Embracing the Opportunity to Teach Remotely
The State of Things
A few days ago, I received a message that one of my students would be joining my class remotely until further notice. They had been preemptively quarantined pending a negative COVID test. And just like that, my class shifted to a hybrid model (simultaneous in-person and virtual instruction).
Test. Quarantine. Wait.
As a residential school, I realized that this would be the new normal as we head into the typical cold and flu season. Every cough. Every sniffle. Every fever. Every stomachache. As educators, the playing field is shifting under us moment by moment, day by day, and week by week. How can we manage all of this, stay adaptable...and stay sane?
Embracing New Opportunities
There are huge opportunities to innovate and develop greater skills and expand our capacity because there is so much uncertainty right now. But this requires us to keep our wits about us and stay grounded (as much as possible) in the middle of the chaos.
We have the opportunity to rethink everything. Every worksheet. Every activity. Every assessment. What is it that the student most needs from this experience? And how can they leverage it for future success beyond my classroom? Asking questions like this have allowed me to look at my curriculum, classroom management and pedagogy, overall, with new eyes. Once I took the time to really think about the answers to these questions (and set aside my ego and my “I’ve always done it that way” mentality), I was able to access my creativity and institute new, more engaging and more interesting instructional methods in my classroom.
What is it that students most need from this experience? How can they leverage this experience for future success beyond the classroom?
Default to a Virtual-First Design
My boss, a nationally-recognized computer science instructor, gave me some excellent advice.
“Think about all of your courses and design them for a virtual-first environment.”
Software designers and developers are familiar with this concept within the context of “mobile-first” or responsive design. This means designing a website for the mobile environment, first. By thinking about my courses as “virtual first,” I designed natively for the virtual environment. This perspective allows me to more easily adapt to the uncertainties of the current pandemic. I can easily lean on my skill as a classroom instructor to make this content “responsive” to the in-person, traditional classroom environment.
One premise I start with is that there is no such thing as an engaging online lecture! Period. Instead, I look to create opportunities for my students to discover and learn. One key element that I’ve found essential to a successful, virtual-first environment is the integration and use of a variety of tools, not just one or two. This creates a varied, exciting classroom environment in which the students can interact. The second is always be learning. I am always looking for and learning about new tools, new technologies and new applications of current tools and technology to make my classroom more engaging.
Resources to Use
Zoom:
Use all the features (emojis, green check/red x, breakout rooms, shared screen, etc) of Zoom to increase student engagement. For example, I use the green check mark function to quickly assess my pacing during class. I’ll say something like, “when you’re done with the exercise, give me a green check.” (This appears in the participant list next to the student’s name and I can quickly scroll down the list to see if I need to check on students).
Formative Assessment Tools
Real-Time Collaboration Tools
Video Discussion Tools
Using multiple tools interchangeably makes me a more versatile and adaptable instructor. For example, during any given class, I will break my students into small groups on Zoom to collaborate on a Mural board. I’ve also used public FlipGrid posts to encourage student to student engagement and discussion. I have used private FlipGrid posts when I want students to turn in something that’s just for me to see/grade. I use the LMS--we use Canvas--to track my pacing and lesson plans as well as student progress and assignments. Loom is useful to create quick, short video clips of the classroom content which can then be embedded in Canvas. This is particularly useful when there is a glitch with technology (WiFi is slow or audio cuts out etc). The students can pick up the information and not miss out. This relieves them when it does happen--they know they won’t miss anything--and it helps me so that my whole class isn’t sidelined if a student’s tech is glitchy during class.
Miscellaneous Tips:
I’m constantly looking for new and additional tools to bring into the classroom. Here are a few miscellaneous.
OBS - Open Broadcaster Software
This is a little bit nerdy of me...and takes some technical digging to implement, but I love the versatility it provides once it’s set up. This is pretty advanced, so don’t stress about learning this software. (But do know that it is an option if you’re a glutton for punishment like I am!) OBS is typically used by gamers to stream their gaming on Twitch or YouTube. It allows you to “produce” your class like a livestream. I use it even in my hybrid classroom. The software is open-source and allows you to set up various “views” and video/audio inputs. I send the OBS feed directly to Zoom which allows me to change cameras and share my screens/desktop, show videos and conduct activities through the software and not be limited by Zoom’s feature set.
Pre-class Dance Party
I have started including this in all my classes. I have a “feel good” Spotify playlist that I’m constantly adding upbeat songs to. I start my class 10-15 minutes early (may not be possible if you have a period before the class) with the playlist. I have a brightly colored overlay on camera that says “Music Mashup.” I share my audio only through the advanced share screen feature on Zoom and then mute my mic until I’m ready to start class. I engage with students in the chat, so they know I’m there, but I’m not visible, which allows me to finish getting ready for class. I’ve had all kinds of great interaction with students. For example: Today, a student came in and said “Cool. Louis Armstrong!” “‘What a Wonderful World’ is ironic with everything happening, so it’s good to be reminded how good it is!” I responded. This has been an unexpected tool to create human connections with my students in a virtual environment where they might feel isolated or disconnected.
This is a cool, web-based wheel that can be used for any activity that you want to gamify. Your wheels can be customized, embedded, saved, and shared. I use it at the beginning of my speech class for an activity that I call “Question of the Day.” The activity is to build a student’s extemporaneous speaking skills. Because none of us knows which name the wheel will land on, it’s exciting, but it also gives me a way of randomly checking student engagement (when their cameras are off) without calling on them just for the sake of checking up. This could easily be adapted in almost any class discipline (from math, history to foreign language) for review activities or assessments.
This is another gamification tool. You can create Jeopardy-style game boards with custom categories, clues and responses.
Wrapping Up:
The state of the world for us and our students is often frightening and uncertain. By staying grounded and looking for the opportunities when others might be paralyzed by fear, we can model perseverance, grit and determination for our students; and in so doing, not only survive, but thrive. If you expand your tool kit and rethink not only what you do in the classroom, but why you do it and how you do it, you will emerge a more flexible, competent and capable instructor.
