1. How do I make the most of my virtual classroom? Rachel Bolstad and Magdalene Lin September 2009

7. I have questions for my VC teacher, must I wait until the next class? “ I found emailing my teacher was quite good. Like saying ‘this is what I understand, this is what I don’t understand’…Kind of through the email it was good because you could talk to someone and they could write down a response that you could read later.” (Student) No, you can contact your VC teacher through emails, phone/Skype calls, text/instant messages, etc. Handy hint: Be proactive about contacting your teacher – they will probably appreciate knowing how you’re getting on!

9. What can I find on my class website? This depends on the features that are available on your class website. Some VC classes use learning management systems (e.g. Moodle, KnowledgeNet), while others have b logs, forums or wikis. Many virtual class websites enable you to download class notes, upload completed homework, and interact with your teacher and classmates. Handy hint: If your virtual class doesn’t have a website, blog, forum or wiki, why not suggest this to your teacher? Or if you have the know-how, you could offer to set this up for your class. “ My teacher has a blog, it helps. We can pass learning not only from the teacher [to students] but among other students as well.” (Student) “ It’s good to have course plan and notes online so you can look at them whenever you want. It’s all organised, they have it set out what we’re going to do in the year, and the times we are going to do them.” (Student)

11. How do I communicate with other students? “ Yeah we flick around emails, every person has at least one other person from their school so we just discuss with that person, and flick emails around.” (Student) Outside VC class time, you can send them emails, phone/Skype calls, text/instant messages, etc. You can talk to them during your weekly VC lessons, or just before and after your lesson ends (even when your teacher is not there). “ Because it’s only once a week, you’ve got to make the most of the chance that you have to talk to them face-to-face. I think because there’s only three of us in the whole class, everyone is sort of keen to talk to each other.” (Student)

12. I feel uncomfortable talking to other students because I don’t know them, what should I do? Many students take a while to get used to talking to students at other locations. But once you break the ice, you may find that you have a lot in common with your distant classmates. One way of getting to know other students is by participating in group discussions on your class website. Instead of having direct one-on-one conversations with your classmates, you can start by contributing your ideas to particular topics or responding to a comment that another student has left. “ My teacher has set up a [subject] link, we have a website and let’s say if we learn a definition we can add to the glossary and talk to other class members about our class work and stuff, it’s cool.” (Student) Handy hint: What about creating a Facebook group for your VC class?