Teaching through COVID-19

Let me start out by saying that I'm not sure, after 4 weeks of this, whether I'm doing enough, too much or too little. All I know for sure is that I miss my classroom, my students, my colleagues and my normalcy. I miss fifth grade banter that made me laugh out loud on a daily basis. I miss field trips and group work and my morning high five or fist bump. I miss debriefing at the end of day with my colleagues about our shared students. I miss teaching!

Although I miss those things I am equally amazed at the way our district made it possible for us to work through this pandemic and create a virtual school setting within two days. Our IT department has made some really great decisions that have allowed us to stay connected with our students and families and provide a bit of routine as well as academics to our students. Before all of this I felt intimidated that I had to dabble in technology here and there, and I definitely dosed it out slowly as to not feel too overwhelmed. 

Now I don't know what I would do without it! My DAILY routines consists of Google Classroom, Google Slides, Jamboard, Webex Teams, Quicktime Player, Class Dojo and I even created my own Youtube channel! I feel like for the most part we are all starting to settle into a "routine" (if that is what you can call it), as we all hunker down to accept our new normal. My students started sending messages on Webex just minutes after hearing the news that we were closed for the rest of the year. I was in tears as I read their messages to one another stating their current feelings about the situation and offering support to help each other get through probably one of the most difficult times of their young lives.

Student response to school closing

My family and I getting ready for our Banting parade!

student response to school closing

These are their sentiments as well as mine. I am a teacher and a parent of the School District of Waukesha, and I couldn't be more proud of BOTH of those roles. I truly believe we are pioneers at a time where uncertainty is so prevalent. We are doing everything within our control to stay connected to our students and families, making it possible for us to continue to teach, just in a very different way. And my own children are continuing to learn, which I am so grateful for as well. But at the core of all of this craziness, I still believe that relationships matter. Not only do they matter, they are the foundation of successful schools. They are what makes my classroom management, interventions and student growth possible. Relationships are what is making this virtual learning possible.

I was keeping my fingers crossed that we would be back together again before the end of the school year. However, I will start the new school year with a very different perspective about technology and it's power, as well as a completely reaffirmed belief that being with my students and the relationships we create throughout the year are the most important part of teaching.

 

Slides + Quicktime = Learning Video

I LOVE Google Slides! Slides are versatile and so much more than a presentation tool. Using Google Slides along with Quicktime to screen record can make a nice little learning video.

One way that I like to do this is to start with a new Google Slides presentation or use an existing one.  I try to think about the steps I would take to show a skill or concept during a face to face lesson and then I use each page of the slides presentation to show a small part at a time. 

I use the “animate” feature in Slides to make visuals or text appear slowly onto the page so I can try to explain an idea in a coherent and sequential way.

When the slides and animations are in order and they make sense, I go through them in “presentation mode “and I practice doing a voice-over through each page of the slide as if I am recording. After a few short run-throughs and a couple of adjustments with the Slides, then I add Quicktime. 

Quicktime is a tool that is used to record audio and video. I use it on my Macbook to Screen Record while I speak. Quicktime allows me to record my voice and my computer screen simultaneously. When I am ready to screen record, I put my Slides in presentation mode, select to record the entire screen and I teach the skill or concept through the visuals and text on the slide along with my voice. This little combination then produces a learning video that I can use to teach a concept through a flipped environment, blended learning or for virtual or distance learning.

I have included two resources to help you get started. There is a video that I made to introduce perimeter with my 3rd graders so you have an example of the final product. Also included is the Slides Presentation that I voiced over to create the video. The Slides include the animations so you can see how I ordered them to produce the sequence of visual and text. Feel free to make a copy and try it out on your own. 

Lesson Video Link  & Slides used for Video. 

The video can be shared out to your students in a variety of ways. The video can be easily uploaded into Youtube and shared out. I have given kiddos access to them in the classroom as an in-class flipped environment with QR Codes or direct links. I have shared the videos with kiddos in an LMS like Blackboard 9 or a workflow app like Showbie or Google Classroom. 

Things to keep in mind as you begin. 

1. Start small. Use the skills you have and build up little by little.

2. Be okay with making some mistakes along the way. It took me many tries to put it all together. 

3. It doesn’t have to be perfect! It’s ok if you stumbled over a word or two in the voice over. It’s ok if you don’t edit out the “dead” time when you start the video. 

4. If you are trying a first video during the virtual learning with the pandemic, kiddos love hearing our voices. Remembering this helped me to let of go of the perfectionistic tendencies when sharing out content online. The sound of our voices with the inflection, tone, and intonation can bring understanding to a topic and a sense of comfort at the same time.