Please notice the running head.

Technology Plan and Effective Online Communication Skills
Michael E. Dudley
Walden University
September 11, 2013

Assignment Template Summary
This template includes spaces for you to respond to each required part of the Week 2 Application. It also includes excerpts from the Discussion and Response Rubric and the Application 2 rubric that your instructor will use to grade your work. Specifically, you will complete: 1) Part 1: Personal Technology Contingency Plan a) Technology Back-up Plan b) Communication Plan c) Back-up Computers and Contacts Information 2) Part 2: Effective Online Communication d) Your Sample Post: Definition of email etiquette e) Evaluation of Your Sample Post
This template also contains other important information: * Excerpt from the Discussion and Response Rubric – the complete rubric can be found in your classroom. Your instructor will use this rubric to assess your discussion posts each week. You will use the rubric elements and criteria to evaluate your work in Part 2 of this assignment. * Excerpt from the Week 2 Application Rubric – the complete rubric can be found in your classroom. Your instructor will use the Week 2 Application Rubric to assess your work for this assignment, completed in the following pages. * Information about how to save a file to your computer is found at the end of this template.

Proceed to the next page to begin your work.

Part 1: Personal Technology Contingency Plan
Complete a Personal Technology Contingency Plan for each of your courses. You should strongly consider printing this document once you complete it and keep it someplace you will be able to access if you need it. Use as much space as you need in each section below to thoroughly plan for what you will do under potential scenarios that may impact your ability to engage in your course work.

Technology Plan:

1. Evaluate various types of potential situations that you could encounter (from loss of computer, hardware, and software failures, loss of files, loss of connectivity to the Internet, power outages or other natural and manmade incidents and your plan to address those possible disruptions to your ability to complete class work). Assess the likelihood of the risk and define a proactive plan to address these should they occur.

Being enrolled into an online class can appose many obstacles, computer problems being one of them. Although, one may think that they are totally prepared for the unthinkable, things still happen. So having said that, my motto is never fear, help is always near. To prepare for any type of situation, you always need some sort of backup plan. For instance, if you have a power outage, always make sure your work is saved and make sure that your laptop, tablet, or computer has enough power so that you can complete your assignments. Now in regards to a computer, it can only work off of electricity from a nearby wall socket. So it is extremely import to save your work periodically until power is restored. In fact, it’s best to set up for an automatic save every minute or two, because of the fact that you can type a lot of information in a short period of time (Fleming, 2013).

2. Next, define a communication plan to advise Walden University if such a scenario occurs including a plan to contact the instructor and academic advising.

The meaning of communication is to reach out or act upon communicating with someone. In the event that you have an issue with your computer due to a power outage, it is very important to have multiple ways to communicate with you instructor and/or academic advisor whether it is by email, phone, or online chat. For preparation, you should collect all data needed such as phone numbers, and email addresses so that you can be prepare for this situation. Also, in addition to having your instructor and academic advisor information, you should reach to classmates as a final result.

3. Complete your contingency plan by filling in the following information:

* Two Alternative Computers—Identify a minimum of two alternative computers that you could use at any time throughout the semester (other than the primary computer you plan to use under normal circumstances).
Primary Computer
Location: Home
Available Hours: unlimited

Alternative Computer 1
Location: Work
Available Hours: During the day
Alternative Computer 2
Location: Sister House
Available Hours: During the evening * Technology Support Services—In addition to including the information here, be sure to write down the contact information for technology support services in case you are unable to access your computer or the web during a technology failure.
Student Support Team
E-mail: support@waldenu.edu
Phone: 800.925.3368
Hours: 24/7 * Weekly Backup Schedule—Back up or save your course files weekly to an external drive (recommended), recordable CD or DVD, floppy disk, or other data storage device. As a result, even in the event that you cannot access your computer, you will still continue to have access to important material. Directions for how to save a file are at the end of this document. Contact the Student Support and Customer Service Teams if you need assistance with this process.
Day of the Week I Will Back Up Files: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (if necessary)

* Faculty Contact—Write down the contact information for your Faculty Member (including office numbers) in case you are unable to access your computer or the web during a technology failure.
Name: Carol Magendie
E-mail: carol.magendie@waldenu.edu
Phone: 713.449.5374
Time Zone: Central * Two Classmate Contacts—Write down the contact information for two classmates in case you are unable to access your computer or the web during a technology failure. Your classmates can provide you with updated information on assignments.
Classmate 1
Name: Dewayne Williams
E-mail: dewayne.williams@waldenu.edu
Phone: n/a
Time Zone: n/a
Classmate 2

Name: Jennifer Snider
E-mail: Jennifer.snider@waldenu.edu
Phone: n/a
Time Zone: n/a * Academic Advising:
Email: academic.advising@waldenu.edu
Phone: 1.800.WALDENU

Reference
Fleming, G. (2013). Preventing and Recovering Lost Documents “What to Do If the

Computer Eats Your Homework”. Homework/Study Tips: Retrieved from

http://homeworktips.about.com/od/studymethods/a/lostwork.htm

Continue to the Next Page to Begin Work on Part 2 of this assignment.
Part 2: Effective Online Communication
In the space below, write your definition of email etiquette. You may expand the space as needed to provide a thorough, complete, and well researched response. Compose it in the same way you would for one that would be submitted to the Discussion Forum as an original post. Note – Your definition needs to pertain specifically to email, not to general writing. Be sure to use information in the weekly Resources and additional research in the Walden library or online in formulating your definition.
Email etiquette is very important and something that should be mastered in a professional environment. When responding to an email, always send a reply no matter, because it acknowledges that you received the email. If you were copied on the message it is not necessary for you to reply back unless a specific question was address to you. If there is an attachment associated with the email, remember to attach it to the email prior to sending it. Also make sure you address every question in the email, so it would be a great idea to read over the entire email as a precaution. Lastly, do not change the subject line and never use any symbols such as smileys at the end of a sentence, because it could be considered unprofessional. According to inc.com “25 Tips for Perfecting Your E-mail Etiquette”, experts would agree that bad email etiquette has the potential to sabotage your reputation both personally and professionally.

References
Burkholder, G.J. (2010). Tips for Effective Online Composition and Communication. Retrieved from Walden University Online Classroom: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com
Watkins, R., & Corry, M. (2011). E-learning companion: A student’s guide to online success (Laureate Education, Inc., custom 3rd ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Silberman, L. (2010). 25 Tips for Perfecting Your E-mail Etiquette. Retrieved from

http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/email-etiquette.html

Please notice the formatting of the References list. The word References is centered and not in bold. Everything is consistently double spaced. Sources are alphabetized and listed in hanging indents. That means that the first line is flush left while successive lines are indented one tab.

Discussion Posting Response Evaluation
In the last part of this assignment you will grade yourself using the information in the Discussion Posting and Response Rubric (Excel spreadsheet found in the classroom, excerpt found below) and provide a brief evaluation of how you met the criteria for composing an effective response.
Use the space that follows to complete your evaluation of your work and base your evaluation on the rubric criteria and what you learned from the weekly resources. Note – you should use as much space as you need to complete your evaluation, you are not limited to the space that appears below.

Excerpt of Discussion Grading Rubric | Criteria | Element (1): Graduate Level Posts Comprehensive and Thoughtful | Post(s) is/are of appropriate length to meet requirements and communicate central arguments in an in-depth and comprehensive manner. Post(s) incorporate the week’s required readings and additional research from the Walden Library. | | | | | Element (2) Standards of Scholarship: | Post(s) is/are clear, logical, well-organized and appropriate to the intended audience. Postings and responses are spell-checked and proofread. Sentences are complete and grammatically correct. Words are chosen for their precise meaning. Tone is professional and free from bias (i.e., sexism, racism). Original posts include at least 2 reputable and professional sources, or as directed in classroom instructions. Each citation is referenced, and only cited sources are referenced, aligned with APA format. When students reference/reuse their own work, they provide self-reference per APA rules and Walden policy. | | | | | Element (3): Relevance of Topic | Post(s) include clear and direct ties to authentic examples or experiences drawn from personal experience or additional research or current events including relevant issues in the news, information obtained from other credible sources, or ideas expressed in the postings of other colleagues. | | | | | Argument Quality and Flow of Posts | Post(s) contribute appropriate and useful ideas by applying critical thinking and maintain the logical thread of the Discussion. Student justifies position based on rational, well-reasoned argument with evidence drawn from relevant and credible sources or based on documented theories. Assumptions are clearly stated and justified. Opinions or reflections are based on facts or documented experiences and linked to relevant theory or content. Student demonstrates significant ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. | | | | | Below is the rubric that your instructor will use to score your Application. Element (1) - Technology Plan (33 pts. Maximum) | The author delineated a serious and comprehensive technology contingency plan that includes an evaluation of the types of potential situations that may be encountered from loss of computer, hardware and software failure, loss of files, loss of connectivity to the internet, power outages or other natural and manmade incidents and the plan to address those possible disruptions to one's ability to complete class work. The author demonstrates thoughtful planning for a wide range of possible scenarios; plans include alternative strategies and contingencies and considers scenarios where outages might be widespread. The author also presents a communication plan to advise Walden University if such a scenario occurs including a plan to contact the instructor and academic advising. It is clear the author has evaluated a wide range of possible situations and assessed the likelihood of needing a proactive plan to address them. | Exemplary (100%) | x | | | Proficient (85%) | | | | Marginally Acceptable (70%) | | | | Unacceptable (0) | | Element (2) - Response to Question (22 pts. Maximum) | The author composed a sincere, thoughtful, and cogent response to the question, "What does email etiquette mean and why is it important?". The author draws from relevant examples and evidence, building an argument that is based on both experience and supported by materials from the weekly resources and additional research in the Walden library or online. The response directly addresses the question. | Exemplary (100%) | x | | | Proficient (85%) | | | | Marginally Acceptable (70%) | | | | Unacceptable (0) | | Element (3) - Evaluation of Response to Question (16 pts. Maximum) | The author made a sincere and honest evaluation of his or her own response clearly based on the elements and criteria specified in the discussion rubric. The author draws connections between the criteria and work he or she did to respond to the questions, pulling in examples from the work. The author identifies concrete and actionable ideas for improving his or her work and a plan to implement those improvements in future online communications. | Exemplary (100%) | | | | Proficient (85%) | | | | Marginally Acceptable (70%) | x | | | Unacceptable (0) | | Element (4) Standards of Scholarship: (14 pts maximum) Note: Sub-standard writing will result in lower scores in other categories as without these elements, the content areas above are inherently weaker. | Writing is clear, logical, well-organized and appropriate. Work is spell-checked and proofread. Sentences are complete and grammatically correct. Words are chosen for their precise meaning. Tone is professional and free from bias (i.e., sexism, racism). Resources are cited and referenced. | Exemplary (100%) | x | | | Proficient (85%) | | | | Marginally Acceptable (70%) | | | | Unacceptable (0) | |

How to Save a File
From the navigation menu, select File and then Save As. A window will appear.
Click on the arrow to the right of the Save In box at the top of the window to access a drop-down menu. Select where you want to save the document: Desktop, My Documents, your computer’s hard drive (C:), external drive (letter will vary), a floppy disk (A:), or a CD (D:).
Enter a name for the file in the File Name box at the bottom of the window.
Click Save.

Be sure to name the file according to the directions given in the classroom for this particular application, and follow the instructions for submitting your file to your instructor through the Turnitin link.