Here's what a regular class period looks like for me, in easy steps:
1. Get students going with a period of silent reading.
2. Get students to write a little something about what they read during silent reading.
3. Entertain the students with hyper-dramatic teaching for 10-15 minutes. In the lingo, this is a "mini lesson."
4. Students do an assignment based on the "mini lesson," while I walk around the room and make sure they are doing it.
5. If time permits, some students share their answers. Sometimes I "check for understanding" by having them tell me on an index card whether they get it or not.
One glance at this list will tell you how little of it can be done online. Basically I post an assignment on Google Classroom. Students can ask questions on their assignment document. There's a chat feature in Classroom. I can post grades on there.
Seemed like enough to me. After -- how many, I can't even count -- four weeks of remote learning, the motivated kids have done their assignments and asked questions as needed. The unmotivated kids (the ones I have to prod individually in the classroom) haven't done anything. It's either all or none.
And of course I have covered my kiester by calling parents and students who didn't do the work.
Now our assistant superintendent (Janie Junebug, I hope you're reading this!) has demanded that we have Meet-ups using audio and video through our computers. Attached to her chirpy email was "directions," consisting of six different documents with about 16 hyperlinks in each document.
It was hard enough already!
Once more I find myself hopelessly adrift in the world of computers. Me! Anne Johnson! The first person at a publishing house to have used a computer to generate encyclopedia entries!
The world has passed me by. I'm obsolete. Jesus, I wonder what it will be like when I'm 70 and still trying to eke a living from teaching? Or will I even make it? That second wave of Covid is going to hit when school is in session. Then maybe it really won't matter if I couldn't master Google Meet.
Okay, self-pity session over. What problems are you experiencing right now?
Sign me,
Clueless Annie
5 comments:
I am also "teaching" online (third graders). With the same results--the ones that want to learn are learning, the ones who don't care, still don't care. I spent Monday morning emailing progress reports. And I've never received so many emails in my life--it takes me hours to go through them all. I am not a super tech-y person, but one of the things I have gotten to work is FlipGrid. It's a baby-step for doing video with my students. Good luck!
You are swimming in uncharted waters, Anne. I give you big props for trying (yes, I know it's your job... still.)
my employer is having a tough time selling our products in this closed-down world. we employees may have to go to part-time hours come july. scary, man!
I wish I had learned how to use Face Time, Skype or Zoom before all this happened too. I'm pretty lost at using it right now, but really, all it prevents me, a retired person, from doing is making multi-person phone calls. Hell, I can still talk to people one at a time if I want to, though.
My own pity party at the moment concerns the ass-kicking that my retirement savings took last month. They've rebounded a wee bit this month, which is good, but I'm still mucho dollaros down. I may end up a bag lady yet!
i wouldn't want to be the teacher trying to teach me online in todays time..I was hard enough to deal with in class..
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