DUDL Coach Mark Kimball on remote learning

Remote Learning is a new challenge for an already overworked profession. It has become the job of a teacher to create and implement meaningful and engaging lessons through online means. As teachers, we know the importance and need to borrow from each other’s practice to help enhance our own; below are some programs/web services that I have been utilizing that have helped me manage my content and my students during online learning.
1. Google Suite of Programs (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Classroom, Meets, etc.): 

During online learning, there is an increased need for organization and ease of access. Students will disengage with a class that they have trouble accessing easily. Establishing a clear routine and a defined location for assignments and links to other material is key in maintaining student focus and engagement. Google Classroom is a great system to use that will help you organize and post your material so that your students have easy access to everything they will need.
    Another great Google Tool is the recording function available in Google Meets. I host my synchronous learning through Google Meets and use the record function to capture my lessons and then post the videos to my Classroom website. This creates a great and easy-to-use resource for my students to visit when they need some extra clarification and help.

2. Pear Deck: This is a great resource that allows teachers to program interactive questions and slides into their Google Slideshows. By making slides interactive, student engagement is easier to establish and maintain during synchronous instruction. Pear Deck will also automatically report out all student responses from class, helping teachers see exactly where the misconceptions may exist in the understanding of their students. It can also help teachers identify which students are actively engaged and which students are focused on something else.

3. FlipGrid: This is a website designed to record student/teacher videos and then provide a gallery where students can watch each other’s videos and leave  comments. This is a great way to set up a safe discussion where students can feel comfortable expressing their opinions and seeing other opinions being presented. I know several teachers who use FlipGrid as an alternative form of a Gallery Walk or even a format for class discussions/debates.