Communication

Communication is one of the most important things about being a peer mentor. I thought that Chelsee and Brandon did an excellent job with this topic. I really enjoyed the activity that we did. It was a good illustration of how important good communication is and how easily it can fail. I really enjoyed how they made us think about how we do communicate. I know I communicate a lot by email and text although I would rather talk on the phone than either of those choices. I like to talk face to face with people because it is easier to read people’s emotions that way. I know I have had a few situations where either text messages or emails were taking the wrong way. It is very easy to take something the wrong way especially if you are in a bad mood or just confused about the conversation. I am a very sarcastic person and sometimes I forget that not everyone knows that about me.

I think that twitter is a great way to communicate especially with our students next fall. It is very easy to just ask students questions and spark conversation over twitter! I know that I communicated a lot with my students via twitter last year. It is also a great way to fine about resources within your profession. It can be hard to get the students excited about Twitter but I know that after my students tried it about 50% of them really enjoyed it and I still see them on there today. I think you just have to encourage them to try it and interact with them on there so they know that you care about it as well. I also plan to communicate by email with my students and let them know how important it is to check your email on a regular basis. It is always important to communicate well with your students and set the example that you want them to follow!