11 April 2023
Implementing an online course during emergency distance learning can be a challenging tasks, but if teachers create engaging online tasks with an organized Learning Management System such as Google Classroom or Canvas, students can fully participate during and after online classes.
This video highlights some feedback obtained from Google Forms to demonstrate good practice for online courses that moves away from real-time participation to enhance the benefits of online education for students.
My thoughts: I think it's important to focus on creating slidedecks that students can follow easily and support language learners. Regardless of student interaction, teachers can model their classrooms on the concept of the flipped classroom to create dual interactions in the synchronous and asynchronous classroom settings. What if your students don't engage in the synchronous classroom? Use your online classroom to create meaningful learning so that students can learn from video recording and accomplish the tasks (assignments) necessary to increase their language skills. Video recording or screen recordings allow students rewatch parts that they need more support on and allow them to become independent learners. Even though I don't have an assignment grade in my online English class, students feel incentivized to complete tasks due to the feedback and support they get from me.
My advice: Work with your administration to decrease online classroom times with the justification that students' asynchronous work and your grading and feedback account for the increased workload.
Move away from real-time attendance tracking to using weekly assignment completion as a way to track student effort and growth. This allows students to manage their own time and be able to catch-up after falling behind due to stress-related issues or problems caused by the emergency situation.
Pre-record screen recordings that include instruction giving, read aloud passages, and demonstrations to reduce your cognitive load in the classroom and allow students to watch at their own pace. These recordings can be reused in future lessons when done well.
If you uncomfortable speaking to the "void" of a blank screen or micrphone-less students, practice screen recordings until you become a pro. You'll be starting your own YouTube channel any day now.
