7 Tips for Effective Online Teaching

While teaching online may be different from teaching face-to-face, it doesn't mean that it isn't as effective. In fact, a US Department of Education study found that "students in online learning conditions performed modestly better than those receiving face-to-face instruction" (US Department of Education, 2010). Taking technology out of the equation, online educators understand that they must adapt their pedagogy to be effective. Check out the seven "high impact", evidence based strategies below to help you transition to teaching online.

1. Keep your "virtual classroom" organized to make so that it makes sense for students.
• Have a single, dedicated hub where students can go daily to find their assignments and important announcements.
• Create and share a simple communication plan to let students know how and when they can contact you.
• Consider leading "learn your technology" days to help students learn how to turn in assignments and other tasks like signing in to synchronous lessons.
• Articulate clear, concise directions for students and consider making a short daily screencast video to communicate your expectations and work flow.
2. Chunk your lessons into smaller, digestible pieces.
• Online materials require a large cognitive load for students to process...a learner can only deal with a few concepts simultaneously.
• If you record and share your lectures with students, instead of recording an entire lecture, consider creating several smaller ones that focus on a single key idea. The sweet spot for instructional videos should be around 6 minutes to ensure that students' attention doesn't wane.
• Alternate between high- and low- intensity activities to give students time to process material and consider incorporating "brain breaks" into your instructional time.
3. Solicit feedback from students.
• In a face-to-face class, you can rely on visual cues and body language to determine if your students are engaged in a lesson. Not so in an online classroom where students may or may not have their cameras turned on.
• Regularly gather feedback from students on various aspects of your online class to identify what is working and what is not.
• Some sample questions to consider:
• Are you having any technical problems?
• Are you able to quickly find and submit your work?
• Is the virtual classroom easy to navigate?
4. Annotate and interject to scaffold learning.
• In a face-to-face class, it is easy to interject to point something out to students (i.e. locations on a map or information on a slide). Not so in an online classroom.
• Try using simple annotations like arrows and text labels to provide visual scaffolding to help direct students' attention and guide the cognitive process.
• Strategically interject questions into an instructional video at key points to check for understanding (Edpuzzle can help with this).
5. Assign frequent, low stakes quizzes.
• Low- and no-stakes practice tests enhance retention (i.e. Kahoot or similar learning games).
6. Connect with your students.
• You will need to make a special effort to create a sense of community in your virtual classroom to lay the foundation for engagement and learning.
• Communicate more regularly and more informally with your students.
• Demonstrate that you are personally interested and invested in each student.
• Some strategies to consider:
• Use unstructured time to chat at the beginning of class.
• Try using Zoom's "waiting room" feature wo welcome kids to class one-by-one.
• Use breakout rooms to split students into small groups for "ice breaker" activities and other relationship-building exercises.
• At the end of a lesson, ask students to reflect on their learning with discussion prompts or exit tickets.
• Pose fun questions like "what is your favorite movie" and have students share using digital tools like Jamboard or Padlet.
7. Take care of yourself!
• "You can't serve from an empty cup!"

Check out the full article from Edutopia.

Student Engagement: Virtual Whiteboards

If you have any experience teaching remotely, you know how challenging it can be to engage students in an active learning environment as well as assess their understanding in real time. Most instructional technology tools require a significant time investment for teachers to gain mastery and confidence before they use them. Not so with Whiteboard.fi, a digital whiteboard tool.

Whiteboard.fi is a simple tool that can be used instantly. By creating a class and letting your students join, everyone will get a digital whiteboard. You as a teacher see all your students' whiteboards in real time, so you can follow their progress. The students only see their own whiteboard and the teacher's. Whiteboard.fi is an instant formative assessment tool for your classroom, providing you with live feedback and immediate overview over your students.

Whiteboard.fi has several outstanding features:

• Instant Access: Setting up a new class whiteboard is lightning fast! No registration or logins needed! (Pro Tip: Share a link to your whiteboard via Google Classroom).
• Device Independent: Works on any device - no installation or downloads needed (Bonus: It is easy for students to draw on their whiteboard using the Chromebook's touch screen).
• Privacy: No personal information is collected, stored, or shared with third parties. Everything is deleted after the room is closed.
• Access Control: You have full control of who enters your room by using the waiting lobby. There is also an option to lock your room after your class has started, preventing new users from joining.
• Live Overview: Ask a question, and let the whole class answer by using Whiteboard.fi. This way you will activate the whole class, and everybody gets the opportunity to answer!
• Versatile Tools: Insert images, backgrounds, arrows, shapes and texts! There are many different, versatile tools available.
• Math: Insert math symbols, expressions or equations easily using the math editor, where you can type using a graphical interface or insert LaTeX code.
• Save Whiteboards: You can easily save all your student whiteboard images as a PDF file that can be saved locally to your device.

Learn How To Use Whiteboard.fi

Student Engagement: Synchronous Discussions

Many of the teachers I have spoken with, whether teaching remotely or in-person, have expressed their frustration with the lack of willingness among their students to participate in class discussions. A recent blog post from instructional coach Dr. Caitlin Tucker helps address this concern with concrete steps teachers can take before, during, and after the activity for more productive student engagement. 

Before: Preparing for Online Discussions

• create and share a planning document in advance of the conversation
• prepare a slide deck with your discussion questions

During: Facilitating Online Discussions

• establish communication norms
• employ facilitation skills to keep the conversation moving

After: Wrapping Up Online Discussions

• engage students in a post-discussion reflection
• ask students to assess their engagement and participation

Please take a moment to read the full article via this link as Dr. Tucker shares planning documents, a slide deck template for sharing discussion questions, sample communication norms, and post-discussion reflection documents. If you are on Twitter, consider following Caitlin Tucker for more outstanding instructional resources: https://twitter.com/Catlin_Tucker

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Did you know you can facilitate a synchronous online discussion using nothing more than Google Slides and Zoom? Check out the video below to learn how to use Google Slides' Audience Tools.

Google Slides Audience Tools

Escape Room Activities

If you were able to share the Halloween Escape Room activities I shared last week via email, I am guessing you were pleasantly surprised at the level of collaboration and problem solving your students exhibited. You might also be surprised to learn that it is relatively easy to create your own  Escape Room activities using simple tools like Google Sites and Google Forms. Check out the resources below to use some teacher-created Breakout activities or learn how to create your own!

Breakout EDU Digital Sandbox

https://sites.google.com/site/digitalbreakoutjb/sandbox

Search for teacher-created Breakout activities--you can filter your search by subject and grade level.

40 Digital Escape Rooms (plus a step by step guide for creating your own)

https://ditchthattextbook.com/30-digital-escape-rooms-plus-tips-and-tools-for-creating-your-own/

Digital escape rooms, also referred to as digital breakouts, are a great way to bring gameplay and problem solving to any lesson or unit. They can be an exciting and engaging activity for the whole class or as an option for early finishers.

In a spin on the popular escape room challenge, a digital version combines:

• a virtual “room” (often a Google Site) filled with clues that must be figured out
• a digital lock made from an online form (usually a Google form) that students try to unlock
• any theme for the escape room that will engage your participants
• an appropriate level of difficulty (easy or extremely difficult) depending on the intended audience

This post is full of everything you'll need to use free digital escape rooms -- or even create your own!

Secure Video Meetings: Zoom and Google Meet

Zoom and Google Meet are two video conferencing platforms you can use to conduct synchronous meetings with students.  Which one you decide to use is up to you--there are advantages and disadvantages to each. 

First off, it is important to recognize that "Zoom Bombing" is real! Many of our remote secondary teachers have reported that students have been sharing links to virtual meetings with students who aren't enrolled in the class. Those students then assume a name of someone enrolled in the class to get past the teacher's waiting room and are immediately disruptive, usually with profanity. 

As fun as playing cat and mouse with students can be, I think we have finally built a better mousetrap to ensure that virtual meetings are secure, regardless of whether you use Zoom or Google Meet. 

If you use Zoom to facilitate synchronous remote learning, you can require students to "authenticate" (i.e. log in) to join Zoom meetings. This will give teachers a better handle on who exactly is attending class meetings and hold disruptive students accountable. Most likely, elementary teachers will not need to take this extra step, but secondary teachers may want to consider it to ensure the integrity of their virtual meetings. Check out the video below to learn how to require your students to authenticate to join Zoom meetings AND require them to use their WG gmail address.

Require "Authentication" to Join Zoom Meetings

View the video below to see the student POV, showing how to log in to an "authenticated" Zoom meeting with a school Google account. Feel free to share this link with students to show them what to do.

Sign in with Google to Join a Zoom Meeting: Student POV

Zoom Usage Reports: Review Meeting Attendance

To review your Zoom meeting attendance, you can generate usage reports. Learn how in the video below.

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If you decide to connect with student via Google Meet, you can set up a link within Google Classroom. For the sake of meeting security, please note that the only students who can join a meeting are those who are enrolled in that Classroom (unless the teacher decides to invite outsiders separately). Students are unable to join a Meet unless the teacher starts the meeting first. To ensure that no students are able to rejoin the meeting unsupervised, the teacher should be the last person to exit the Meet. Learn how to use Google Meet within Google Classroom via the video below.

Remote Teaching and Learning: Lesson Learned So Far

What if you had to teach remotely on short notice? I asked our Team Remote teachers to share what they have learned so far. Check out their advice in the Padlet board embedded below.

The blue posts are from K-4 teachers.

The green posts are from 5-8 teachers. 

The purple posts are from 9-12 teachers.

You can also click here for a PDF version of the Padlet board (note: the PDF does not have color-coded posts)

Professional Learning: Flipped Classroom

The next Superintendent's Conference Day is scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, October 16th. Many of you will be collaborating with your grade-level and subject area colleagues and catching up on planning for remote, hybrid, and in-person learning. If you are interested in learning more about the Flipped Classroom approach to teaching and learning, you are welcome to work you way through a Flipped Learning HyperDoc I put together. You will have the opportunity to 

• explore some Flipped Learning resources to wrap your head around the concept
• learn how to use some of the instructional technology tools that can support Flipped Learning
• design a flipped lesson that you would like to use with your students (and eventually share it with them)
• reflect on your Flipped lesson
• connect with the Flipped Learning Network to collaborate with other Flipped Learning practitioners

Flipped Learning HyperDoc

feel free to make a copy

Remote and Hybrid Teaching Tips

There never seems to be enough time in the day to cover all of the content we would like to and interact with every student in meaningful ways. Throw into the mix the fact that we are running hybrid and remote classes amid a global pandemic and the challenge becomes even greater. If you had the gift of time, how would you use it differently to help students learn? 

According to Melanie Kitchen,  Instructional Technology and Staff Development Coordinator at Erie 1 BOCES, educators can meet the challenge of teaching during a pandemic by adapting their approach to instructional design in the following ways:

1. Teacher Collaboration is More Important than Ever
• working closely with specialists to make sure lessons and materials meet the needs of all students
• partnering with others in our content areas to plan instruction
• working together on cross-curricular projects
• dividing up all the things all students need (like digital citizenship) among teachers on a team or grade level so students aren't doing the same lessons over and over and our work isn't duplicated
2. "Face-to-Face" Time Should be used for Active Learning
• Online instruction is made up largely of asynchronous instruction, which students can access at any time.
• Keep direct instruction, things like brief video lectures and readings, in asynchronous form, using checks for understanding like embedded questions or exit tickets.
• Use synchronous meetings for more interactive, engaging work
• Consider establishing "campfire groups"--permanent groups of about four students that stay together for long periods of time, allowing students to get to know each other better and establish more trust. 
• Small group strategies might include the following:
• jigsaw activities
• discussion strategies adapted for virtual settings
• using best practices for cooperative learning
• visible thinking routines
3. Content Needs to be Simplified and Slowed Down
• Hybrid/Remote instruction is not conducive to covering large amounts of content so teaches will have to choose wisely, teaching the essential standards at a slower pace.
• Some questions to consider:
• What really holds leverage for the students? What has endurance? What knowledge is essential?
• What knowledge and skills do students need to have before they move to the next grade level or the next class?
• What practices can be emphasized that transfer across many content areas? Skills like analyzing, constructing arguments, building a strong knowledge base through texts, and speaking can all be taught through many different subjects. 
• What tools can serve multiple purposes? Teaching students to use something like Padlet gives them opportunities to use audio, drawing, writing, and video. Non-digital tools can also work: Students can use things they find around the house, like toilet paper rolls, to fulfill other assignments, and then submit their work with a photo.
4. Instructions Should be Easy to Find, Explicit, and Multimodal
• Provide instructions in a consistent location and at a consistent time. Set up lessons so that students know where to find instructions every time. 
• Make instructions explicit. Read and re-read to make sure these are as clear as possible. Make dogfooding your lessons a regular practice to root out problem areas.
• Offer multimodal instructions. If possible, provide both written and video instructions for assignments, so students can choose the format that works best for them. You might also offer a synchronous weekly or daily meeting; what’s great about doing these online is that even if you teach several sections of the same class per day, students are no longer restricted to class times and can attend whatever meeting works best for them.
5. Emphasize Feedback
• Put the emphasis on formative feedback as students work through assignments and tasks, rather than simply grading them at the end.
• Use Private Comments in Google Classroom so students can see your feedback and engage in a conversation about their work.
• Feedback should be frequent and specific.
• Provide pathways for students and parents to give YOU feedback on assignments as well.
6. Summative Assessment Should Focus on Creation
• In online learning, there are so many ways students can cheat. A great solution to this problem is to have students create things like videos, podcasts, art, writing pieces, comics, etc.
• For assessment, ue a detailed rubric that highlights learning goals that the end product will demonstrate
• Help students discover tools to work with. Feel free to share the Creation Tools Cheat Sheet to offer students choices.

Remote Teaching Pedagogies: Flipped Classroom

Flipped Learning is a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group learning space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject mater. 

The Flipped Classroom concept began around 2007 as two high school chemistry teachers at Woodland Park High School in Colorado, Aaron Sams and Jon Bergmann, were looking for a way to help students who missed class or needed to review. They decided to record their PowerPoint lectures by adding narration and posting the videos online. At first, it allowed them to direct students to videos instead of reteaching materials in class. Soon, however, they found that even students who attended class reviewed the videos, especially before exams. By the time the 2007-2008 school year rolled around, they decided to record all of their lectures and dedicate class time to discussion, answering student questions, independent practice, and lab work. 

That is the heart of the Flipped Classroom: Direct instruction is pre-recorded and shared with students for "homework"; Class time is dedicated to working with students. 

Since its humble beginnings over a decade ago, the Flipped Classroom approach to teaching and learning has become a global phenomenon. Check out the Flipped Learning Network to learn how you can get started with the Flipped Classroom an join a growing community of practitioners. For further reading, check out this article about 7 Unique Flipped Classroom Models. Which is Best for You?

Real Life Examples

Case Study 1: During a recent Team Remote faculty meeting for grades 5 - 8, one of the teachers asked if was possible to record and share synchronous Zoom meetings as approximately 10 students missed the class. One of the other teachers suggested he pre-record his lessons and share them with students BEFORE they attend class meetings. That way, he wouldn't have to repeat the lesson for students who miss class AND he could make different use of the synchronous time he has with students. 

Case Study 2: This summer, Barb Ritch and I facilitated a series of Professional Development workshops on Zoom. We prepared a Google Site with four activities for teachers to complete BEFORE they attended the live Zoom meeting.

1. Engage: Review curated materials for some background information
2. Learn: Review curated materials for direct instruction
3. Apply: Practice a series of tasks independently
4. Reflect: Respond to a Google Form to help Barb and me focus on gaps in learning during Zoom meetings.

During the live Zoom meetings, Barb and I focused on gaps in learning and answered questions rather than spending time demonstrating and instructing. Check out our Twelve Days of Learning Site here: https://sites.google.com/westgenesee.org/twelvedays/home?authuser=0

Case Study 3: Many of you know that my "side hustle" is adjunct work at Onondaga Community College where I teach Western Civilization and World History in both face-to-face and online modalities. I strive to practice what I preach by experimenting with various instructional technology tools to see what is effective with my students. Check out this sample lesson I designed in alignment with the Flipped Classroom concept. At OCC, we use Blackboard as a teaching and learning platform. I redesigned the same lesson using Google Sites and Google Classroom for demonstration purposes. All of the "instruction" is posted on Sites. All of the assignments are completed on Google Classroom. Some highlights of the lesson:

• Before each class meeting, I share a general overview of the week's lesson and identify student responsibilities using language like "Before Class", "During Class", and "After Class." 
• Direct instruction activities are completed online prior to attending class class. For example, I do not lecture during class time. Students are expected to complete assigned readings and view lectures prior to class, along with completing a Flipgrid activity that tasks them with taking a position in response to an inquiry-based question and supporting it with evidence from teacher-curated materials. We begin each class with a Kahoot game to "play" with the content and review the "big ideas."
• Student-to-student collaboration is prioritized during class rather than teacher-led direct instruction. For example, students work in collaborative groups to read, discuss, and analyze primary source documents. After small group discussion, each student is expected to complete a Google Form to offer their individual analysis. Collaboration is also expected when we analyze documentary films. I use YoTeach to provide students with a space to discuss the content in real time as we watch a video projected to the front of the room. 

Remote Teaching Pedagogies: HyperDocs

One of the biggest misconceptions among parents is that their children are only receiving instruction on synchronous days, whether that is in person or on Zoom. They mistakenly believe that their children are "teaching themselves" on asynchronous days. I would love nothing more than to prove them wrong!

Rethink Your Traditional Pedagogy  

Do an audit of your traditional instruction and be judicious in designing for online teaching and learning: 

• cut some content/activities that don't lend themselves to remote learning (lecture, traditional worksheets)
• curate different types of content (memes, video content, other multimedia)
• organize content/activities in a "chunk" of time like a week
• design activities that leverage meaningful instructional technology tools so that students can integrate the content you have curated to create something or collaborate with peers to demonstrate mastery of the content.  

HyperDocs Revisited

If there ever was a time to create HyperDocs lessons, THIS IS IT! HyperDocs enable teachers to transition from delivering teacher-centered instruction to designing student-paced lessons that are flexible enough for students to work on from home and/or in class. This approach is transformational as the role of the teacher shifts to that of a facilitator or coach--from "sage on the stage" to "guide on the side." The role of the student is transformed as well as much more student agency is required, especially when students are learning independently on asynchronous days. If teachers create thoughtfully designed HyperDocs, this transformation can meet with positive results for students.

A basic HyperDocs lesson includes all of the components of a lesson or unit cycle packaged into a single file like a Google Doc or Slide. Teachers curate links to content that they want students to consume and design collaborative and/or independent tasks for students to demonstrate learning. 

• Engage: A "hook"
• Explore: Pre-knowledge
• Explain: Direct instruction
• Apply: Student-centered tasks to demonstrate learning
• Share: Presenting to a wider audience (i.e. peers, public) and getting feedback
• Reflect: Introspection
• Extend: Enrichment or remediation

Check out this article from Jennifer Gonzalez to learn how HyperDocs can transform your teaching.

Last year, I blogged extensively on the use of HyperDocs. To refresh your memory, I "tagged" all of last year's HyperDocs blog posts, which you can now quickly view using the link on the right hand side of my blog under Tagged Posts.  

Feel free to make a copy of this basic HyperDocs template to get started. And check out the HyperDocs website for a deeper dive.

Teaching in the Time of Corona

Let's face it...even if you are teaching face-to-face classes in grades 5-12, students spend 3 days out of 5 learning from home. As you know from the spring, teaching online is pedagogically different from traditional face-to-face teaching. Some traditional classroom activities like teacher-led lectures simply don't translate well to an online environment. In contrast, HyperDocs, in which teachers prepare student paced digital lessons, allow for much more student agency. To help you sort out "best practices" for online instruction, I have curated several articles, blogs, and tweets using Wakelet--it's a great tool for easily curating and sharing content. See my Wakelet Board below for help in getting started with your online teaching journey. For those of you who are teaching fully in-person classes in grades K-4, it can't hurt to take a look at this collection as well to be prepared in the event that we return to fully remote teaching and learning. Here is the direct link to the collection, with my apologies to Gabriel García Márquez: https://wke.lt/w/s/9Q4FGS

Remote Learning: Ten Tips for Remote Teaching

Full disclosure, I'm a sucker for a list. The list below includes some strategies you can implement to make remote teaching and learning a success for EVERYONE. Feel free to download a copy for yourself or print it out and put it prominently near your work station in your "home office."

Remote Learning--Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Note: I wrote this blog post and had it ready to share on March 3rd. It was going to be another post about the utility of HyperDocs, the theme I have adopted for the year. Then, the coronavirus pandemic found its way to our corner of the globe so I buckled down to support "alternative instruction" as we are all working from home. But in reality, HyperDocs are the perfect tool to support remote teaching and learning. Like the subject of the post below, we are all without a classroom to call home at the moment and are stuck "teaching on a cart." I hope you'll take a moment to read below to see not only what she did and how she did it, but also know that you can do it too!

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During February Break, I attended an EdCamp at Phoenix Central Schools. During a session on HyperDocs, a Health teacher from East Syracuse Minoa High School shared her approach to instructional delivery. As a newer teacher, she does not have a classroom to call home, but rather has a mobile cart to carry her materials from classroom to classroom. Because of the logistics of her teaching day, she has prepared unit-long HyperDocs as a means to "package" all of her instruction in a single document, in this case Google Slides. See a sample unit below:

How'd She Do That?

• This particular HyperDoc was created using Google Slides. 
• In Google Drive, click on "New" and select "Google Slides."
• The teacher changed the page setup to mimic an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper to accommodate students who chose to print their notebooks. 
• In Google Slides, select "File" and click on "Page Setup." From there, change the setting to "custom" and change the dimensions to 8.5 x 11 inches.
• She changed the look of her Slides by inserting a background image.
• From the Google Slides menu, click "Background" and upload or search for a background image.
• Right-click on the slide preview (the small list of slides on the left of the screen) and select "Duplicate Slide."
• Do this several times until you have as many slides as you will need for your HyperDoc.
• You can also change the background en masse at any time by selecting all slides (click the first one, hold down the shift key and click on the last one) and then change the background per the directions above.
• Her first slide has a space for students to enter their name and block (period). 
• Rather than using an "underscore" or line like we would traditionally do on a printed document, the teacher inserted a text box for the students to enter their names. She changed the border color from black to teal. If she used an underscore as she might have done on a paper document that would traditionally be printed and copied for students, the characters would move as the students type.
• To insert a textbox, click Insert and select Text Box. There is also an icon on the menu that will accomplish the same task. It looks like an editable box with a capital T in it.
• To change the border color of the text box, click on the text box and select the border icon from the menu (it looks like a pencil with the selected color under it). You can also adjust the border thickness with the adjacent border weight icon (it looks like a stack of lines of varying thickness).
• Use this technique whenever you want students to respond to a prompt--offer them a dedicated space to type their answers.
• Pro-Tip: You can use the paint bucket icon to fill the text boxes with color to make them stand out.
• The first slide also includes a table of contents that links to lesson-specific content within the unit.
• This step should be one of the last things you do before sharing your Hyperdoc with students (once all of your slides are done).
• Type a list of lessons.
• Highlight the text of a specific string of text and insert a link (click the chain link icon or select "Insert" and "Link" from the menu.
• Rather than linking to a website, select "Slides in this presentation" and click on the specific slide you to which you would like to link.
• Insert images and create assignments
• This teacher added relevant images to communicate content. She also added links to digital content and more HyperDocs for students to demonstrate learning.
• Interestingly, the teacher created "fill in the blank" activities in which students can drag-and-drop vocabulary into a lined space to match words to their respective contextual definitions (See Lesson 4).
• Share with students
• This HyperDoc unit was shared with students via Google Classroom
•  In Classroom, click on the Classwork page and create an Assignment. 
• Attach the HyperDoc (Google Slide) and select "make a copy for each student."
• This way, your template will remain intact and every student can have their own copy of the HyperDoc.
• Students should NOT turn in their work right away--if they do so, they will no longer have the ability to edit their file. 
• The teacher is always an editor on Google Classroom Assignments and can offer timely meaningful feedback by opening a student's work and inserting comments synchronously or asynchronously.
• Check out the full HyperDoc unit here.

You Can Do It, Too!

You, too can create a HyperDoc like this...the skills you will need:

• Create a Google Slides presentation
• Change the background image on a Slide
• Insert text, images, links
• Create an Assignment in Google Classroom and make a copy for every student

That's it! With a little time and creativity, you will have a lesson or unit that embraces 21st century pedagogies and supports self-paced, personalized learning for all students.

Remote Learning: Collecting and Sharing Students' Digital Projects

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When I taught Global History, I would, like most of you, task students to work individually or in groups to create some kind of presentation that synthesized their learning and deliver it in front of the class. I can't tell you how many PowerPoint presentations I sat through in which students would read bulleted lists of information to the class! Since that time, I have come across a variety of tips to help students better prepare their presentations and delivery, the best of which is Guy Kawasaki's 10 - 20 - 30 rule for "pitching" ideas.

Instructional Technology has come a long way since PowerPoint was one of the only tools of the trade. Check out my Creation Tools Cheat Sheet that offers students "voice and choice" in selecting from a variety of multimedia tools they can use to demonstrate learning. You are welcome to share this document with your students--it includes links to each tool's website as well as video tutorials to explain how each tool works. Teachers, of course, should design specific rubrics to help students design digital projects that meet expectations.

Collecting and Sharing Digital Learning Projects

So how should teachers collect and share student work now that the audience is no longer face-to-face? The answer is to leverage Google Forms to collect links to student work and Google Sheets to share the links with the class. Check out the video example to see how it can be done.

Split Rock 5th Grade: PowToons Projects

Remote Learning: Collaborate with Padlet

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Without being face-to-face, collaboration can be a challenge when teaching and learning online. One of my favorite collaboration tools is Padlet. Think of it as a virtual cork board that you can populate with sticky notes. Padlet's sticky notes allow you to add text, links, files, photos, videos, voice notes, drawings, and more. I set up a Padlet wall for you to share what's working for you and your students (see below). You can add your thoughts by clicking here or by clicking the + sign on the embedded Padlet below.

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Learn More About Padlet

Remote Learning: Deliver Instruction with Edpuzzle

Kids consume lots of video on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. In fact, they are most likely familiar with a new type of celebrity, "Influencers." Although it is hard to compete with PewDiePie, a YouTube star with 103 million subscribers and 24 billion views, teachers, too, can leverage video to gain their students' attention. One of my favorite platforms for sharing instructional video with students and assessing their understanding is Edpuzzle.

With Edpuzzle, you can make any video your lesson in three easy steps:

1. Find a video on YouTube and other platforms, upload your own (i.e Screencastify), or re-use a video lesson created by another teacher.
2. Then, edit the video to create your lesson. Record your voice to personalize it, and hold your students accountable by embedding questions in the video.
3. Assign the video to your students using Google Classroom and check their progress in real time while they learn at their own pace. 

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Remote Learning: Connect with Flipgrid

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Building a community of learners is no easy task in a traditional classroom setting; it can be even more challenging when we are trying to teach and learn remotely. While there are plenty of ways to connect with our students, Flipgrid is one of my favorites. Flipgrid makes it easy to set up a space where you and your students can share your thoughts on a topic asynchronously through video posts. Flipgrid also makes it fun--there are all sorts of features like color filters, stickers, drawing tools, text tools, and a whiteboard to help get your point across. They even have a space for teachers to post Flipgrid Shorts, three minute videos that can be posted on multiple platforms. Check out how WGMS Principal Steve Dunham has been connecting with his school community using Flipgrid Shorts and follow Steve on Twitter to keep up with his morning announcements!

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Learn How to Use Flipgrid to Connect with your Students

Remote Learning Lesson Design

Online teaching changes teachers and the way they teach, requiring even the best to rethink their teaching practices. In fact, many online instructors report that online teaching improves their face-to-face teaching with their new understandings of how to teach with technology, support individualized instruction, increase student engagement and/or facilitate deeper discussions with more effective questioning techniques. Some "big ideas" to think about as you prepare for teaching online include the following:

Lesson Design

Conceptualizing what your instruction will look like and how students will interact with the content is key to online lesson design. It is essential to plan with the end in mind as you organize content, learning activities, and assessments. It is also critical that you communicate the learning objectives with students clearly and consistently. 

Interaction and Collaboration

Teaching and learning online can cause both teachers and students to feel isolated. It is important for the instructor to establish a sense of community among all learners and to foster interaction and collaboration that supports the objectives and student learning.

Assessment

Assessing student learning in an online environment can be very different from evaluating their work in a face-to-face setting. It is important to create assessments that are measurable and authentic.

Learner Support

Successful online teaching should be "high-tech and high-touch." Students should feel welcomed and have access to all course materials to ensure their potential for success.

As we move forward with Remote Learning, I'd like to share a graphic I found on Twitter from Katherine Goyette, author of the WonderExploreLearn blog. Scroll to the bottom for a HyperDoc that combines Katherine's Remote Learning Lesson Design graphic with some concrete strategies, tools, and tutorials for each quadrant on the graphic. Click here to make a copy of the HyperDoc.

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Remote Learning: Do This, Not That

Chromebook Staging and Distribution

Before I offer some tips for "remote teaching," I want to give a shout out to our Food Service Department and our Technology Department. On Wednesday through Friday last week, our colleagues devoted their time and energy to making sure our students remain fed and have the tools they need to learn from home. The Technology Department deployed over 1800 Chromebooks and PCs and our Food Service Department distributed over 4,000 meals to families. It is heartwarming to see such generosity, kindness, and grace on display in our community.

HS ELA Teachers Chatting on Google Meet

I also want to give a shout out to our teachers, service providers, and TAs for devoting their time and energy to getting up to speed as quickly as possible in terms of leveraging instructional technology tools and strategies to minimize the disruption to the learning process for our students. The effort to learn, and learn quickly, has been impressive to say the least! If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out my "Learning Never Stops" slide deck for some tips, tricks, and tutorials. Barb Ritch and I are here to support your efforts. Please don't hesitate to get in touch.

West Genesee's Online Learning Portal was recently shared with the community. The website provides some activities and expectations for the upcoming week at both the elementary and secondary levels. It will be updated weekly. You will also find a link to Chromebooks in the Classroom, a website where you can find information regarding Chromebooks, Chrome OS, and G Suite as well as video tutorials for parents/students and teachers.

I know that many teachers are ready to continue teaching lessons from where they left off, but keep in mind that families in our community may be struggling as all of our lives have been unexpectedly disrupted. Now is a good time to take care of your personal wellness and that of your family, experiment with some new instructional methods alongside your students, temper expectations, and connect with your students as best you can without overwhelming them. Be sure to check out  "Remote Learning: Do This, Not That" (embedded below) as you prepare to teach remotely. Thank you to TJ Vaughn for sharing the information and Jenn MacArthur for the amazing graphics!

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One Parent's Perspective

On a lighter note, I'll leave you with something that I saw on Twitter that made me laugh...make it full screen so you can read the captions.