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Strategies to Encourage Middle and High School Students to Turn Their Cameras On | Edutopia

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Incorporating SEL approaches, playing games, and giving students options can inspire them to show their faces.

While there is a tremendous amount of value to being able to see your students' faces during distance learning, we can't force them to be on camera, just as during in-person teaching, we can't force unengaged students to lift their heads or remove hats or hoodies that obscure their faces.

With experimentation and persistence, however, you can arrive at strategies that work. Whether they need options, encouragement, or trust in order to turn their cameras on, there's likely a solution that is the right fit for your classroom, circumstances, lessons, and students.

SEL Strategies to Encourage Camera Use

If you want to incorporate social and emotional learning (SEL) strategies to prompt camera use among your students, start with the recognition that words matter: Our communication with our students needs to be rooted in community, not compliance.

From there, you could leverage any number of SEL approaches.

Build relationships. Focus on trust, both teacher to student and student to student. Students who know they are safe and cared for by their community will be more comfortable having their cameras on.

Survey students. Ask students individually or in a Google form what deters them from using a camera and what would make them comfortable. Once you identify the barriers to camera use, you can collaborate with students to reduce or remove those barriers.

Use icebreakers. Try community-building activities that encourage camera use. For example, prompt students to "find the largest yellow thing in your house that you can safely bring back to the camera." As a variation, try within reach. Pass the pen is also a playful approach to building community remotely.

Play games. Rock, paper, scissors works well in a remote classroom setting, as do Pictionary and charades. Explore 25 games to play on Zoom, which includes options that work for different ages.

Visually vote or share understanding. Have students vote with their thumbs up or down on a topic, or poll the class with a Fist-to-Five, a simple signaling system that can engage reluctant students and build consensus within a group.

Encourage students who have social capital to use their cameras. The best role models are likely in your classroom already. Consider using a Google form to ask students to name three classmates with whom they would most like to be in a breakout room or with whom they would most like to work on a group project. The students with the most requests are likely the students with the most social capital and can be positive role models for camera-on activities. You can also consider using a sociogram to identify the best role models when it comes to camera use.

Be empathetic. Share with your students times when you haven't felt like being on camera in a meeting. Talk about how you prepare yourself to turn on the camera, even when you're not in the mood. If you're self-conscious about looking prepared or about multitasking while on camera, talk about it. Sharing will bring out your humanness.

Zoom Tips to Encourage Camera Use

Admit students into class one by one. Arrive to class five minutes early and enable the waiting room. As students arrive, admit and greet them individually, and check in with them about camera use. You might be able to check in with only a few students before needing to "admit all," but those who arrive early and have their cameras on will gain comfort from being in a small group to start. Plus, as the other students enter, they will register that some cameras are already on.

Use the "Ask to Start Video" option. As the host, you can invite participants to turn on their cameras by clicking the participant's black screen; then click the horizontal "..." and select "Ask to Start Video."

Send a private message in the chat. Use the chat feature to welcome the student, check in with them, and encourage them to turn on their camera.

Encourage virtual backgrounds. It could be that a student is resistant to using their camera because of their home environment, so teach them how to use Zoom virtual backgrounds or introduce them to Unscreen.

Instructional Tips to Encourage Camera Use

Let students know when cameras can be optional. Brainstorm with your class times when it is fine to have the camera off and when it's best to have it on. Discussing camera-optional policies and having camera routines provide students with predictability and autonomy.

Allow students to show only part of their body or space on camera. Some students are particularly self-conscious about exposing their face on camera. Consider allowing students to dip their toe into their onscreen time by encouraging them to turn the camera so that only a portion of their body appears.

Provide options for rubrics that include camera usage. At the onset of a lesson or unit, share rubrics or criteria for success for a given objective. If having the camera on is relevant to your objective, then consider including it as a criterion for success. Many students will align themselves with the rubric if they know the expectations upfront before instruction begins. To avoid forced compliance, consider providing options for students to create their own rubric based on the objective.

Have students submit a prerecorded video demonstrating skill or objective. If students need to visibly demonstrate a skill, allow them to make a recorded video. While the whole class won't see it, you can still assess the student and build their comfort with being on camera.

Ask students to suggest alternatives. Your students might have insights into other ways to participate and share their learning visually. Many educators have found that students will share videos on TikTok, Vimeo, or private YouTube channels or Instagram accounts.

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Strategies to Encourage Students to Turn Their Cameras On

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Incorporating SEL approaches, playing games, and giving students options can inspire them to show their faces.

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The Value of a Camera-Optional Policy in K-12 Classes | Edutopia

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However, from a policy standpoint, many signs point to a camera-optional rule. There are concerns about equity and bias, internet bandwidth, and privacy that make a camera requirement problematic.

A Question of Framing

Framing the camera question as being about rules and policies can pull our focus away from a more important question. Instead of asking, "Should I require my students' cameras to be on?" we should ask, "How do I create a learning space where students feel safe and comfortable turning their cameras on, where students want to see and be seen?"

Instead of mandating that students turn on their cameras, we should focus on creating a caring community where students can choose to turn their cameras on or off without shame or pressure.

Here are a few strategies for creating this environment in your classroom.

Let Go

The truth is, we cannot control what students do in their own homes-and control doesn't lead to student engagement anyway. Attempting to limit students' bathroom use or ban them from snacking is more likely to breed resentment than build relationships.

When we feel stressed, it's normal to reach for control as a way to make things feel predictable. But when we let go of the need to control our students, we become better able to join together with our students in the very human experience of living through uncertainty.

Rethink What Participation Looks Like

What does engagement look like? One assumption behind camera-mandatory policies is that teachers can tell whether students are listening by looking at their faces, but this simply isn't true. For some students, staring directly at the screen may indeed demonstrate that they are listening. But a student who is looking down or away, doodling or taking notes, may also be engaged.

Help students reflect on what works best for them. Encourage students to experiment with having their camera on or off, or taking notes on a Google doc versus on paper. This helps boost students' self-knowledge as learners.

Check In With Students

In addition to checking in on our own expectations and emotions, we need to ask our students how they feel about being on camera.

College instructor Karen Ray Costa reminds teachers that students may feel anxious about appearing on camera or simply unsure what they should be doing while onscreen. She recommends normalizing those anxious feelings and hosting a Zoom practice session to help students get familiar with the tools and expectations for online class.

Consider surveying your students and/or their families and caregivers to assess comfort with cameras, concerns about bandwidth, and availability of quiet spaces in the house. We know we cannot mandate that students join online class from a quiet desk space, because many of them don't have that type of space. Instead, we can try to better understand the types of spaces our students will be learning in and then plan accordingly.

For example, if I realize that many of my students will be joining class from the same room as siblings and it might get loud, I might build in more quiet, chat-based activities so that students don't have to mute and unmute as much. If I learn that many of my students are anxious about bullying or being judged by peers, I can address that by intentionally building community, being mindful that it takes time to cultivate trust.

Get Creative

Now that you have a sense of what your students need, it's time to get creative. By thinking flexibly, we can find multiple ways to engage students-whether cameras are on or off.

Use the chat feature to gather student questions or ask for quick responses. Use breakout rooms for small-group discussions, where students may feel more comfortable interacting on camera. Try technology tools like Padlet or Jamboard to work on collaborative writing, note taking, or mind maps.

You can also make a cameras-off environment more friendly to look at: Teach students how to add a profile picture so that students' faces are still present even when the camera is off. You might encourage younger students to aim the camera at a favorite stuffed animal or toy when they need a break from having their face onscreen.

Also, don't forget the power of one-to-one check-ins. Not every minute of a live class needs to have talking. Don't be afraid to use part of your synchronous class for students to read or write with cameras off. You can use this time to conference one-on-one or in small groups in a breakout room, or use the private chat function with one student at a time.

Be Real

Finally, teachers can support students by being authentic and modeling that it's OK to just be yourself on video. Don't worry about sounding rehearsed or making your space look Instagram-perfect. Embrace the fun and silly moments when pets and family members make guest appearances.

Create an environment where students recognize that turning cameras on means laughter, making silly faces at friends, and being seen for who they are. When students feel safe and connected in our online classes, we move from compliance to community.

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Allowing students to choose whether to turn their camera on for online classes enables them to take ownership of their learning.

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Virtual Classroom Tips and Tricks for Grownups (4)

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With educators around the nation preparing for and starting a new school year remotely, there's been a lot of active discussion about requiring students to turn their

cameras on during class sessions. ​If you're not familiar with some of the privacy and equity issues associated with such a requirement, check out this infographic by Dr. Torrey Trust from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Empowering Students to Decide
I see the ability to turn cameras on (and off) as a perfect opportunity to help students become more in touch with their learning preferences and needs, and to take more ownership of their learning environment.

According to the , students are ISTE Standards for Students empowered learners when they customize their learning environment in both physical and online settings by making choices that support their learning process and make learning more accessible ( ISTE Standard 1b).

Since there are benefits to students turning their cameras on, as well as remaining off camera, why don't we forgo a "one size fits all" requirement and instead, let students decide? We can guide students to consider the benefits and choose what feels best each day and in each moment.
​
​Can students make good decisions? Might doing so inspire more student ownership over remote learning?

Yes. They can, and it does. This is what empowered learning is all about!

their learning environment. How can I provide guidance?
I've created a resource to help teachers begin this conversation with students. I hope it helps both teachers and students identify reasons they may want to be on camera, and the reasons they may not, so they are better equipped to customize

​Please use and share this resource with colleagues.

As we continue refining our remote learning practices, new questions will continue to arise each day about how to manage the digital learning environment. Whether to have students on camera is one, and there will be a thousand more. Let's continue to talk, to discuss, to debate, and learn from one another so that we may identify/create best practices together. Thank you, teachers, for all you're doing now and always.

​​Love this topic and want to chat more?
Contact Me

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/boys-girls-kids-children-playing-3350811/ ​​

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Should Students Have Cameras On or Off? Answer: Yes

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With educators around the nation preparing for and starting a new school year remotely, there's been a lot of active discussion about requiring students to turn their cameras on during class sessions. ​If you're not familiar with some of the privacy and equity issues associated with such a requirement, check out this infographic by Dr. Torrey Trust from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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❤️ my Zoom Waiting Screen 💻 

Ss get log in early to chat with friends, listen to some tunes and see what they need for that session. Now I have Ss logging in early. Ss are naturally turning on their 📷 and 🎤 to interact. They see this as a shared screen. #remotelearning

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❤️ my Zoom Waiting Screen 💻 

Ss get log in early to chat with friends, listen to some tunes and see what they need for that session. Now I have Ss logging in early. Ss are naturally turning on their 📷 and 🎤 to interact. They see this as a shared screen. #remotelearning https://t.co/s6kSDpFndL

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❤️ my Zoom Waiting Screen 💻

Ss get log in early to chat with friends, listen to some tunes and see what they need for that session. Now I have Ss logging in early. Ss are naturally turning on their 📷 and 🎤 to interact. They see this as a shared screen. #remotelearning pic.twitter.com/s6kSDpFndL
— Michael Hughes (@LakersHughes) September 8, 2020

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❤️ my Zoom Waiting Screen 💻 

Ss get log in early to chat with friends, listen to some tunes and see what they need for that session. Now I have Ss logging in early. Ss are naturally turning on their 📷 and 🎤 to interact. They see this as a shared screen. #remotelearning https://t.co/s6kSDpFndL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
❤️ my Zoom Waiting Screen 💻 

Ss get log in early to chat with friends, listen to some tunes and see what they need for that session. Now I have Ss logging in early. Ss are naturally turning on their 📷 and 🎤 to interact. They see this as a shared screen. #remotelearning https://t.co/s6kSDpFndL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
❤️ my Zoom Waiting Screen 💻 

Ss get log in early to chat with friends, listen to some tunes and see what they need for that session. Now I have Ss logging in early. Ss are naturally turning on their 📷 and 🎤 to interact. They see this as a shared screen. #remotelearning

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for adults or older students