Hope this edition of Tech Talk finds you well and safe. There are not enough words to describe the herculean effort that teachers have put forth during these times. I have witnessed so many positive and inspiring stories throughout this pandemic. It gives me great hope that not only will we survive these challenging times, but we will come out even better on the other side. The implementation and effective use of technology in education are two areas which have had a wide range of teacher and student experiences. There have been some challenges for sure, but the teamwork, growth, and willingness to persevere that have been on display daily in our schools (both brick and mortar and virtually) are a testament to our noble profession. For this edition, I thought I’d share bit of my experience and tools that I use.
My school division use Microsoft products as our main tool for communications and delivery of digital content. So, my go to tool has been Microsoft Teams. I have used this tool to create a hub where students can easily navigate, communicate, and connect. Teams has experienced some amazing growth over the past few months and has gone from a predominately business look and feel to offering up some great education apps and functionality. During hybrid learning, it has become a repository of assignments, assignment collection, communication station, and accessibility point to other apps and resources. During remote learning, Teams became a way to connect with students virtually. We had our daily meetings that usually started with a fun activity to connect with (check out brightful meeting games - https://app.brightful.me – had access to the premium version to try out), a short lesson on what today’s topic (which was recorded to offer those who missed an opportunity to have access to materials and instruction as well), and an opportunity for students to ask questions through voice or chat. One other plus is that ‘there’s an app of that’. Although no all student have access to a laptop, most had at least access to a cell phone. We used collaboration tools as well like Microsoft Whiteboard to engage in the learning and try to provide similar opportunities students would have in face to face environment. I also used tools like Noodle Tools (our division uses this to create work cited pages and other research tools), Minecraft Education Edition (received some of the best civilization projects from my grade 9’s that I ever got), Go Formative (great formative assessment tool), Microsoft One Note and Forms (which are embedded right in teams), and a great PDF annotation tool called Draw Board. I also teach in our RCSD Online School and have access to Moodle. This gave me the ability to assign and effectively do assessments like exams. I prefer face to face but the use of these tools allowed me to continue to delivery course content, provide feedback, and continue build relationships with my students. For some students they didn’t miss a beat for other is was tough to engage for various reasons, overall though we had a positive experience and there was an environment created that provided opportunities for successful learning. There is a lot I have to work on to improve the hybrid/remote experience (here’s a great resource that I’d like to share https://cubeforteachers.com/profile/remoteteaching). No matter what your approach is or tools you use, I think it is important to understand that the virtual experience is different, but it can be good and effective. Keeping things simple, conscience, and organized are always important classroom management skills, but take on greater significance in a virtual space. There are many silver linings that will come out of this experience for teachers and students alike. I have had a positive response from parents and administration, but I think it is safe to safe that we would all like to get back to our everyday face to face experience (although there are some students who are striving in hybrid and remote learning) .What has been your remote/hybrid experience? What are some of your go to tools? Share these on Twitter with the hashtag #saskttt, tag me on a tweet @vendi55 or drop me an e-mail at [email protected] Also check out #saskedchat Thursday’s at 8 PM to grow your Professional Learning Network and engage in educational related topics. Until next time stay well, stay safe, and take care.
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AuthorDean Vendramin has been Educator for over 20 years. He is the 21st Century Education Leader at Archbishop M.C. O'Neill Catholic High School. He has a passion for all things in education with emphasis on technology integration, assessment, professional development, and 21 Century Education. Archives
April 2022
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