Communication Plan
Email
A welcome email will be sent to all stakeholders outlining communication expectations.
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Welcome to Public Safety,
I am excited to have you or your student in my class.  We are going to cover a variety of information that will build upon each subject throughout the semester.  Communication is vital for the success of the student and the class.  I am available through email, Monday through Saturday.  I will respond to emails from 8:00 am until 7 pm EST.  Please keep me posted with any concerns.  I look forward to having a great year.
Kris Martinez
 
Personal notes versus mass communication to stakeholders
Any information that is FERPA sensitive will be sent directly to the stakeholders for the program.  Mass communication will only contain information about upcoming assignments and projects that the class will complete as a whole.  Other mass communication should be part of a discussion post.
 
Stakeholders
Stakeholders should be contacted at the beginning of the program, the middle of the program and the approach of the end of the program at a minimum.  This minimum communication will contain valuable updates and student progress within the course. 
Stakeholders will be contacted by email anytime there is a matter of concern or the student is in jeopardy of failing a portion of the class.  Disciplinary issues should also involve stakeholders through direct communication.
School policies regarding communication
It is the policy of the school that stakeholders be contacted with student progress throughout the program.  Stakeholders will be contacted via email and an email log will be kept to document the communication that has taken place.  Again all emails should be FERPA complaint. 

​How can one refrain from violating FERPA and TCPA guidelines in online communication?
The first step in answering this question is know what FERPA and TCPA are. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.  The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.  In a nutshell, there are very few times that a school can release a student’s information without consent.  The following list outlines when those records do not require consent:

• School officials with legitimate educational interest;
• Other schools to which a student is transferring;
• Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
• Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
• Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
• Accrediting organizations;
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
• State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)   regulates telemarketing calls, auto-dialed calls, prerecorded calls, text messages, and unsolicited faxes. It also is the authority to create the National Do-Not-Call List. The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) is empowered to issue rules and regulations implementing the TCPA.  Unsolicited communication has also been reference under emails.
 
What methods could be employed to verify that copyright is not being violated?
There are a few things to keep in mind when we talk about not violating copyright, can we get permission to use the material, or is there are approved public area where the material can be gathered.  Sometimes it is not practical or possible to get the permission of a person to use their work, and that means the material cannot be used.  With the abundance of materials that can be found in the public domain it is not difficult to find an alternative source or material.
 
Does copyright require that all work, images, words, and graphics must be original?
Copyright does not require that all work be original, but it does require that the creator has issued permission to you or the public for the use of their material. 

Today, I viewed the video "Connected, but alone?" by Sherry Turkle.  After viewing the video I was asked these three questions:

1. How have your individual communication skills changed with the innovations in technology?
2. How have advancements in technology altered classroom communication?
3. Will these change further?

The first question I had to answer yes.  I think that communication and technology can be a great thing together as long as it is controlled.  I spend a large portion of the day sending and receiving emails, texting busy loved ones, and attending classes online.  LMS has given me wonderful opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.

The second question I also had to answer yes.  I currently teach in a face-to-face setting, and yet many assignments are done on the computer.  I am can make corrections to student work, give class announcements, and monitor student progress in real time.  This form of classroom and communication also allows me to keep parents in the loop at all times. 

The third question, I also said yes.  Communication and technology will continue to grow.  In the past few years we have started reviewing with games like Kahoot.it, and reminding students of events and test through Remind101.  I can only imagine what the future holds.