Still Face to Face With Online Tools
Halfway through the semester?! I was positive we had just begun. Time has been flying, while learning lots and I am very pleased with all the new information learned along the way!
For me, I always prefer in person as opposed to online, as this has always been one of my struggles. However, joining these Ed Tech classes, has allowed me to explore different sites and further expand my knowledge on technology. For me, in my undergrad, taking Katia’s class was my first ever experience with online learning. As seen in the last couple of years, online technology has expanded greatly due to the various lockdowns. In these situations, it has forced me to go out of my comfort zone and begin to use different software and hardware to complete various tasks. The ones that have been most useful and relevant for me have been the following:
This is used to post assignments, communicate with students through their work, provide feedback and differentiate for all students by posting on this platform. This has been a hit in my classroom and is used daily.
Now, similar to a Google Classroom, this is a site where students can post and complete work to hand in to their teachers. They can create different slides, posters, videos and so much more! It offers opportunities for students to be creative and try something new.
Within Google Classroom, students are able to complete their work using their different suites. It provides for ample opportunities for success and for each student to try new things. Every student has different strengths, so these suites allow me to tailor towards each of them. Most often, students are able to complete their work on Google docs and Google Slides. For example, if a student may struggle with typing, they can either use Talk-To-Text on Google Docs or even use slides where they can fill in boxes or blanks, to complete a task.
During the lockdowns, Zoom came to the rescue! This was used to stay in communication with students and it is accessible for parents to communicate with the teacher as well. This offered regular class sessions, extra help and meetings that were needed.
A way to motivate and engage learners. This was a way for students to learn while having fun through playing Kahoot. I would share my screen, which would be seen as a projector while students used their devices to play. The students loved it!
This is an engaging site where students are able to use their math skills and knowledge to complete different quests. This is a class favourite.
Tyler Dewitt simply said it all when he stated that giving people the potential to complete things online, will allowed it to explode and give people more of an opportunity. For some, in person learning just does not work. For myself, although online is never my favourite, these sites made me feel more capable to teach and ensure my students had some success with their learning. As we all know, students have a wide variety of interests, strengths and weaknesses, in which I have found lots love technology. Finding different ways to keep them engaged is a priority, with means of communication and different platforms. These are some tools that were used and continue to be used in online settings. The best part is, even when they are in the physical classroom, a big part of our learning is still done online. It is evident that as we move forward teaching digitial natives, technology will continued to be used more and more! These tools are accessible for all.
Questions for YOU!
What are some of your favourite online tools? How often are they used? Do you prefer face to face or online?
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