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How will you promote peer-2-peer asynchronous collaboration?

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How will you promote peer-2-peer asynchronous collaboration?

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How will you promote engagement when students work on their own?

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How will you promote engagement when students work on their own?

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Types of learning opportunities

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The purpose of this padlet is to spark ideas you can use to expand student engagement in learning within virtual, remote, and hybrid learnng. 

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The purpose of this padlet is to spark ideas you can use to expand student engagement in learning within virtual, remote, and hybrid learnng. 

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5 Strategies to Promote Learner-Driven, Evidence-Informed practice 

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5 Strategies to Promote Learner-Driven, Evidence-Informed practice 

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George Couros

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Assessment can (and should) be about growing and learning and instead of being punitive or used as a gotcha moment- I am looking at you "pop quiz". Over time I have worked with educators to better define the profile of success or competencies and measure what matters. The tendency, that we have to fight against, is to get a rubric and rate students with a number or met or not met on all of the competencies. I have seen time and time again that, based on old habits of grading, it quickly moves from celebrating students' growth and what they can do to checking the boxes. Instead, when we identify the specific knowledge, skills, and habits that are valued, explicitly teach them and provide guidance to develop them, we can have students reflect on these skills, get peer feedback, and provide evidence of strengths and areas of growth.

With clear learning goals, we can bring students into the process to create their own portfolio, self-assess, and capture evidence of their own growth like pictures, pieces of work, anecdotes from the playground, home, or group collaboration that better capture their learning journey and growth over time.

As I read this, I reflected on the opportunity to teach my first graduate-level course with the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2020. As I wrote in " Innovate Inside the Box, " I believe we truly need to shift to the idea of "Learner-Driven, Evidence-Informed Practice":

Talking about summative and formative assessment moves the conversation in a slightly better direction, but what if we shifted our focus and our practice to be learner-driven and evidence-informed? With relationships at the core of what we do and learner-driven, evidence- informed practices, education improves dramatically for teachers, administrators, and, most importantly, for students.

So what does that look like in my own practice? I believe the content I delivered in the course was critical, but honestly, not as important as the learning experience for the students who were a part of the course. How could I help them get the most out of the process? I would love to say I was 100% successful, but I still have learning to do, but I wanted to share some of my assessment strategies for the course. I know that they could be implemented easier in a course with adults where I have autonomy in how I teach and how I assess. Still, I also thought about creating an experience for the educators taking the class that might give them some ideas for their schools/classrooms.

Here are five things that I focused on for the assessment of the course.
1. I learned about my student's interests and strengths to help shape the course.
I asked the following in " Innovate Inside the Box ":

How would knowing the answers to these questions for our students, both from the educator perspective and the student perspective, help shape a much more positive experience in our classrooms?

At the beginning of the course, I met with the students in a lecture and asked them a variation of the questions listed above after the meeting in a Google form. What was important about the process was not my questions as much as it was their answers. As I read through, watched, or listened to their assignments, I would come back to what they wrote in that initial survey and sometimes offer feedback connected to their original answers. What that process helped me do, was connect the content presented to the needs and strengths of individuals, not pick one or the other. It also helped me get to know each student in a personalized way and what they hoped to get out of the process. Strangely enough, that actually made the class more enjoyable for me as well.

This leads to the next point.

2. Gave them options in how they presented their learning and what direction they wanted to go with what they shared.

For each part of the course/module, there was some content and information provided. In the end, I would provide a few questions to consider, and students were encouraged to A) answer in a way that connects to their current role as an educator and B) share their learning in a way that made sense to them. I did not provide word count expectations or video/audio length. I wanted them to share their learning on the topic in a way that they could maximize the course for their own context. However long it took for them to answer adequately was the right length of the assignment. This was an essential element for me because I didn't want students to do this course plus have to do their job; I wanted this course to be something that would help them improve in their current context. This doesn't mean it was less work to take a course while working a job, but it was important that the learning made the most sense to what they were currently doing.

The course was not meant to be a "leadership course" that teachers could take or a "teaching course" that administrators could take. It was meant to be a course that connected to your current work and career aspirations. That looks different for every student, so I wanted what they shared back with me to be unique to their needs, strengths, and areas in which they wanted to grow.

They could also share their learning in a format that made sense to them. Some did videos, some podcasts, some writing, some visuals, etc. I was not focused on the format as much as I was focused on the learning they communicated through the format they presented. I had no idea what I was going to receive from each student, but I loved the variability in how they shared, and it actually taught me some new ways to communicate. I loved it!

3. Provided maximum flexibility in the assessments.

This might seem like a simple point, but I think it is important.

I provide "deadlines" for when students should submit their work, but no one was deducted marks for handing in things late. All of the educators taking the course had other things they were doing during a pandemic. The deadlines were provided as almost a suggestion but were never "hard" timelines. If they handed it in after the deadline, there were no penalties on my side. I don't understand that if you know something fully, but hand it in a week late, how you know it "fully" minus a percentage?

Yes, the university has some requirements on the timelines of when students complete the course, but even that is flexible.

I wanted to honor the students, their lives, and what worked for them in submitting their work.

4. Focused on feedback rather than grades.

All students that completed the course got an "A" as their final grade.

Here have been some of my struggles with giving grades. If I give a "grade," what is lost in the feedback that I provide? As a student, if I received an "A" grade, I could care less about the feedback provided. If I got a "C," it might give me suggestions on how to improve, but was it too late to change my grade?

I believe that assessment is to help growth, not rank and sort.

I also struggle with grades because each participant had different experiences and knowledge than me, so when they share things that I don't fully understand and actually help me learn, how do I grade that?

In 2016, I wrote the post, " 3 Reasons Why All Learning is Personal " and shared the following:

I definitely wanted to share my thoughts on their content, provide feedback on their learning, but I also wanted students to think about my feedback to move forward. Sometimes, the grade makes the learning seem "final," where effective feedback should lead to ongoing growth.

I still had to provide a grade at the end of the course, and I can honestly say, not all learning was the same, but all learning was important and helpful to the participant.
5. Students create a portfolio to share their learning now, and in the future.
As Katie shared earlier,

With clear learning goals, we can bring students into the process to create their own portfolio, self-assess, and capture evidence of their own growth like pictures, pieces of work, anecdotes from the playground, home, or group collaboration that better capture their learning journey and growth over time.

I wanted the students to capture their learning in a space that they could look back on and learn from and help them move forward. Many of the students have career aspirations that are different from what they are doing today. Having the portfolio as part of their process would also provide evidence to future employers, could be used in interviews, or create opportunities for jobs that they might not have considered. All students had the opportunity to take my self-paced course on portfolios, and I am glad that they can look back in one space to see all that they learned while creating their own library of knowledge.

It is also important to note; not all participants wanted to make a portfolio. I actually had zero issues with this, but I wanted to provide the opportunity for those that wanted to compile their work and share it publicly, the chance to do so. While having an opportunity to see their own varied evidence of learning and go through that process themselves, I hope they see its value for their students.

With all this being said, I wanted to share what I did and why I did it, but I know so many educators work in a different context and have different constraints, and even if they agree with what I shared, they might not be able to do what I have suggested. What I know from this process is that I grew tremendously. Not only from the way that I assessed, but also by learning so much from "what" and "how" the students in the course shared their own thinking, wisdom, and experience.

When we do truly meaningful learning assessments, I think all participants, including the teacher, should grow through the process.

(If you would like to learn more about the course or sign up for the Winter cohort, you can find more information here!)

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5 Strategies to Promote Learner-Driven, Evidence-Informed Practice

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Assessment can (and should) be about growing and learning and instead of being punitive or used as a gotcha moment- I am looking at you "pop quiz". Over time I have worked with educators to better define the profile of success or competencies and measure what matters.

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How will you promote engagement during teacher led online instruction?

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How will you promote engagement during teacher led online instruction?

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How will you promote peer-2-peer synchronous interaction?

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How will you promote peer-2-peer synchronous interaction?

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The US Office of Educational Technology published this helful guide for families

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Share this Report

What can this guide do for you?

Your involvement in your child's education can lead to better learning results and outcomes. This "Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide" will inform you, as a parent or caregiver, as you monitor your child's progress as your child accesses and uses technology for learning.

This guide aims to help all parents and caregivers, including those who have limited experience with digital tools, those who are expert with these tools, and anywhere in between. Each section starts with foundational pieces and builds from there.

Making the most of this guide

1. Scan: Each section of the Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide can be read independently. Please scan the guide for content and resources that are most helpful to you.

2. Discuss: Find time to discuss the principles explained in the guide with your children. You can also use the questions at the end of each section to start conversations with teachers, school leaders, and other parents.

3. : Use the content of the guide to create resources to help your community better understand digital learning (checklists, social media content, or short video clips). Send us what you create and you just might be featured on our website or social media*. Send your examples to ED.Tech@ed.gov and use the subject line "Creating with the Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide.

* Sending examples to the Department would allow us to share them on its Department's websites and social media channels.

Other than statutory and regulatory requirements included in the document, the contents of this guidance do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public. This document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.

Introduction

What should my child know and how do I know if they have learned it? How can I be sure that my child is progressing and getting the help they need? How should my child use technology for learning, and what technology is needed for my child's learning? What is the right balance of being online versus offline? How can my child stay connected with their friends and teachers? How can my child stay safe?

Parents, educators, and researchers have asked these questions for years; they are even more relevant in light of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Is technology the answer to all of these questions? No, of course not. Technology is a tool. Technology, when used appropriately, can empower learning, engage and motivate students, and help make learning interactive. Students can benefit from educational technology because it can personalize instruction and adapt to their strengths and weaknesses. Today's digital tools and resources support and enhance learning at home and in the classroom. In some cases, a student's engagement with educational technology can help them develop communications and technical skills for their futures.

Digital tools (such as devices, apps, and platforms) can enable multiple places for your child to learn, help you and your child set clear and easy to understand learning goals, and track progress. These tools can also help facilitate communication between you, as your child's primary educator, and your child's other teachers, allowing you to work together toward ensuring success. To take full advantage of the potential of digital tools, your child will need access to a device and the internet (at home and at whatever school option you choose for your child). You are also responsible for guiding your child on how to use technology safely and appropriately. This guide provides resources to help you fulfill that responsibility. While having multiple options for access, devices, internet connectivity, and digital tools is the ideal, it is not the reality for everyone. This guide focuses on empowering you with information and resources to improve your child's opportunity for successful and safe digital learning.

The following sections explain three distinct benefits of digital learning. Digital learning can help meet the specific needs of your child, monitor your child's academic progress, and connect you and your child with your school community and beyond.
Digital Learning
Digital learning is used throughout this guide to refer to learning that leverages digital tools and resources, regardless of where it occurs.

MEETING THE LEARNING NEEDS OF YOUR CHILD:

PERSONALIZED LEARNING

This section in 30 seconds

Technology and digital tools can help your child learn in ways that work for your child. These tools can help change the way content is presented and how learning is assessed. They can make instruction personalized based on what will help your child learn.

For decades, most American classrooms have taken a "one size fits all" approach to instruction, teaching to the average student and largely ignoring the uniqueness of each learner. Educational technology can move us toward meeting the needs of each student and providing support tailored to each student's strengths and interests.

To personalize learning, the learning experiences and resources provided should be flexible and should adapt to and build on your child's skills. You know your child best. Working with your child's teachers to help them understand your child's needs can contribute to their personalized learning. The sections below outline technology-based approaches that can help personalize your child's education.

Personalized learning is an educational approach that tailors learning experiences to each
student's strengths, needs, skills, and interests.

Digital tools can provide multiple ways to engage your child in personalized learning. Learners can be motivated to learn in different ways, and a wide variety of factors can influence learning engagement and effectiveness. These include:

relevance (e.g., can my child imagine using this skill outside of school?),

interest (e.g., does my child get excited about this topic?),

culture (e.g., does my child's learning connect to the culture they experience outside of school?),

language (e.g., do the assignments that are given to my child help build vocabulary, especially if English is not my child's native language?),

background knowledge (e.g., can this topic be connected to something that my child already knows and can build upon?), and

differences in how they process information (e.g., does my child have a disability such as a specific learning disability (e.g., dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia), or a sensory disability such as blindness or visual impairment, deafness or hearing impairment? Or does my child have a learning difference that is not a disability, but that affects the way my child processes or accesses information?)

Effective digital tools can help accommodate your child's needs and preferences. Here are five ways that technology can be used to customize learning:

1. Choose your preferred learning environment. Digital technologies allow learning to take place synchronously with others (i.e., at the same time with you, a teacher, or other students), asynchronously (i.e., not at the same time), or both (i.e., with a mix of live interactions and assignments completed independently by each student based on their own schedule and pace). Learning can be organized for individual, small group, and whole class interactions, which may appeal to different learners' needs and preferences. As you consider schooling options for your child, the examples below may help you consider how synchronous and asynchronous learning approaches and activities may meet the particular needs and preferences of your child.
Examples of Synchronous Activities

A scheduled class in a school or online.

Live video conferencing with interactive participation.

A scheduled online live chat session.

Scheduled times (e.g., office hours) when teachers or tutors are available.

Examples of Asynchronous Activities

Completing assigned work independently.

Viewing a playlist of videos.

Engaging with learning software or online educational materials at a time and sequence of the student's choice.

2. Uncover new learning opportunities. Many digital tools can support partner or group work and facilitate feedback from peers and teachers. Such applications can also help your child find new things to learn. For example, many sources of information are available online, such as from museums and libraries, historical sites, scientific laboratories, and other sources from the web that support curiosity, inquiry, and research. These tools can also help your child access digital books, simulations, games, interactive content, and online explorations. We have listed several examples in the resources at the end of this section.

3. Support creative expression. Your child can learn to use digital tools for organizing, researching, writing, publishing, and creating media on topics that are important and interesting. Such digital tools can be used to help your child creatively think through solutions to challenging problems while fostering their abilities to communicate, collaborate, and otherwise develop their creative skills. Students can also keep their own personal portfolios, a record of their learning, and a blog or journal including reflections on their goals and learning progress.

4. Provide fast feedback. Technology can offer real-time assessment of learning and progress to inform and guide your child as they work. Such feedback enables your child to self-monitor and gives you, and your child's other teachers, information to know how to provide effective support.

5. Provide multiple means of interacting with content. Learners differ in how they best access, process, and comprehend information. Your child may need or benefit from special supports, for example:

If your child has a sensory disability (e.g., blindness or deafness), or;

If your child has learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia), or;

If your child has another health impairment (e.g., attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder); or

If your child is an English learner, or;

If based on your child's unique cultural background and experiences, they may benefit when content and resources are presented in a variety of ways.

Technology that your child with a disability may use, referred to as assistive technology, may include software and systems that translate text to speech or speech to text, closed captions, translation tools, and resources available in multiple media formats such as text, audio, and video. Some of this technology can present content in shortened or lengthened formats to accommodate students who have limited attention spans or other disability-related needs.

Under federal laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability, websites and apps used in schools must be accessible or, if necessary, schools must provide equally effective alternate access.
Accessibility
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education has recognized this definition: "'Accessible' refers to information or technology that, at a minimum, affords a person with a disability the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same programs and activities as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use."

Federal law also requires schools to provide support services for English learners: "Parents or guardians may choose for their child to receive services to learn English if their child is identified as needing these services. School districts and schools are required by federal law to provide these services. Schools must ensure meaningful communication with English learners."

Additionally, your child may differ in the ways that they can best demonstrate what they know. Your child may be able to express themselves well in written text but struggle with speech, or vice versa. Children may be able to show what they have learned through illustration better than following conventions of text on pages and margins. With the right tools and appropriate accommodations throughout the learning process, all students can have multiple means of accessing content and demonstrating content mastery.

Your child's personalized learning approach may also need to be addressed in your child's Individualized Education Program (IEP).6 The requirements for an IEP for eligible children with disabilities are contained in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and those same requirements do not apply to students who do not have a documented disability.

Guides with Tips and Tricks

Digital Tools

Instructional Activities

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILD'S PROGRESS:

COMPETENCY-BASED LEARNING

This section in 30 seconds

Your child masters content and develops skills at their own pace. Many children learn effectively when the support they receive is customized for each new skill. In a competency-based system, your child can be empowered to learn skills in a personalized manner and to take responsibility for and make more decisions in their own learning. As a result, your child may be more engaged and successful in their learning.

What is it? Competency-based learning (also known as performance-based, mastery-based, or proficiency-based education) is an approach in which the parent and teacher builds a structure around the difference in pace of each student. The learning is set up to help ensure that students progress after showing mastery of the skills and competencies. For example, rather than allowing only one week for all students to learn two-digit addition before moving on to a new topic, the expectation is that each student will be able to solve two-digit math problems using addition, and that they can work at their needed pace to demonstrate mastery.

In this approach, the learning environment supports the strengths, weaknesses, and unique abilities of each student who learns in different ways and at different paces. While each student is tracking their own progress, they are not alone in their learning. Students can work with their parents, peers and get support from members of their learning community. Technology can help parents and teachers provide the variety of support that each student will need to progress and help students know when they have gained a specific competency.

Goals of Competency-based Education at a Glance:

Your child progresses based on evidence of learning a concept, not the amount of time spent on that concept.

Your child is empowered to make learning decisions, including how to demonstrate what has been learned.

Assessment is a positive experience for your child and provides timely, relevant, and actionable information.

Your child receives different support based on their individual learning needs.

Strategies to ensure access for your child are embedded in the learning experience.

Expectations for learning are clear and measurable.

Why do some find competency-based learning beneficial? Competency-based approaches and systems value flexible learning environments where learning may happen at different times and in different spaces. The development of new skills can be independent of location, and students have the ability to pause or move ahead with their learning as needed.

Guides with Tips and Tricks

CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND:

DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS

This section in 30 seconds

Students are more engaged when parents and families are involved in education. Using digital learning resources provides new opportunities for your family to develop a strong partnership with your school or education provider. Technology can help you and your child stay connected to your local community, your child's school and teachers, and other parents and children.

Social emotional support from your local community

Emotions and social relationships are essential components of learning. In a national survey of parents related to COVID-19, the top concern for parents during school closures is that their child is missing important social interactions at school and with friends. Schools provide counseling services and community spaces and can play a pivotal role in the social development and mental well-being of your child.

If your school is providing instruction virtually or your child is learning from home, technology can help support social connections. Consider these examples of ways technology can help. You and your child could:

Hold a video conference to stay connected to teachers and peers. Take pictures of their work or their creations and share them with their teacher or classmates. They can get to know their teacher and classmates better by exchanging pictures, stories, and special memories.

Practice writing by sending letters and e-mails to friends and relatives.

Set up virtual playdates for your younger child, and make sure your older child has time to talk with friends.

Set up video chats with grandparents and other family members.

Social connections can reduce the impact of stress while also helping children develop communication, problem-solving, and empathy skills. For example, time with friends can help your child build relationships and talk with others who understand and relate to their feelings.

Learning resources and support from your learning community

Staying connected to school and learning communities will help parents and families while better supporting their children in their learning environment moving forward. Two-way communication with your child and their learning community can be essential. Your child's school, district, or education provider's website may include important updates and information. Your child's teacher may post assignments online or communicate them through email. You may seek to establish lines of communication with your child's teacher or education provider to ask questions and exchange information through phone, email, text messaging, or other means.

Virtual communication can help you:

Better understand your child's progress and different subjects they are learning.

Learn about opportunities from device distribution to enrichment programs to exam preparation.

Know right away if your child's teacher or education provider has identified any issues, academic or non-academic.

Share what you know works best to support your child with their teacher or education provider.

Ways you and your child's teacher might use technology to facilitate connections and collaboration include:

Having your child share projects and essays by creating a website or photo gallery.

Providing opportunities for your child to share experiences, engage in digital class discussions and small group work, and support one another.

Providing avenues for your child to share questions, comments, and concerns that are related to instruction, as well as those related to how they are feeling.

Making space for informal connections and personalized support by regularly scheduling a virtual meeting with you, your child, or both of you.

Technology for two-way family and school connections include the school website, video conferencing, phone, text messaging, email, online office hours, and online surveys.

Learning resources and support from beyond your local community

Technology can give your child opportunities to engage in research and problem-solving activities and to share ideas and collaborate on projects with other learners beyond those in their local community.

Access to virtual learning schools

You may identify and pursue a virtual learning option that meets the needs and requirements of your child. This option may include full courses that are self-paced, access to a virtual classroom that provides teachers, content, and assessments, or some combination. If your child's school is closed or the options that it provides do not meet the particular needs of your child, a virtual learning option may provide access to what your child needs to continue progressing in their
learning.

Virtual learning
Virtual learning refers to online learning that takes place outside of the school or brings what is outside of the school into the school. It uses an online environment to connect students who may be physically located in one place with a course or learning opportunity located somewhere else.

Along with private virtual learning providers, some states have online K-12 schools that are operated by the state or district. These options can be helpful during school building closures and at other times that meet the particular needs and requirements of your child. Online schools may offer courses that your child may not otherwise have in their schools, and, if necessary, can also help your child make up credits to continue toward graduation.

Guides with Tips and Tricks

Digital Tools

To take full advantage of the benefits of digital learning, your child needs access to a personal learning device, such as a laptop, and access to the internet at home. While the hardware and software required on each device may vary based on your child's needs and their digital learning program, your child may generally need the ability to communicate reliably and safely with their personal learning device.

Ensuring access to a device and the internet can also facilitate a more seamless transition between school and home. Your child can access online platforms that record progress and provide digital learning activities and resources.

While having full access to devices and broadband connections is ideal, we know that isn't the reality for everyone. If your child has no device (or only a smartphone), limited internet access, or both no device and limited internet access, the sections below can help you find ways to obtain a device and connectivity for your child.

ENSURING YOUR CHILD'S ACCESS:

PERSONAL LEARNING DEVICES

You may have multiple options to access a personal learning device for your child:

Learn about available personal learning device options. There are multiple makes, models, and configurations of laptops, tablets, cameras, and software that can support digital learning. You, your child, or your school or education provider may maintain certain technical requirements and standards that affect your child's use of personal learning devices. Your school or education provider may or may not purchase personal learning devices for your child. Such devices may otherwise be made available to your child without cost or at reduced cost from your state or school district, from non-profit organizations, or from device manufacturers. Note though, that if your child has a disability and the device is required in order for your child to receive a free appropriate public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the device must be provided to your child at no cost to you and your child.

Learn about device distribution opportunities at your school or education provider. Reach out to your child's teacher or counselor to ask about access to a digital device, such as a laptop or tablet. Even if you already have a computer at home, each child should have their own reliable device so they can fully participate in digital learning when needed.

Get technical support. Ask your device provider, school, or education provider if and how they provide support setting up devices and thereafter. Your school or education provider may host virtual town halls or other events for parents and families.

Learning without a personal learning device. You may find opportunities for your child to learn without a device. Your child's teacher or local library may help you identify activities that your child can do without a screen so that your child can continue learning if a device is not available to them, and maximize meaningful use of screen time when a device is available.

ENSURING YOUR CHILD'S ACCESS:

INTERNET SERVICE

Streaming and downloading content and participating in video conferences requires a highspeed, reliable internet connection. Although many public spaces offer internet access, obtaining access at home is critical for supporting continuity of learning. If you do not have access to the internet to support your child's learning, some options may be available to you.

Discover school- or community-provided internet access. Some schools provide internet hotspots for students to check out, and some communities have open access to a community-based network. Check with your school and public library to learn about options in your community. The resources section below provides additional sources for finding internet access options in your community.

Learn about your internet access. If you already have service, make sure it can support the increased online activity and that you understand any data limits (if applicable).

ENSURING YOUR CHILD'S SAFETY, PRIVACY, AND RESPONSIBLE TECHNOLOGY USE

Know your rights and learn what information is being collected or shared about your child.

While federal, state, and local laws have been developed to protect your child's safety and privacy online, your child's safety and privacy also depends on your child's and the education provider's safe and responsible online practices. We offer the sections below as helpful places to start discussing internet security and privacy with your child, and to outline the federal laws that govern privacy and safety.

Security Settings

Turn on the security features on any device your child may use for learning activities. These can be found in the device's general settings under the privacy menu. These features can:

Restrict access to offensive or inappropriate content.

Require approval for downloads.

Limit time spent on certain apps.

For additional information on online safety concerns and ways of protecting your child online, see "Cyber Safety Considerations for K-12 Schools and School Districts."

Digital Citizenship

Talk with your child about how to be a responsible digital citizen. Remind your child that virtual communities are an extension of their classrooms and the same basic rules apply, such as treating others with respect. Let your child know that they should tell you, their teacher, or a family member if they or a classmate are being bullied or are worried about any troubling content, encounters, or activities online.

Password Management

Make sure you and your child have all the information to find their learning resources. Keep track of log-in and password information and URLs for each platform they use. Consider using a password manager in your internet browser, or keep passwords written down in a safe place. Change passwords regularly.

Video Conferencing

You may choose to talk with your child and your child's teacher if you aren't comfortable with your child using the video feature during virtual lessons. Many platforms allow you to use virtual backgrounds or images to protect the privacy of your home. If your child's teacher, school, or education provider plans to record a lesson or take screenshots during a lesson and you are uncomfortable, you may ask if your child can be off-camera or watch the recorded lesson later.

Privacy Policies

Keep in mind that your school or education provider may have different agreements with companies to protect the privacy of students, and checking with your school or education provider is always an important first step. Schools may use certain digital learning tools without your consent as long as the use of these tools aligns with state and federal law.

Federal Laws Governing Privacy and Safety: FERPA, IDEA, and COPPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, known as FERPA, is a federal law that, among other things, generally prohibits FERPA-covered educational agencies (e.g., school districts) and institutions (i.e., schools) from disclosing personally identifiable information (PII) from the education records of a student without the prior written consent of the student's parent or the "eligible student" herself or himself (i.e., the student if he or she is 18 years or older or attends an institution of postsecondary education). 20 U.S.C. §§ 1232g(b), (h), (i), and (j), and 34 CFR Part 99, Subpart D. FERPA contains specific exceptions to this general consent requirement which are set forth in 20 U.S.C. § 1232g(b)(1)-(b)(3), (b) (5), (b)(6), (h), (i) and (j), and 34 CFR § 99.31. FERPA also generally provides parents and eligible students with the right to inspect and review their education records, and the right to seek to amend information in their education records that is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's rights of privacy. 20 U.S.C. §§ 1232g(a)(1)(A) and (a)(2), and 34 CFR Part 99, Subparts B and C. For more information regarding FERPA, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office's website at https:// studentprivacy.ed.gov. Of note, the U.S. Department of Education recently released guidance to parents on FERPA in April 2020 titled, "The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: Guidance for Parents," which is available at https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/ sites/default/files/resource_document/file/FERPAGuidanceForParents.pdf.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) also contains confidentiality of information provisions that protect PII in the education records of children with disabilities. 20 U.S.C. § 1417(c) and 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.610-300.626. IDEA also generally provides parents with the right to inspect and review their child's education records, and the right to seek to amend information in their child's education records that is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's rights of privacy. IDEA's confidentiality provisions generally require parental consent for disclosure of PII in education records, to parties other than officials of participating agencies, and generally incorporate the FERPA exceptions to the prior written consent requirement. Note that the IDEA confidentiality of information provisions incorporate some of the FERPA requirements but also include several provisions that are specifically related to children with disabilities. More information about IDEA and FERPA confidentiality provisions is available at https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/resources/ferpaidea-cross-walk.

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) generally gives parents control over what information is collected about their children online. Under COPPA, schools may, in certain circumstances, provide consent on behalf of parents to the collection of student personal information. The Federal Trade Commission recently clarified that "schools can consent on behalf of parents to the collection of student personal information-but only if such information is used for a school-authorized educational purpose and for no other commercial purpose. This is true whether the learning takes place in the classroom or at home at the direction of the school." More information about COPPA is available at https:// www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/business-blog/2020/04/coppa-guidance-ed-techcompanies-schools-during-coronavirus.

Guides with Tips and Tricks

Digital Tools

HOW TO FILE A DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT WITH THE OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

Educational institutions have a responsibility to protect every student's right to learn in a safe environment free from unlawful discrimination and to prevent unjust deprivations of that right. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education enforces several federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability, race, color, national origin, sex, and age in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education. OCR also has responsibilities under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by public entities, whether or not they receive federal financial assistance.

Discrimination on the basis of disability is prohibited by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and, as noted above, by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This includes discrimination based on a person's limited English proficiency or English learner status; and actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, including membership in a religion that may be perceived to exhibit such characteristics (such as Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh individuals).

Discrimination on the basis of sex is prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This includes discrimination based on pregnancy, parental status, and sex stereotypes (such as treating persons differently because they do not conform to sex-role expectations or because they are attracted to or are in relationships with persons of the same sex).

Discrimination on the basis of age is prohibited by the Age Discrimination Act of 1975.

Anyone may file a complaint with OCR. The person or organization filing the complaint need not be a victim of the alleged discrimination but may file on behalf of another person or group. You may file a complaint by mail or fax with the appropriate regional office ( https://www2.ed.gov/ about/offices/list/ocr/addresses.html), by email ( ocr@ed.gov), or by using OCR's electronic complaint form ( https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html). Generally, a complaint must be filed within 180 calendar days of the date of the alleged discrimination. More information about OCR is available at https://www.ed.gov/ocr.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

This document contains resources that are provided for the user's convenience. The inclusion of these materials is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered. These materials may contain the views and recommendations of various subject matter experts as well as hypertext links, contact addresses, and websites to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. The opinions expressed in any of these materials do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any outside information included in these materials.

ENDNOTES

1. Morin, A. (n.d.). Personalized Learning: What You Need to Know. Understood. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/ instructional-strategies/personalized-learning-what-you-need-to-know/

2. Unless otherwise noted this guide does not address schools' responsibilities to provide services or modifications to students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Information about the IDEA is available at https:// osepideasthatwork.org/. Information about Section 504 and Title II is available at https:// www.ed.gov/ocr.

3. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II).

4. Resolution Agreement: South Carolina Technical College System, OCR Compliance Review No. 11-11-6002.

5. English Learner Family Toolkit: Attending Schools in the United States. (2018). National Clearinghouse for English Language Learners. Retrieved from https://ncela.ed.gov/files/ family_toolkit/EL-Family-Tool-Kit-Attending-Schools-in-the-US.pdf

6. Note that a student's personalized learning approach may also need to be addressed through the services and modifications provided to students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 34 C.F.R. § 104.33.

7. The parents of a child with a disability have the right to request an IEP team meeting at any time to review the child's IEP and revise it, if appropriate.

8. Introduction to Competency-Based Education. (2020). Aurora Institute. Retrieved from https://aurora-institute.org/our-work/competencyworks/competency-based-education/

9. Kaufman, T. (n.d.). Family Engagement and Student Success: What the Research Says. Understood. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/foreducators/partnering-with-families/family-engagement-and-student-success

10. Immordino-Yang, M. H., Darling-Hammond, L., & Krone, C. (2018). The Brain Basis for Integrated Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. The Aspen Institute. Retrieved from https://assets.aspeninstitute.org/content/uploads/2018/09/Aspen_research_ FINAL_web.pdf

11. Learning Heroes. (2020). Parents 2020: COVID-19 Closures-A Redefining Moment for Students, Parents, and Schools [Webinar]. Retrieved from https://bealearninghero.org/ research/

12. Virtual Learning. (2020). Core Education. Retrieved from https://core-ed.org/researchand-innovation/ten-trends/2013/virtual-learning/

REFERENCES

English Learner Family Toolkit: Attending Schools in the United States. (2018). National Clearinghouse for English Language Learners. Retrieved from https://ncela.ed.gov/files/family_toolkit/EL-Family-Tool-Kit-Attending-Schools-in-the-US.pdf

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. (2020, April). Guidance for Parents. Retrieved from https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/sites/default/files/resource_document/file/FERPAGuidanceForParents.pdf

Federal Trade Commission. (2020). Children's Privacy. Retrieved from https://www.ftc.gov/tipsadvice/business-center/privacy-and-security/children%27s-privacy

Immordino-Yang, M. H., Darling-Hammond, L., & Krone, C. (2018). The Brain Basis for Integrated Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. The Aspen Institute. Retrieved from https://assets.aspeninstitute.org/content/uploads/2018/09/Aspen_research_FINAL_web.pdf

Introduction to Competency-Based Education. (2020). Aurora Institute. Retrieved from https://aurora-institute.org/our-work/competencyworks/competency-based-education/

Kaufman, T. (n.d.). Family Engagement and Student Success: What the Research Says.
Understood. Retrieved fromhttps://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/partnering-with-families/family-engagement-and-student-success

Learning Heroes. (2020). Parents 2020: COVID-19 Closures-A Redefining Moment for Students,
Parents, and Schools [Webinar]. Retrieved fromhttps://bealearninghero.org/research/

Morin, A. (n.d.). Personalized Learning: What You Need to Know. Understood. Retrieved from
https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructionalstrategies/personalized-learning-what-you-need-to-know/

Schifferle, L. W. (2020, April). COPPA Guidance for Ed Tech Companies and Schools during the
Coronavirus. U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved fromhttps://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/business-blog/2020/04/coppa-guidance-ed-tech-companies-schools-during-coronavirus

Virtual Learning. (2020). Core Education. Retrieved from https://core-ed.org/research-andinnovation/ten-trends/2013/virtual-learning/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was developed under the guidance of senior staff in the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, with technical support from Jessenia Guerra, Kevin Johnstun, and Maile Symonds, and contributions from Digital Promise and Learning Heroes.

The team extends their thanks to a Technical Working Group of education leaders and researchers who provided valuable insights and examples from their experience (listed in alphabetical order by last name):

Jose Blackorby, CAST

Jered Borup, George Mason University

Linda Burch, Common Sense Media

Jon Deane, GreatSchools

Bruce Friend, Pine Springs Preparatory Academy

Pete Just, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township

Trynia Kaufman, Understood

Sarah Pottle, The New Teacher Project

Beth Rabbitt, The Learning Accelerator

Julia Rafal-Baer, Chiefs for Change

Justin Reich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Valerie Truesdale, American Association of School Administrators

Amelia Vance, Future of Privacy Forum

Casandra Woodall, International Society for Technology in Education

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Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide - Office of Educational Technology

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This guide will help you monitor your child's progress as your child accesses and uses technology for learning. It covers the benefits of digital learning and safety, privacy, and responsible technology use.

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How about having students create their own book about what they're learning? (Could also be used as collaborative project)

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Book Creator - Love Learning - Book Creator app

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Teachers love it. Students love it. Book Creator is the simplest, most inclusive way to create content in the classroom.

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How could you adjust these for online learning?

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Q&A Feature in Google Slides (Audience Tools)

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How to Use Google Jamboard for Remote Teaching

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Sponsored by Listenwise and National Geographic Education

Even before 2020, building relationships between students was an important ingredient in making school great. When students feel socially comfortable in a classroom, when they feel like they are among friends, when they feel known and seen, when they trust the people around them, they are more willing to take academic risks, ask questions, and even attend class. Creating this kind of environment in your classroom isn't really difficult, but it does require a conscious effort: While some relationships might grow organically no matter what you do, many more will develop if you take deliberate steps to make them happen.

Right now, while we're still in the middle of a pandemic, that principle is even more true. Across the world, social isolation is causing more people to experience depression and anxiety, and that's as true for students as it is for everyone else. Setting aside time for social interaction is not just a "nice to do," it really is essential. And I fear that in too many places, it's getting overlooked.

From a personal standpoint, I've seen my own kids, who are in middle and high school, beg to stay home from their twice-a-week in-person school days; they talk about the drudgery of sitting still all day, the feeling of not knowing anyone in any of their classes, and the anxiety around speaking up or getting things wrong in front of peers, all of which indicate a lack of interactivity-not enough time being spent on relationship-building between students.

This isn't a surprise: Like so many other districts, ours has done its best to adjust to constantly changing circumstances, and everyone-from the superintendent to building principals to classroom teachers-has been incredibly flexible, compassionate, and willing to do just about anything to make this school year work. But they all have a million things on their plates: Making the tech work. Getting through the curriculum. Keeping everyone, including themselves, safe. It's not a huge surprise that socializing isn't at the top of the list.

What I have to offer today is not grounded in any kind of formal research; it's just a list of ideas for generating more high-quality social interactions between students, whether they're remote or socially distanced in person. (I got most of this from your responses to this tweet and this follow-up one.) We'll talk about breakout rooms, other collaborative tools, improving participation in whole-class Zoom meetings, and some stuff that's just for fun. Whatever we do, now more than ever, it's crucial that we do something to get our students talking to each other.

In Person, but Socially Distanced

In conversations about wanting kids to get back to in-person schooling, social benefits are often high on the list of reasons. But I suspect that safety protocols, masks, and social distancing have paralyzed a lot of teachers when it comes to making those social interactions happen.

While it's obviously harder to enjoy the hands-on projects, games, and collaborative activities you did before the pandemic, I believe teachers are creative enough to figure out work-arounds. And anything is better than nothing at all.

So instead of throwing in the towel, challenge yourself, your colleagues, and your students to invent ways to do the things you used to do, but safely.

Can you play team Pictionary with whiteboards, six feet apart? Probably.

Can students interview each other through masks and report to the class about what they learned? Yes.

Is there a way to replace physical movement in certain games with digital movement, so in-person students can interact with their voices but "move" in a virtual space and stay safely spaced out? Yes. Earlier this year, I offered my own work-around for this called the Avatar Classroom. I'm sure others have come up with their own solutions, but this is one to consider or adapt.

Can you have whole-class discussions at a physical distance? Absolutely. Many of the structures in my big list of class discussion strategies can be done spaced out in masks. No, it won't be exactly the same, and not being able to see the bottom half of anyone's face limits our ability to communicate, but again, something is better than nothing.

Breakout Rooms

Most popular video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meet now give you the ability to put participants into smaller meetings, or breakout rooms, for small-group discussion and collaboration. But just sending students into these rooms won't usually get you good results, and teachers all over the world have been learning what works best through trial and error. You can see all of their responses in this tweet. Here, I've put together a summary of the most common tips.

Roles

One of the most frequently mentioned tips was to assign roles to students. At the bare minimum, designate a group leader to start the discussion and keep everyone on task; this will prevent students from going into the rooms and waiting for someone to start.

Other students could be assigned to keep track of time, share their screen so everyone can look at a shared document or other online project, and report the group's findings after returning to the larger meeting room.

Several teachers mentioned that students prefer having the teacher assign the roles, rather than having students do it.

Clarify what the roles actually mean ahead of time; different students may have different ideas for what they're supposed to do.

One teacher adds an icebreaker element to role assignment by saying something like, "The student with the smallest shoe size will be the group leader today." This sets up a quick, fun conversation to start off the breakout session.

Grouping

The ideal size of a group ranges from 2 to 5 participants, with 3 to 4 being even more frequently mentioned. In general, smaller groups work better, but you also have to consider your ability as a teacher to pop in and out of groups; if you create too many small groups, you may not be able to get to them all often enough. (For a deeper discussion of the differences between ideal sizes of virtual and in-person groupings, listen to this interview with Peter Liljedahl on the Making Math Moments Matter podcast.)

Once groups are formed and seem to be working well, several teachers reported that it's best to keep grouping the same for an extended period of time, because the comfort and familiarity of working with the same people tended to get kids to engage more fully.

Consider getting student input on group formation. If it's possible to put students with people they want to work with, things tend to go more smoothly.

When groups are first forming, give them a few icebreaker questions or another fun activity to help participants get to know each other.

The Tech

Before moving into breakout rooms, have everyone turn on their cameras and unmute their microphones so there's no delay doing that inside the groups.

Try using two devices: One to move into breakout rooms, and the other to monitor the main meeting room.

Make sure students know how to use the "Ask for Help" button or other features that allow them to get your attention.

The Tasks

Breakout rooms work much better if the instructions are specific and clear, with a rubric if possible. Make sure students have access to the instructions once they are inside the breakout rooms.

Groups are also usually more successful if students are expected to return with some sort of response or product to share with the larger class.

Having some kind of collaborative project was the most frequently mentioned tip for breakout rooms: This can be a shared Google Doc (have each student type in a different color so you can see who contributed what), a Google Slide, a Padlet, a Canva design-the possibilities are endless.

Just like in the classroom, any assignment will get better engagement if the task actually matters to students, so if you're not getting the response you want, relevance may be the root of the problem.

Monitoring

When students are first getting used to breakout rooms, try to get one or more other adults or teachers to help you monitor and visit the rooms. This will allow you to cover more rooms and give students the support they need.

Let students know how you will be monitoring and communicating feedback to groups so they know where to watch.

Many teachers don't always go into the rooms to visit, but instead monitor the work as it's being done in a file. Here's a brilliant idea: One teacher creates a single Google Slides presentation and assigns a different slide to each group for recording their work. Doing this allows the teacher to just scroll through the slides to monitor work in all groups at once, rather than toggling between files. If you go to the View menu and choose Grid View you can actually see thumbnails of all slides at once, which will give you a birds' eye view of activity. Other options are apps like Classkick, Formative, or Pear Deck, which also let you see more than one screen of student work at a time.

General Tips

Model the desired behaviors and practices for breakout rooms. One group of teachers recorded their own mock Zoom session to demonstrate these protocols and made that video available for students to watch.

Most teachers have found it helps to set a time limit. Keep it short, especially at first; once students gain more experience, they can build their stamina to longer lengths of time.

It's not necessary to have every single breakout group report back when everyone comes back to the main room; it's ok to randomly pick a few groups to share, then get to other groups the next time around.

When students are doing individual work, try putting each student into their own breakout rooms so you can circulate and give one-on-one feedback.

Whole-Group Video Conferencing

Students are generally going to be more shy in a video conference; usually as the number of faces in the room goes up, the less willing most people are to speak. This is not that different from a physical classroom on the first few days of school, where students don't all know each other, the culture hasn't been well-established, and no one is quite sure what the rules are and what happens when you break them.

So if the school year is well underway but you're still getting low participation in whole-class video meetings, a few tweaks to your approach might help. I covered this topic in a post called When You Get Nothing But Crickets; it's about improving participation in face-to-face discussions, but it translates pretty well to virtual environments. Here's a summary of the most relevant tips:

Specify the type of response you want.

Sometimes students freeze up because they're not sure what you're looking for, and they don't want to be wrong. They'll be more willing to participate when they know the kind of answer you want. For example, you could say, "In a minute, I'm going to ask a question. What I want you to do first is think quietly about your answer. Then I'm going to ask for three volunteers to share their answer with the group."

In virtual settings, it's also absolutely essential that you have established clear protocols for HOW to respond. Should they just unmute themselves and start talking? Use a hand-raising protocol? Type something in the chat first? Without clear protocols, most students will default to doing nothing.

Ask for a show of hands first.

Instead of just throwing out a question and hoping someone volunteers to answer, ask something that everyone can respond to with a show of hands, then call on one person to elaborate. So rather than say, "How was everyone's weekend?" you could say, "How many people watched a sporting event this weekend?"

Ask individual students direct questions.

When you ask a general question to the whole group, most students won't have the confidence to volunteer a spontaneous answer. But when you call on individuals to share their thoughts on specific questions, you immediately lower the risk and make it safer to talk.

Give processing time.

When a question is asked and silence follows, it's hard to know whether the grid of faces on your screen are confused, thinking, or just shy. But one thing that's certain is that many people need a bit of time to think before responding to a question, so build that in: When you ask a question, tell students you're going to give them 30 seconds to think about their answer, then you'll call on someone. Even better, have them write down a response; then everyone will have something to share when the time is up.

A Note About Behavior

I'm hearing more about behavior issues in video conferencing sessions, especially in the elementary grades. I get the impression that some teachers are spending an awful lot of time correcting student behavior and punishing students for things like not looking at the camera or doing distracting things. This feels like a terrible use of whole-class time, but I don't have a lot of answers to this problem yet. If you've found good solutions to this issue, please share them in the comments below.

Collaboration and Discussion Apps

Quite a few platforms offer tools and spaces where students can conduct robust conversations, academic or otherwise.

Group Messaging: Microsoft Teams allows teachers to set up a controlled environment where students can send individual or group messages and create topic-specific subgroups for more focused conversations. Slack and the recently popular Discord offer similar spaces, but they currently don't have as many structures set up for student use. And Voxer has always been one of my all-time favorite tools for asynchronous voice communication.

Project Management: Trello, Kanbanchi, and Basecamp give users a place to assign tasks, plan timelines, discuss ideas, and keep track of important documents.

Discussion: Kialo and Parlay both offer wonderful frameworks for written discussions, including libraries of great topics for discussion.

Plain Old Fun

Laughter is one of the best ways to relieve stress and build community, and has there ever been a time when we needed both of those things more? Setting aside time for students to just have fun together is a very good use of time.

Games

Any kind of icebreaker can be played at any time to give students a chance to get to know each other better: two truths and a lie, short peer interviews, or any of my three favorite icebreakers.

Some schools are setting aside times for students to play social, interactive games like Among Us, Minecraft, and Roblox.

Games like Kahoot, Quizizz, Gimkit-which are great for academic content-can be played with non-academic topics as well. Students could even work in pairs to write questions for games to play as a class.

Virtual Lunch & Recess

Some schools are setting aside time for students to have lunch or "recess" in less structured video conferencing rooms where they can just chat. Even if only a few students take advantage of this, if they do so regularly it can provide incredibly important social opportunities where there might otherwise be none.

Performances

One teacher had her students perform a play in a video conferencing session and said they loved it.

Special Events

These are Zoom or Google Meet sessions scheduled for non-academic activities like cooking demonstrations, pet play dates, and craft hours, where participants are sort of busy with something at home, but hanging out together simultaneously.

Video Postcards

Pre-recorded video can go a long way toward helping students feel more connected to each other. Dave Stuart, Jr. shared his idea of sending students weekly video postcards, super-short videos of him at home, in his yard, with a pet, running errands, whatever-just sharing a quick thought with no academic strings attached.

An efficient way to do this with a whole class would be to offer a weekly Flipgrid prompt with a single question ("What was weirdest thing you ate this past week?") and allow students to participate if they want.

That's it for now. I hope you've found at least one idea you're going to try in the next week or so-not only will the extra socializing make your regular academic stuff go better, it's just something we all need more of right now. Your students need it, and so do you.

Come back for more.
Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined-come on in.

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Connecting Students in a Disconnected World

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Sponsored by Listenwise and National Geographic Education Even before 2020, building relationships between students was an important ingredient in making school great. When students feel socially comfortable in a classroom, when they feel like they are among friends, when they feel known and seen, when they trust the people around them, they are more willing to take academic risks, ask questions, and even attend class.

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Invite a guest speaker for a class interview

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DreamWakers enables 4th- to 12th-grade educators to bring industry leaders into their classroom to broaden students' perspectives and enhance class lesson plans with real-world examples. DreamWakers provides services free of charge to educators at schools that serve students from low-income households and/or are in exceptionally rural districts.

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Start here!

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Tags: Assessment, Collaborative Learning, Connectivism, Gallery Walk, Instructor Presence, Interaction, Learning Presence, Social Presence

Description

Traditional gallery walks let students stroll through the classroom viewing their peers' work, which is often set up on the top of their desks. At its heart, a gallery walk is an interactive, discussion technique where students move around the room, actively analyze information, and provide peers with feedback about their work (Fasse & Kolodner, 2000; Francek, 2006; Gooding & Metz, 2011). Similar to their namesake in the art world, a gallery walk can display any student learning artifact, ranging from visuals made on poster boards to research reports and 3D models. After the artifacts are displayed, students view, read, and analyze their peers' work and offer feedback in the form of short notes or verbal comments. In the feedback, students document the information they learned from the artifact and offer ideas for improving it.

Collaborative learning technologies (CLTs) that allow multiple students to access, develop, and edit the same document, presentation, or platform provide unique opportunities for feedback. As several students can manipulate these CLTs, they are able to add links, images, and audio recordings to them. Course instructors can utilize these CLTs by layering them together to create student-to-student interaction. For example, multiple students can simultaneously log onto the same Google Slides presentation and add to it in real time. Further, with researchers identifying quick, explicit feedback as being a key factor for student success when using technology (Gaytan & McEwen, 2007; Moore-Adams, Jones, & Cohen, 2016), the use of CLTs to digitalize the gallery walk strategy has positive implications for the online classroom and blended learning activities.

By creating a gallery walk using CLTs, students can access their peers' content and provide feedback and discussion in real time. As CLTs are rising in popularity and being blended into classroom instruction (Oreskovic, 2010), practitioners have the opportunity to layer these CLTs together. For example, instead of displaying artifacts on poster board, paper, or canvas, students in an online environment can first create a digital learning artifact such as an infographic, slideshow movie, or web flyer and then post a link to it using a CLT. In this manner, the CLTs become a platform for students to embed or link artifacts for virtual gallery walks. Example CLTs that can be used for these purposes in Padlet, Google Slides, and Dotstorming among several additional options. Students then partake in a virtual gallery walk by scrolling through the CLT and clicking the different content embed or linked to it. After viewing their peers' work, students can offer their peers feedback either by typing it directly back into the CLTs as a new post, reply, or note or uploading feedback into a digital dropbox, such as Google Form.

Link to example artifact(s)

To make a gallery walk in an online class, the instructor first chooses the CLT that will house where the artifacts will be posted or linked (e.g., Google Slides, Padlet, Dotstorming, Real-Time Boards). The instructor then takes time to format how the students are to share their artifact, so there is a clear place for students to post their link and feedback. Artifact 1 shows a template for how this may look using Google Slides.

When creating the space for students to share their work, it is crucial that a method for linking the artifact along with a place for providing feedback and the contributors' names are included.

Next, the instructor provides students access to the CLT and instructions for the gallery walk. Students then create their own artifact to be displayed as part of the gallery walk. To share it, students usually post a link to the artifact or embed it directly into the CLT, which layers the artifact into the CLT. Once students have posted their work, the instructor should ensure that all links are valid or that the artifacts are correctly embedded. Students are then instructed to write feedback to one or more of their peers either directly in the CLT or in the "Comments" section below it, and the feedback can include compliments, critiques, and suggestions for improvement.

In the example previously described, the instructor was teaching a graduate-level course in education. The course enrolled 20 students who were licensed, in-service teachers, and the course was completely online. The instructor routinely introduced new technologies to the students to establish a culture where using new technologies was part of the learning process. To support their learning, he made a brief video overview of the technology to be used and his expectations for completing assignment along with a model assignment. The digital gallery walk described here was implemented after students demonstrated competency for using new technologies.

For this gallery walk, the students were asked to create an infographic using the Smore website about the implications for literacy education based on the Every Student Succeeds Act. As part of their infographic, students had to include text, images, and videos. After creating it, students shared their infographic by posting a link to it on the Google Slide. After all students posted their infographic and the instructor ensured that the links were valid, the students viewed their peers' works and write feedback, as shown in Artifact 1.

Artifact 1. A student's artifact in the CLT template accompanied by student feedback.

Artifact 2. A student's gallery walk

Artifact 3. Multimedia and student interaction

Link to scholarly reference(s)

Fasse, B., & Kolodner, J. L. (2000). Evaluating classroom practices using qualitative research methods: Defining and refining the process. In Fourth international conference of the learning sciences, eds. B. Fishman and S. O'Connor Divelbiss, 193-98. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Francek, M. (2006). Promoting discussion in the science classroom using gallery walks. Journal of College Science Teaching, 36( 1), 27-31.

Gaytan, J., & McEwen, B. C. (2007). Effective online instructional and assessment strategies. The American Journal of Distance Education, 21( 3), 117-132.

Gooding, J., & Metz, B. (2011). After the lab: Learning begins when cleanup starts. Science Scope, 35( 1), 29-33.

Moore-Adams, B. L., Jones, W. M., & Cohen, J. (2016). Learning to teach online: A systematic review of the literature on K-12 teacher preparation for teaching online. Distance Education, 37( 3), 333-348.

Oreskovic, A. (2010). Google takes aim at Microsoft with acquisition. Reuters. www.reuters.com%2Farticle%2Fus-google-idUSTRE62405X20100305&token=iD0b0oKc4WQ0jEFFcmbVgTGthoiUzyEWRF%2FX4J2v8jk%3D

Citation

Fegely, A., & Cherner, T. S. (2017). Digitalizing gallery walks: a method for student-centered feedback and engagement. In B. Chen, A. deNoyelles, & A. Albrecht (Eds.), Teaching online pedagogical repository. Orlando, FL: University of Central Florida Center for Distributed Learning. https://topr.online.ucf.edu/digitalizing-gallery-walks-method-student-centered-feedback-engagement/.

Post Revisions:

August 7, 2020 @ 15:01:19 [Current Revision]

August 7, 2020 @ 15:01:19

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Digitalizing Gallery Walks: A Method for Student-Centered Feedback and Engagement - Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository

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Description Traditional gallery walks let students stroll through the classroom viewing their peers' work, which is often set up on the top of their desks. At its heart, a gallery walk is an interactive, discussion technique where students move around the room, actively analyze information, and provide peers with feedback about their work (Fasse & ...

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Kentucky assembled this list of resources for all types of learning.

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Download the PoP planner here and get started!!!

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Transition from F2F to online: Maintaining an Engaging Experience

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Transition from F2F to online: Maintaining an Engaging Experience

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Written for college courses, but valuable tips for secondary!

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brightspace solutions for higher education

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Find helpful resources, technical documentation, video tutorials, blogs, discussions, and connect with other Brightspace users.

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25 Remote Teaching Tips to Engage Students

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25 Remote Teaching Tips to Engage Students

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Helpful tips for all kinds of learning environments

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by Terry Heick

As remote teaching and learning become more common-if not the standard in many places over the next six months-I thought it might be useful to offer some remote teaching tips to engage students in distance learning.

As with all content, how useful and relevant any of these are depends on your context-experience, grade level, need, priorities, and strengths as a teacher, etc. Some are possibly too general to help (e.g., 'Simplify'), but hopefully out of the 25 remote teaching tips below, one or two might stick and make your planning a little easier-and more engaging for students.

25 Remote Teaching Tips To Engage Students In Distance Learning

1. Start with students

Consider their lives. Their day. Their well-being. I wrote some about this recently:

"You can also argue that this isn't your job-and it's certainly true that considering the well-being of every student your responsibility is a fast-track way to see some of the warning signs of teacher burnout. You may also know that the majority of your students are fine and the ones who may not be are almost impossible to help and that makes it hard sometimes. But when the opportunity presents itself, check in with your students-really check in with them. If you must assess something, assess their well-being. Track that data. Address those needs. Be the teacher you would've needed during a pandemic when you were a child."

The idea here is to not get distracted that you're at home and so are they and that everything is 'different.' Start instead with the student and their reality and needs and the new and urgent opportunities in front of them.

2. Simplify

Simplify what you teach and how you teach it and how students will show what they've learned. Prioritizing skills and concepts from your curriculum is more necessary now than ever.

3. Work backward from the context of remote teaching

Synchronous, 'live' teaching online to a group of children is very different than doing the same in-person-and neither is easy.

When you plan backward from the context and characteristics of remote teaching and learning-where distractions are uncontrollable, bandwidth matters, and students are not with their friends but rather their family-the lesson or activity has a better chance to work. Think small, bite-sized learning activities with clear objectives and intentional transitions-all while planning for and necessitating student engagement and autonomy.

Actually, that's not as different from 'good teaching' in-person as it seems.

4. Meet for briefer periods more frequently

This may not be possible. If you can only meet once a week and that's it, then once a week it is. But whenever possible, 'chunk' learning-three times a week for 20 minutes or twice for 30 versus once for an hour. How effective this is depends on what you teach and the age of the students you're teaching it to.

5. Be the 'lead learner' as much as you are the 'teacher'

Put another way, model 'caring' about learning and the role it plays in well-being and growth. Show them what it means to be curious and active in this new learning environment.

6. Use lighting and sound to your advantage

Quality audio, strong lighting, Zoom backgrounds, catchy music for transitions between activities-whatever you need to do to get and keep their attention, use the technology tools at your disposal to make that happen.

7. Use games and music

I almost titled this one 'take breaks' but depending on your schedule, a 'break' may be less useful than simply transitioning or team-building, etc. That said, keep resources like Kahoot, coolmath.com, or even videos of others playing games to engage students in distance learning during portions of the lesson or activity where it may be waning. (Think halfway points.)

The internet is full of games and music. Use them intentionally. Here are some video games to teach with and classic hip-hop music you can teach with to get started.

8. Use different tools for different things-usually

While many video streaming platforms and learning management systems have a robust set of tools to consider, start with what you know that also works from students and then work from there. Private messaging with Zoom and document collaboration with Google Drive while grading with an app-while students use digital portfolios on a separate platform-that's your reality for remote teaching in 2021.

That said, there's something to be said for simplicity. If it makes your life easier and students still have access to the same learning opportunities, using one tool for functions it may not necessarily be designed for may serve everyone better in the end.

9. Thinking differently about 'classroom management'

This needs more explanation, I know. But you can't 'manage' students the same way online as you can in person. Behavior is different and addressing that behavior-what you reinforce and what you reward and what you ignore-will also be different. Further, you have to be extra careful about how you address those behaviors because it's very literally in front of the entire classroom-in many cases with many

10. Try to ensure the privacy of each student

Another 'easier said than done' remote teaching tip. But privacy laws alone make remote learning a maze of policies, laws, and potential pitfalls. Who sees what-what you see in their homes and they see in one anothers'-it's a lot to sort.

11. Design for participation

This isn't always doable, but when possible, design lessons-or activities within lessons-that don't just encourage 'engagement' and student participation, but that won't work without engagement and participation.

See also Remote Learning Tips For Parents

12. Test everything, plan ahead, and assume everything will break

Do your best to assume someone's connection (maybe yours) is going to go out at some point. Assume the link you share will be broken and that the private message you send will be seen by everyone-and so on. That's okay. If you have a plan ahead of time, you can mitigate the 'loss' of time and learning.

13. Empower students: emphasize autonomy and engagement

The easiest strategies here are student voice and choice in what and how they learn and demonstrate learning. This applies to lessons you've created for students to do either together or apart.

Asynchronous, self-directed, 'genius' learning-that is, learning students do on their own because they want to-is another way to empower students as a remote teaching tip. For pre-school students, I've been using Marco Polo Learning lately and paired with Epic books, makes a powerful combination for students to be empowered in their own learning.

See also Virtual Teaching Tips For Beginners

14. Think Before, During, And After Learning

And in pursuit of empowering students, encourage students to 'own' their learning and self-direct it. A strategy here is BDA: Before, During, And After. This will help you think carefully about what you want students to do-and be able to do-before online sessions, during online sessions, and after online sessions.

15. Use the right platform for the right teaching

This one's simple but don't use Google Drive to share video and don't use Zoom to carry out ongoing conversations with students and don't use YouTube to host all student portfolios, etc. Use the right tool for the right purpose.

16. Know the features and functions of that platform inside and out

And when you do find a tool that actually makes your life easier while (more crucially) improving student learning, learn how to use it effectively. You don't necessarily have to use every nook and cranny of Skype or FlipGrid to get the most out of it. The point is to know the platform and then selectively use the bits and pieces that work for you and your student.

17. Personalize learning objectives or approaches

Personalized learning is always a good idea, but in remote teaching, it may be even more critical than a standard classroom (if for no other reason than it's easier to 'lose' students or for students to 'hide' during synchronous distance learning). A basic strategy here is to create tiered learning targets.

For example:

Tier 1: Students will be able to roughly define a metaphor

Tier 2: Students will be able to define and identify two obvious metaphors in an excerpt

Tier 3: Students will define and identify a 'less obvious' metaphor

Tier 4: Students will define, identify, and analyze the effect of an obvious metaphor

18. Connect individually through messaging or individual 'rooms'

This helps build relationships with students while also improving the credibility of online learning-helping them to see that they're not simply fulfilling their academic duty but rather connecting with people who care around content designed to (hopefully) make their life better.

19. Be selective in what you do together

Generally speaking, the definition of synchronous learning is learning the same thing at the same time. Broadly speaking, limit lecturing during remote teaching (this is a common synchronous teaching strategy) and use alternatives to lecture instead.

20. Create breakout rooms ahead of time

Among other benefits, creating breakout rooms before class even begins forces you to have reasons for those breakout rooms-that is, provides a kind of framework for grouping, station teaching, collaboration, small-group instruction, and more.

You can read more about them in What Are Breakout Rooms? A Definition For Teachers.

21. Leverage the beginning and end of each remote teaching session

Consider ice-breakers at the beginning-or entry slips-and fun team-building or exit slips at the end.

22. Use quick, informal, checks for understanding

Here are some easy ways to check for understanding. The idea is to consistently perform simple, disarming checks for understanding-ideally around the lesson objectives or related ideas.

23. Be intentional with transitions

Transitions between activities are crucial to maintaining momentum and student engagement. They are also necessary to reduce wasted time.

24. Use a timer

See above. You might be surprised. And don't make this complicated-use an app on your phone to time individual activities or the running time on Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, etc.

25. Consider digital grouping strategies

I'll write more about this soon. To get you started, consider the grouping strategies you've used successfully in your classroom and re-imagine them-and experiment with them-to see how they translate to remote teaching and learning.

Bonus: Teach for engagement, not coverage

Another remote teaching tip: Consider the aforementioned checks for understanding, cold calling, accountable talk, quick team-building games, digital polls, backchannel discussions, and more.

In a time of relative social instability and unique social-emotional needs-not to mention reduced standardized testing-the justification for 'coverage teaching' is weaker now than ever. Of course, that doesn't mean 'don't cover content,' but rather emphasize student well-being, engagement, and autonomy as you work with them in remote teaching and learning.
25 Remote Teaching Tips To Engage Students In Distance Learning

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25 Remote Teaching Tips To Engage Students In Distance Learning

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Don't get distracted that everything is 'different.' Start with the student and their needs and the unique opportunities in front of them.

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Using PearDeck for Synchronous student instruction and engagement

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Using PearDeck for Synchronous student instruction and engagement

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PearDeck is an awesome tool to check for student understanding and engagement in online learning environments. Additionally it can support students with visual impairments, because it is viewed on the student's own screen rather than presented through the video call.