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I have produced a lot of online asynchronous, self-access and collaborative stuff and hosted countless sessions in Adobe Connect, Zoom and now Teams. On Sunday I hosted a #Zoom party for my 9 y.o. daughter + it (re)taught me 15 valuable lessons about live teaching...1/17
Of the 12 kids in attendance, ages ranged from 5 to 11. Some were & #39;accompanied& #39; by a parent, others left to their own devices (pun intended). Lesson 1: In any online (or indeed teaching) space homogeneity is not a thing. Plan to accommodate huge diversity. Assume nothing. 2/17
I had sent link + password via e mail to parents with explicit instructions the morning before. But one had tried to log in the day before and had called me in a flap. Lesson 2: if you think your joining instructions are clear; they likely aren& #39;t. Seriously, assume nothing. 3/17
I prepared a list of activities having canvassed Twitter for ideas. I was in the room half hour before 4pm start ready to answer any technical questions about audio/ video etc. but no-one arrived until 3.59. Lesson 3: Factor in this testing time to your joining instructions. 4/17
People started joining + there& #39;s a cacophony as my daughter saw friends for first time in ages. Great! However, it was clear some were struggling with video from a phone connection. I needed to advise. Lesson 4: familiarise yourself with other interfaces so you can help. 5/17
I was trying to offer support + to marshall things + settle the group + accept new arrivals amongst the excitement. I realised that what I was missing was a colleague with tech, backchannel, chat etc. responsibilities. Lesson 5: Online synchronous is MUCH easier with two. 6/17
The first activity was for all to say happy birthday (collectively) and then individually. I was pleased with this aspect because every child spoke on mic- first together, then individually. Lesson 6: Start with socialisation + confidence building; don& #39;t leap into content. 7/17
The first activity required them to identify images I had zoomed into while I shared my screen + gradually zoomed out. I was confident it& #39;d work because I had tested it and had each file open and cued ready. Lesson 7/ Test beforehand and have shareable content ready 8/17
I asked them (or a parent) to type answers into chat rather than shout out. This worked for some but not others. "Where is chat?" I heard someone say. Lesson 8: Show everyone the tools they will use in the interface and use them BEFORE an activity. 9/17
One kid liked chat so much he started filling it with amusing words like & #39;fart& #39; and & #39;bum& #39;. Lesson 9: Pre-empt subverting and testing behaviours. Set ground rules. Act on it when it happens (easier with 2!) 10/17
I ran a scavenger hunt which was popular poss because it brought out innate competitiveness in participants. The same effect can be achieved using such things as quiz options in @mentimeter Lesson 10: gamified, competitive + & #39;fun& #39; elements are both permitted + encouraged! 11/17
I noticed around 30 min mark some kids were getting restless. I felt I& #39;d have picked up the non-verbal clues much earlier in a face to face space. Lesson 11: concentration wanes easily online so frequent changes in dynamics, activities and interaction help 12/17
I also started using their names and asking them direct questions to try to get them to re-focus. I know it was a party but it& #39;s the way I roll. Lesson 12: Look directly into your camera (it works!) and use participants& #39; names whenever you can. 13/17
By this point, several kids had worked out that they could unmute themselves even when I had muted all. These children are off Santa& #39;s good list. Lesson 13: Establish audio protocols including & #39;how to& #39; at the start- pre-define your interaction/ engagement etiquette. 14/ 17
To finish I encouraged kids to draw moustaches on their parent then thanked them + gave each a chance to speak to my daughter- managing mute/ unmute myself. Lesson 14: Once comfort + confidence is established you can target people by name to contribute. 15/17
At the end, I handed hosting to my daughter and she spoke to the group (before coming downstairs to tell me I should have done that sooner because she knows how to use Zoom. Lesson 15: Consider options to relinquish control and to get participants sharing + leading 16/17
I& #39;d say it was a decent party with some management issues - I hadn& #39;t thought of new purpose enough but won& #39;t berate myself for errors. It& #39;s challenging if you haven& #39;t done it before but also rewarding (especially where moustache drawing is concerned.) More lessons welcome! 17/17
