Tag Archives: #EDTEC5610

Google Hangouts

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For those teachers looking to stay in contact with students during the school closures, Google Hangouts offers a way to video conference with students and parents. Instructors can set up specific times to offer mini-lessons or offer as a way to coach students from afar. Instructors can set up a static meeting link and phone number for students to log in or call in. Students can watch as the instructor shares her screen and can annotate over the desktop. The lesson can be recorded and uploaded for students who could not log in. It’s a very basic platform and the free account is often enough for a small group. For larger classes, the instructor could offer different times so that students have opportunities to share and feel heard. The chatting feature allows students to text their responses and share links.

I have used this for staff meetings and we plan on utilizing it with our adult education students in this school closure to offer coaching and support. One drawback would be that those who call in can see anything on the screen and students have to download the app to be able to fully use it. They also have to accept the invite for it to appear in their Google calendar. I’m not sure how it would present in an address with a different email provider. Most Google products work best when part of the suite. If you are interested in how to set up a Google hangouts meeting see this link: https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9300131?hl=en

U.S. Educational systems response to COVID 19

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Many school systems have been impacted by state and federal guidelines to close schools in areas heavily affected by cases of COVID 19 (coronavirus). In the article, “The Impact of Coronavirus on the Educational System,” the author examines the logic behind such school closures. One of the factors is the idea that children may pose as vectors by which the virus can spread to the adults they come in contact with. They may present with mild symptoms and by the nature of children to get into each other’s spaces and share items, could pose a risk to their families and communities. Such closures have led to schools finding ways to move traditional face-to-face classes into an online environment. Such a massive move of so many students comes with its own challenges and can overlook other services that traditional classes served. For example, school lunches may be the only meals of many students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Schools are reaching out and finding ways for families to pick up meals during the closures but thought must be given to travel. If transit and other public systems stop operation, some students may be cut off from accessing those meals. Another service students miss out on during school closures are the wraparound behavioral services that many schools provide. How are families to access these type of services that could help students struggling with anxiety during this stressful period in the country?

I found that many of these affect not only children in the school system but their parents as well. If the parent is seeking higher education or working on getting their high school equivalency diploma, such a disruption in education and services for their children could create additional barriers for them and their goals. As an adult basic education instructor, I see students worried about their children and their education and often prioritize it over their own. Online educational resources can help their kids to access educational materials but whether the child’s parent can help them with it is another issue itself. The digital divide disproportionately affects those who are in low-income households with caregivers who lack a high school diploma. Will this massive move to providing online education be as effective as its intention? Will those who struggle be able to access support via online video conferencing apps such as Zoom or Google Hangouts? We shall evaluate and look back to lessons learned from this shift in education. I hope that the innovations help to revitalize our educational systems and find new ways to connect those at disadvantages.

Edpuzzle

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An interesting online application I ran across recently was Edpuzzle. It allows an instructor to link to a video url and prevent students from skipping through it but also adds in the ability to ask students questions or make note of important ideas. Instructors can narrate over the top of parts or the entire video. It also offers analytics to help inform the instructor on the effectiveness of the video.

I can see this being a good tool to use for visual and audio learners. It will allow them to process information through those formats. Kinesthetic learners may find the breaking up of the video sections with pop ups with question to be more appealing than a standard video. I could see this being an issue for learners who may have visual or auditory disabilities and for low level ELLs. However, content can be made specifically for ELLs that could address vocabulary or conversation.

PrintFriendly & PDF Extension for Classroom

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Sometimes, as an instructor, I want to print out news articles or materials from a website to use in the classroom. However, sometimes web ads and other things might distort the article or add several blank pages in the printing process. PrintFriendly & PDF is an online site that allows you to enter a web address and remove blocks that you don’t need (editable preview), save as a PDF, email and print. It has saved me countless time from cutting and pasting and then reformatting in MS Word or Google Docs. You can also download the extension for Chrome if you want quick access. Although sites like Newsela and CommonLit are great at levelizing reading—they are delayed in having articles about current events. I often bring in current event articles from differing news sites and ask students to evaluate how to recognize slant and bias. This tool helps me to reduce wasted space and make it easy to read and save to display on my whiteboard. It works for most websites however some sites may still have display issues. Make sure to keep attributions of where you obtained the information and get rid of the side bar ads and blocks of links that add unneeded space to your document.

Lesson Planning with UDL–For Adult Learners Too!

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has many applications beyond access for learners who may have disabilities. Many objectives in the UDL framework tie-in directly to the adult basic education learner (a population I am very familiar with). Many of my adult basic education students may have differing levels of ability, language proficiency and barriers that have interrupted their educational goals in the past. By implementing UDL in the lesson planning process, I believe that it would empower students to take control of how and what they learn. It would prep them for higher education or training where much of the learning process is internally driven. I came across an article for an educational technology class I’m taking that can help those struggling with how to implement these concepts, Lesson Planning with Universal Design for Learning by Allison Posey MEd.

Instructors implementing UDL will find the focus will change from “why doesn’t the student…” to “how can I change the lesson” to get the response needed. By focusing on the goal of the lesson, the range of your student’s abilities, and implementing design strategies, the instructor can reduce student barriers and help to develop student skills and increase their educational autonomy. The article provides a number of introspective questions educators can use to evaluate and guide in their lesson planning. Examples of instructional changes are given dependent upon what the focus of the goal is–which I find very practical and effective. I would definitely suggest this article to fellow instructors or administrators who are looking into UDL and its aims. We always talk about barriers to education and how to equip learners to overcome them in education. But by utilizing UDL we then change the focus on how do we equip learners into–what ways can I engage my student using modalities and methods to best ensure their growth and self-regulation?