Study the text about how to behave on the internet and do the exercises below.

Marcin Legeżyński How to Be Respectful in Online Learning

Have you ever thought about how to be polite on the internet? Have you come across bad online behaviour from others? Good manners, very important in our everyday lives, become even more crucial when it comes to learning online. Do you know what the rules of netiquetterules of netiquette [rule of netiquette]rules of netiquette in distance learningdistance learningdistance learning are? Netiquette, which is made up of “net” and “etiquetteetiquette (good manners)etiquette”, refers to using good manners online. Applyingapplying [apply] (rules)Applying them prevents other people from misunderstanding you, or even taking offencetaking offence [take offence]taking offence as a result of something you say or do online. So what exactly are the rules of netiquette?

Avoid Shouting

Although we don’t always use our actual voices communicating with others online, it is still possible to make the impression of shouting by using CAPITAL LETTERS. This makes the text stand out exactly the same way as if you were raising your voice in a real conversation. It may be useful to express your emotions this way sometimes. However, if you accidentally press the caps lock buttonpress the caps lock buttonpress the caps lock button and carry on typing this way, others may think you are angry or upset.

Are You Kidding?

While the use of good humour is nice, it may become a tricky when you are having your conversation on the internet. This is because people you are talking to often cannot see your face and read your facial expressions or body language. They may not understand your intentions and read your jokes or sarcasmsarcasmsarcasm in the wrong way. The rule of thumbrule of thumbrule of thumb is: avoid sarcasm and think twice before typing up a joke in an online chat box or on a forum. If you wouldn’t say something face‑to‑face, don’t say it online!

The Chat Box Cares

Chat boxeschat boxes [chat box]Chat boxes in all shapes and forms are widely used in online educationonline educationonline education. Many video conference systemsvideo conference systems [video conference system]video conference systems used for distance learning have the option of a private or public conversation. This feature is unfortunately often misused by students. They often choose to comment on topics irrelevant to the coursetopics irrelevant to the course [topic irrelevant to the course]topics irrelevant to the course they are supposed to be taking part in. You should always remember to save your private postsprivate posts [private post]private posts for another place and time than an online lesson. Only post in reference to the topic of the lesson you are in.

The Big Help Button

Many online learning platformsonline learning platforms [online learning platform]online learning platforms provide users with help if they get stuck. You may feel tempted to use it as soon as you come across a topic or task which you consider difficult or confusing. However, it may be better to try to seek an answer by yourself first. If this doesn’t work, you can always ask for help later anyway. Remember that other students may have faced a similar problem to yours, so asking them on a class forumon a class forumon a class forum may also be a good option. In addition to finding a solution, you may also make new friends and network with other studentsnetwork with other studentsnetwork with other students.

During online learning, you will need to learn many rules that can be very different to what you are used to in a real school environment. Sticking to them, however, will make your online learning experience more pleasant for yourself and others.

1 Źródło: Marcin Legeżyński, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.