Happy Thursday, friends! I feel like I’m coming to you from my second “Miracle Morning” and I’m feeling great! Yesterday, I was able to get in a workout, Bible journaling, wash, dry, AND fix my hair — whaaat??! — and I felt like I started my day off on the right foot. Today is my rest day (I’m working on actually taking those!) so I’m coming to you from my second activity (3rd if you count drinking coffee ?) to share a quick tip about how I’m juggling remote learners (those in quarantine) in Google Classroom.
Juggling … I think that’s an appropriate word to describe teaching in 2020. Don’t you?
When I receive information that a student or group of students will out on quarantine for a period of time (this seems to vary considerably) I use the option in Google Classroom to individualize announcements, assignments, questions, etc., and share a “task list” of sorts with those students for the day. This allows me to share specific activities for the students to complete for the day while they’re outside of the classroom.
You may ask, “why do you take this extra step, Bethany? Why don’t you tell the students to complete the assignments that you share?”
Well … sometimes, students might need a focused, itemized list to complete, as opposed to assignments just appearing at 7:45 in the morning. If you’re like me, I like to know what’s expected of me during a class period, and I like to KNOW when I’m done, so to speak. These task lists give my students that luxury. Also, we all know learning from home is different (like WAY different) than learning in the classroom. In the classroom, you have the benefit of your teacher standing beside you, guiding you along the way, whether that’s through an objective or an assignment. At home during remote learning, students have their Chromebook and (we hope) a bit of motivation!
I’ve also found it helpful to post the task list as a material instead of an assignment to avoid confusion among students. You could also share the task list as an announcement on the stream – I prefer the material option because I can easily organize what I share with my students using Topics on Classwork.
Another option I’ve considered for remote learners is to create a second section in Google Classroom. As students “go on” remote learning, I could add them to the Google Classroom section and then remove them when they return to school. However, I would use this section in Classroom almost like a message board – which is what I’m doing by using the option to select specific students to share task lists with in Classroom … hmmm … Either way works!
I hope your school year is off to a great start!
Thanks for reading 🙂
Hi Bethany!
I never had to use google classroom during my time as a student. However, as a preservice teacher in my Educational Technology course, I have learned how effective it can be to use as an educator. The idea of using task lists is a wonderful tool, as like you, a list helps me a bunch. I like to know what I need to have accomplished, and having a list to keep me on track is what helps me. As a college student who does remote learning in some ways, having a list set out like this would probably have kept me more on track this semester than rather a typical syllabus. Thanks for sharing!
Makenzie
Hey, Makenzie!
Thanks so much for stopping by – I’m glad you found the information helpful! Best of luck this semester!
Bethany