Connecting students, teachers through social network

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ConnectYard allows academic communication through e-mail, texts and more.Wayne-based ConnectYard Inc., a provider of social and mobile technologies for educational institutions, on Tuesday announced the formal launch of a new widget that connects classrooms through social media.

The widget, QuickConnect, integrates Facebook, Twitter, text messaging and e-mail into a single communication thread accessible through popular learning management systems like Blackboard, Desire2Learn, Moodle and Sakai. When an instructor adds QuickConnect to a course, the software allows students and teachers to communicate at any time through their preferred media.

Students post their thoughts and questions on lectures and homework through QuickConnect, with those messages delivered to other class members via their mobile phone, e-mail or favorite social networking site. Both students and instructors have the option of replying to posts via Facebook, Twitter, text message or e-mail. All responses are then added to the discussion thread within the course for other students and instructors to view and respond to.

“E-mail alone is no longer an effective tool to reach today’s students … [but] they check their phones and Facebook accounts multiple times per day,” said Donald Doane, ConnectYard chief executive. “The QuickConnect widget provides an optimal channel for instructors to reach and connect with students outside of the classroom.”

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