Are you like me and already thinking about next fall? We have had several meetings as a school district regarding plans for this fall. Several ideas have been proposed, parents have been surveyed, teachers have shared some concerns, and we have established a few scenarios for this unique 2020-2021 school year. The most likely scenario for us is a combination, a hybrid if you will, of distance learning and classroom learning. We are considering an A day / B day schedule. A day students would attend school Monday and Wednesday with distance learning the remaining days, and B day students would attend Tuesday and Thursday with distance learning the remaining days. This is the most likely option for us. What this all boils down to is that teachers are going to need to adapt their instructional practices once again to meet the needs of learners… and this is why I am considering the Flipped Classroom model - AND the direct opposite of the Flipped Classroom model - for this fall.
Read moreEngaging Students in an Online Lesson
Engaging students in the online world can look very different than engagement in the traditional brick and mortar classroom. When I first started teaching online, I found myself falling back to that basic direct instruction lesson because I wasn’t as familiar with what needed to be done to engage students digitally in the lesson. I also found that the number of distractions our students are facing while trying to learn remotely is far greater than those they deal with inside of the school building. So, I have had to revamp my bag of teaching tools, so to speak. Here are some quick tips to get students engaged as you deliver your lessons digitally and remotely.
Read moreSteps to Designing an E-Learning or Online Unit
I have had the opportunity to teach online for a few years now. Through this time, I have learned some tips and tricks for creating a full e-learning / distance learning / online unit for students. (Can we talk about all of the names being tossed around? Sheesh!) I want to take a moment to share the steps I take to create online learning opportunities for my students. These 10 steps will walk you through the entire process!
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