Engaging Students During Online Learning

Description

Not being in the same physical space as a student creates unique challenges that require some adaptations of the tools we already have in our educator toolkits. This workshop will outline specific strategies useful in engaging students when lessons are delivered virtually.  Workshop attendees will walk away with specific approaches as well as information on resources related to this topic.

The content in this presentation is geared towards serving the migrant populations in New York State as defined under Title I, Part C and the approved State Service Delivery Plan, and may NOT be appropriate to all situations.

Objectives/Learning Targets

• participant will be able to incorporate 5 specific strategies to promote engagement
• participant will receive a list of resources that will aid in student engagement
• participant will engage in a discussion regarding easing the discomfort of online learning

Presented/Developed by

Laura L. Burnett, Director, Northeast Migrant Education Program

About the Presenter

Laura Burnett is a veteran teacher who began her career as a K-6 music teacher and 4-5 choral director, became a second grade teacher, and eventually a practicing Literacy Specialist before becoming the director of the Northeast Migrant Program. During her career she has received numerous awards for teaching including Officemax's "A Day Made Better" program honoring the top 1000 teachers in the country for their "exceptional contributions."  Since becoming the director of the Northeast METS, Laura has implemented several new technology platforms to the METS Staff.

Post Workshop Follow Up

Below, please find a copy of Laura’s PowerPoint handout that you can use for reference. (FYI – the colors are great to look at, but not to print. So save the file and open to review.) You'll also find a copy of notes taken by a participant during the workshop.

“Fan Favorite” strategies include:

• Use a prop, such as a puppet during online your lesson. Several participants had puppets handy to share!
• Help parents and students create a learning environment with a suitcase (or box). Store school materials in the suitcase/box. When the School Suitcase/box is open, it is time for schoolwork. When the School Suitcase/box is closed, schoolwork is done for the day.

TED Talk Resource

Laura described a TED Talk about building a school in the cloud. Here is the link if you want to watch it, https://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_school_in_the_cloud

Other Resources

1. Wheel Decide - Use one of the many existing wheels, or you can create your own wheel based on the lesson content and objectives.
2. Boom Cards - Allows the user to create classrooms, assign “homework”, and progress monitor as well as complete the cards real time.
3. Ziteboard - This is a virtual interactive whiteboard. You can write a problem on the board, the student sees it in real time and can write their answer for you to see.