On March 13, 2020, each teacher was required to attend an emergency staff meeting in my high school. At the meeting, teachers were told to prepare for e-learning, utilize Google Classroom if they have never used it, and take all of their textbooks home with them because we might not have access to our classrooms for a long time.
Needless to say, it was stressful. However, with my technology cohort classes, most of my work was already done for me. I knew how to screencast my lessons through great programs like Loom. I knew how to use Google Classroom efficiently. I knew how to analyze tech tools for the needs of my classroom and not to use tech tools just for the sake of it. I also knew that tech tools will not hinder the process but aid my lessons to become more engaging and productive.
For example, having content headings and knowing that most of my students read with the F-Pattern helped me present information with maximum content retention. I made sure to put important directions on the top of postings and supplemental information on the side of a web page. Students had easy to follow directions which helped me collect 75% of my student work in some of my classes which is similar to what I would get back in my physical classroom. Stories with audio recordings helped my students understand the nuances of a document while learning about important past events.
The tools are endless, however, my technology cohort class (University of St. Francis EEND677) made me realize that even one tool can be utilized in so many ways that can be tailored towards the success of my students. Also, the way we present content is just as important compared to the content itself. Making it sure it is visually organized, appealing, and engaging with animation or audio, can ensure that students are clicking on my links, following e-learning directions and hopefully gaining knowledge that can be utilized in the future. With confidence, the tech tools should help my students stay current and not become the lost generation of 2020 in education.
I guess if you had to be in a class, this one wasn’t so bad when it came to being able to apply some of it to remote learning!
I know it was a lot to do on top of doing your best for your students in some super unique circumstances, but you did a great job!