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First full week of Zoom classes done! (We started last Wed) Here are some of the ways I've adapted to being online.
Many of these are from the wonderful @utmTLC events & community.
Many of these are from the wonderful @utmTLC events & community.
1. I start class by greeting everyone "good morning, good afternoon, good evening, from wherever you are." I am grateful for every single student who attends-whether they are local or had to wake up at (or stay up until) 5am-and I try to convey this gratitude.
2. I tell students they are not required to attend class. There are no grades for participation or attendance. All classes are recorded and put on YouTube.
For those who attend I don't require cameras because it may affect bandwidth for others.
For those who attend I don't require cameras because it may affect bandwidth for others.
3. The 3-hours-a-week lectures have been split into 1-1 synchronous and the third hour converted to drop-in hours. Ss use this extra hour to watch videos of basic material on their own time.
Still feel super awkward recording though (and it shows)
Still feel super awkward recording though (and it shows)
4. I tried using the live captions on Google Slides and it's reasonably accurate. A good number of students found it helpful too. I transferred my beamer PDF slides to Google so I can caption, and annotated on Zoom. (h/t @AnnGagne)
5. Since the slides are on Google I can just drop the shareable link in chat. More importantly, they are able to see the slides & questions while in breakout rooms.
Breakout rooms have been really mixed: some very active, some silent. Ruminating on this
Breakout rooms have been really mixed: some very active, some silent. Ruminating on this
6. Polls are awesome. MCQs can reveal misconceptions that generate rich discussions. And almost all students participate- they just need to click a button.
This is easier to talk about in breakout rooms too, instead of open-ended Qs (unless these are scaffolded well)
This is easier to talk about in breakout rooms too, instead of open-ended Qs (unless these are scaffolded well)
7. I have an activity up for 10 mins before the class starts at N:10 to get the crowd warmed up: this week it was the world map, last week it was colouring. Thinking of other ideas: maybe play some music/a video...
8. I'm giving a take-home term test in one of my classes, which gives all Ss some reasonable timeframe for completing the test. This also accommodates students who would usually have to register with accessibility for extra time.
9. Piazza enrolment has been slow but will pick up as the term progresses. I'm trying to increase engagement by posting discussion prompts but I can't require Ss to participate or sign-up as it is a third-party tool.
10. I asked Ss for music recommendations in the intro survey so I can compile them into a playlist. (Is there a way to create a YT playlist from a .csv file of YT links?)
+ I've been rickrolled 5 times so far, and counting.
+ I've been rickrolled 5 times so far, and counting.
11/end. Finally, for the final exam I'm going to do online proctoring LOL JUST KIDDING whew I felt dirty typing that
