Need some tips for distance learning? You’ve come to the right place! If you are feeling anything like me…back to school this year has you feeling:
overwhelmed,
anxious,
excited,
and hopeful!
I am overwhelmed with figuring out how to be an effective teacher in a fun and engaging virtual classroom while equally excited that I will be meeting a whole new set of students who are likely feeling the exact emotions!
My school district has voted to start the 1st nine weeks 100% virtual and I want to be as prepared as possible. As a teacher, you know the real experts in all things classroom-related are *drumroll*… teachers! So I took a survey of teachers who have survived their first week of virtual learning (yay!) and these are the tips for distance learning they had to share:
1. If you are able, try to login to your learning platform using various technology (i.e. iPad, cellphone, computer, etc…).
This will give you an idea of what your students may see!
2. Use Google Forms or Microsoft Forms to check in with students.
This will allow you to see how your students are doing. You could also have an online journal for each student – you can respond to the journal to have a virtual 1:1 discussion.
3. Don’t try to take attendance as students join Zoom meetings – it is too difficult.
Instead, try to have an attendance question displayed during a screen share and have each student type their answer to the attendance question in the chatbox as they enter! If you need a free template for this, check out the free template in my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking the image below.
4. If using Zoom, you can disable private messages.
This will help students stay focused and not have “side conversations” during class!
5. Schedule time to de-stress with fellow teachers.
Support is everything, you are not alone! Consider having regular virtual lunch dates!
6. Get blue light filtering glasses!
They help to filter out the blue light emitted from screens. This will help prevent eye strain from staring at screens all day! I love mine, they are actually prescription ones from eyebuydirect!
You can use DocHub to make fillable forms from PDFs. The steps are in the video below!
8. Students will arrive late to virtual meetings and they will zone out.
Try to have the directions posted somewhere so students know what to do at the beginning of class if they miss the welcome screen!
Also, you know how you tend to zone out during meetings and you look around to see what everyone else is doing? That is not an option in a virtual classroom, keep the directions somewhere so students know exactly what to do if/when this happens!
9. Have a backup plan!
Students are bound to have technical issues, a code may not be working, or their internet could be down. Try to have an alternate option for them when this happens!
10. Try to keep your email open during your virtual meetings.
Students may email you questions or try to let you know when they are having technical issues. Consider connecting a second monitor for ease with this!
11. In the first days, ask questions that require a response and find ways to teach students to raise their hands.
This will encourage and demand participation. If using Zoom, allow students to practice using the Zoom reaction buttons. Wait until every student has responded.
Teach them that questions are welcome by showing them how to use the raise your hand feature!
12. Give yourself the same grace you give your students!
Imagine being a first-year teacher, it is HARD. You will make mistakes and that is okay! You will adapt and you will thrive! Go easy on yourself.
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