Common Sense just created a powerful
resource for teachers, students, and families called Wide Open School. It helps make learning from home an
experience that inspires kids, supports teachers, relieves families, and
restores community.
More than 25 organizations came together to support this effort and more are
joining. Wide Open School is a free collection of the best online learning
experiences for kids curated by the editors at Common Sense. There is so much good happening, and Common
Sense is gathering great stuff and organizing it so teachers and families can
easily find it and plan each day.
On the site they also address the importance
of connecting all kids. For those yet to be
connected, Wide Open School offers many resources that can be completed offline
and on smartphones, as well as bilingual and
English-language learner resources.
Rushing to create online curriculum and
activities? That content must be made accessible. If you are taking screenshots
or pictures of documents that you share or post online, it's probably not
accessible. At this point, you should assume that the documents you create will
end up on the device of a person with a disability.
There's a lot of support to ensure they access
it!
In 2017 MarketWatch predicted 50% of the workforce would be working remotely by now. They were wrong. An unforeseen pandemic has made remote working an essential component for much of today's workforce. Many, who had not worked this way previously, are being thrown into this method of working. They need a little support in getting on top of their video conferencing game.
Here are some tips
Video
While some people may question the use of video, it is an important tool to help people who are apart feel connected.
Enter the conference with video on
After initial greeting, it's fine to turn off your video if you don't want to be on camera the whole time. This can also help with bandwidth.
If you will be talking for more than a quick response, put your video back on.
Look into the camera and make sure it is framed correctly.
Turn the video back on when signing off.
Dress for work, at least from the waist up. You don't want to look like you just got out of bed.
Microphone
Even if you are not speaking and even if you think you are being quiet, these tips are important to keep in mind so you don't distract and annoy other participants.
Enter conference with mic off.
Most microphones can pick up minor background noises, like coughs, sneezes, or typing.
Unmute only when you are speaking.
Roles
Assigning roles will help your remote meetings run more smoothly.
Facilitator
Chat monitor
Note taker(s)
You may want to assign more than one note taker.
Share the link to a shared notes document at the start of the meeting and let everyone have edit access so they can share relevant materials or documents there.
Teaching Matters gives us another week of remote learning materials. Get a weeks worth of student-facing home learning resources aligned to the NYC schools' remote learning curriculum. It's also available in Google Classroom. Visit the Teaching Matters Site to download the curriculum for your grade and subject. Watch the video below to learn how to use the curriculum.
The most important thing to know about remote learning is that it is not simply doing school at home. It's different. Throw the bell schedule out!
Instead:
Teacher
Posts assignments with support materials like instructions and videos.
Provides optional times throughout the day for students to come together to chat, get support, discuss, and answer questions.
Sets times for students, pairs, or groups, to schedule appointments.
When students submit work, the teacher is commenting on that work, giving feedback, and perhaps chatting via voice, video, or text with the student.
Students
Follow a schedule that works best for the family.
Submit work as their schedule allows within a recommended time frame.
Know how to request both synchronous and asynchronous help from their teacher.
Families
Make schedules for their day
Know how to make appointments to connect and conference with their teacher.
Not only will the student's schedule be different, so will the teachers. The school day no longer exists. Learning, feedback, and assessment are more fluid and aligned to the natural schedules of teacher, student, and family. If you're new to this, it will take a bit of time to get used to. The "Realistic Solution to Structure" from seasoned homeschooler, Sue Wolf Patterson, may help.
Presenting through online platforms requires
unique skills. Presenters need to be able to multitask and know how to
troubleshoot in the moment. Below are some best practices my colleagues (ClayCodes, LauraOgando7, PatriciaPaddock) and I collected which are helpful to keep in mind while
presenting remotely.
Roles
Roles can be combined depending on the person’s
skills. If a live audience is present, it’s recommended to have the presenter
support those in physical attendance and a facilitator support those online. If
the presentation is strictly online it’s recommended to have a remote monitor
to support questions but the presenter can also build in breaks to answer any
questions that may have come up. For teachers, think about which students might be good in each role.
Launching remote learning? Get a weeks worth of student-facing home learning resources aligned to the NYC schools' remote learning curriculum. It's also available in Google Classroom. More coming...next week. Visit the Teaching Matters Site to download the curriculum for your grade and subject.
Teachers everywhere are preparing for or engaging in remote learning. Google Classroom has become the go-to place to launch this work. Whether teaching remotely or face-to-face, innovative educators know that G-Classroom saves you time, keeps you organized and helps you communicate with your students. If you're new to Google Classroom, no worries. They've put together this great resource to help you get started today.
Schools across the globe are moving to remote learning during these unprecedented times in our world's history. Innovative educators are jumping on board, embracing the challenge, and even enthusiastic about discovering some new and better ways of supporting learners. This is the best possible outcome in trying times. However, more and more teachers are sharing that as they are trying to move forward, their supervisors have taken this as a cue to monitor and micromanage. This makes for a very nerve-racking and stressful situation for teachers who are already overburdened. Below is a list of what educators don't want supervisors to do as they transition into a new way of supporting learners.
Remote Learning "Don't" List for Supervisors
Don't ask to be added to everything.
Teachers don't want you watching and commenting on their every move while their learning something new.
Don't do their work.
There are environments where supervisors can see what teachers are doing with students. In these cases, supervisors should not chime in, in the space of teacher and student and start doing the teacher's job. It's just awkward and undermines the teachers work and authority.
Don't focus on monitoring
Many teachers share their supervisor's biggest concern is monitoring them and that is uncomfortable. The role of the supervisor in these times is to be as supportive as possible.
Don't mandate tools, practices, and processes
Suggest, support, and offer, but don't mandate how a teacher does their job. This is a time for learning and innovation. There may be tools that they feel will help them better support learners. Let them use those tools as they move into a new way of teaching.
Don't treat remote learning like face-to-face learning
Some supervisors are expecting staff to be on the same exact attendance and bell schedule. No! Just, no.
Reflection
What do you think? What has your experience been? Do you agree? Disagree? Have anything to add?
Television can provide a great way for everyone to learn. It is especially useful as a learning tool, when using laptops may not be the best option. This may be the case for a few reasons, such as:
A student has a disability that makes using a laptop difficult
A student may not have access to a laptop
A student may not have WiFi
If you are planning to incorporate television viewing into your child's learning experiences WNET and PBS have put some tips together.
Elementary Students
Read reviews to ensure you are choosing the right shows.
Have questions for you child to consider such as:
Do you think what happened in the show is something that might happen in your life or the life of someone you know? Why?
How would you have handled what happened in the show?
Enhance listening skills by asking your child questions about what they're watching
Make connections to what your child is watching to books, articles, and research
Engaging in discussion or related activities before, during, and/or after the show can help you remember what you've learned. WNET has discussion questions and activities for any show you watch on PBS - no internet needed! - to take what you just watched to the next level.
Activities
There are lots of activities you can do while watching a program such as taking the role of reporter or journalist, reenacting what you saw, and thinking like a producer.
The
need for distance learning is quickly becoming a reality for millions of
students as schools around the world close temporarily due to the coronavirus.
Meeting the challenges of teaching and learning remotely requires being
flexible, having vision, and thinking creatively about how best to support
students.
BrainPop has a webinar, resources to make assignments, build assessments, and manage student learning remotely. In the webinar, they outline integrations with various Learning Management Systems, such as Google Classroom and Canvas, providing suggestions for both synchronous and asynchronous approaches to online learning.
Recognizing not all students have access to technology at home, BrainPop provides guidance for developing equitable lessons that are effective whether completed on or offline.
Staying connected to families is always a good idea. It becomes even more important in times of school closures. If possible, it is best to have a system already in place for family communication. Common Sense Education provides advice on how best to communicate and what tools to use to do so.
Common Sense shares apps and websites for texting, messaging, and communication that make it easier for teachers to send out assignments, reminders, and progress reports. They're also great to communicate with families about conferences, field trips, and volunteer opportunities. The list helps you find a tool to keep your communication consistent, reach parents on platforms they're already using, and, in some cases, give students the opportunity to lead the conversation by demonstrating their learning in the classroom.
Effective parent communication is crucial in helping students learn. But, for busy teachers it can be challenging just to keep up. Apps and other digital tools make it easier to keep everyone -- parents and students -- in the loop. Transparency and equity are key to managing any communication between home and school.Check out the parent-teacher communication materials to find a variety of tools and useful tips to help you better engage your parent audience.
These three tip sheets—for principals, teachers, and parents—can help ensure that parent–teacher conferences achieve their maximum potential by providing guidance that reflects each person’s role and responsibility in promoting productive home–school communication. Designed to be used as a set, the tip sheets combine consistent information with targeted suggestions, so that parents and educators enter into conferences with shared expectations and an increased ability to work together to improve children's educational outcomes.
Learn how to have a live, translated parent-teacher conference using the Translator app. Parents can download the app in advance, scan or enter the conversation code when they arrive, and translations appear on their device in real-time. We even provide fully translated letters you can send to parents in their languages to tell them how to participate.
Schools being closed is
nothing new. There are spring and winter breaks. There are snow days. There is
summer vacation. At these times teachers, schools, and districts may decide to
give students homework packets with various activities. Parents need to figure
out childcare.
These days we have the
Corona Virus looming and already being the cause of school closures in various
cities, countries, or just at particular schools. In the age of technology,
planning for secondary students has become a bit easier as many schools already
use platforms like Google Classroom, Schoology, or Microsoft Teams.
Additionally, childcare is not as a big of a concern for older children, but
what about elementary school students?
Here are some ways
schools can prepare:
Communication
Communication is
key. Once you have a way to stay connected, families can be informed and
updated as needed.
Online Platforms
Parents
Facebook is where
parents already are and the learning curve for most is non-existent. Set up a
private group, using your school's email address. Send the link to join to all
your parents. Designate group administrators and moderators. Set the group
rules. Start important discussions, such as:
Help parents connect around childcare needs.
Give parents tips for home learning
Provide the latest news
Learn how to use
Facebook Live to speak with parents and encourage them to comment on the
Livestream.
Students
If you don't have one,
set up a community for students in a platform such as Google Classroom, Teams,
or Schoology. Have all students log in during class. Try to ensure
parents can help their students log on. Practice having students engage in the
platform. If you have very young students, practice with a very simple prompt
and have them respond with emojis. The point is getting them used to the
platform. Experiment in class with things like video conferencing.
Phones
There are schools where
many families may not have access to devices or Wi-Fi. Don't forget about
the power of the telephone. In some districts, Microsoft Teams is set up so
that up to 250 people can be in a call. If you don't have this set up, see if
you can arrange that. Free Conference Call is another option.
Make sure that you have
as many phone numbers as possible, and have a number set up for families to
call as makes sense. Google Voice might be a good option for this.
Childcare
Have families start
thinking about this now. Encourage them to connect with each other. Encourage
them to connect with teachers and other school staff who may be able to help.
Suggest they think of family members such as grandparents who can come visit
and help with childcare needs.
Learning
Here are some ideas for
keeping the learning going when school is closed.
General
Breaks:
Encourage families to start by thinking about the learning that happens
over summer and breaks.
Library: Go to the library and have your
child(ren) pick out lots and lots of books.
See what this looks like in an elementary classroom
Online Resources
Common Sense Media:
Not sure what's best for online learning? Common Sense Media has you covered
with ratings, reviews, and recommendations for apps, movies, websites, games,
and more.
GoNoodle:
Help your children and yourself stay active and mindful with GoNoodle
Thrively:
Find the right kids activities, educational games, and apps for your child.
Show your kids just what they can do with Thrively. Joining is free. Kids get
a strength assessment and then suggested online and face-to-face activities.
A forced school closure whether due to virus, disaster, or other unwanted circumstance will be challenging. However, if districts, schools, parents, and students work together to stay connected and be prepared, there is an opportunity for everyone to learn important lessons and become more connected.
