand the message or the tone of the message, and this could cause unnecessary miscommunication issues. How many times have we read an email or any other type of written message and mistakenly thought someone was upset or aggravated when they actually were not. Email is not always the best means of communicating with people, but for the most part, it work really well. Also, if you're like me, you would rather send an email than have to make several phone calls. Sometimes email is just a more feasible solution. Some other disadvantages of using email were mentioned in the article "Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication Tools" by Julia Ashley. This article mentions that email can be "misused as a collaboration tool and can become overwhelming."
One collaboration tool that I would like to utilize in my classroom in the future are blogs. I think that blogging would be a great activity to have students participate in, much like we do in this class. Blogging is a good way to integrate writing and technology and can be used to improve skills in both areas. My school district's website features  teacher blogs and web pages, so blogging seems to be something that educators are using more and more. I am glad that I have had the opportunity to create a blog in this class because now I can teach my future students how to create and use them as well. One of the assigned videos this week, "Technology Support for Teachers: Supporting the Profession" mentions the importance of modeling technology use to students. If my students see me utilizing the different types of online communication tools, they are likely to want to learn how to use them as well.
Using online communication tools addresses the NETS-T standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning. This standard states that "teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society." This standard will be met by modeling the use of different types of online communication tools to students and by using them to communicate with parents and coworkers.
Overall, I think online communication tools can be used successfully in the classroom if utilized in the appropriate manner. I plan on using some of these in my future classroom, such as email and blogs, and I hope to become more proficient at using them, and I hope that my students will become proficient as well.