Preparing Students for Online Classrooms
Using an online learning platform is sometimes intimidating for teachers but we often assume that students are ready for technology. We hear that students of today are the technological generation and excel at the use of technology. But, the reality is that the extent of technology use by many students may be social media, texting friends and online gaming. They may have more apps installed than teachers but when it comes to the skills needed in an educational setting many students are lacking and do not understand the use of educational apps. Surprisingly, they are also not very good at multitasking when texting and do not necessarily stay engaged or get what is happening around them while texting. Finally, students do not know how to use and evaluate the content they find on the internet.
Students admit to shortcomings; admitting to a basic understanding of Microsoft Office but also admitting that they have no idea how to do things like headers and footers within Word. One student in a consortium of students held in 2017 said that one thing high school teachers could do to support students was something as simple as a basic workshop in the use of Google Docs. All of which shows that the use of technology in the classroom and for education may seem as foreign to students as it is intimidating to teachers. We must make an effort to train our students in the proper use of technology for education and assume their knowledge may be as limited as our own. In this article, I will take a look at some things we need to do to prepare our students to correctly use the technology available to them while maintaining a student-centered environment that we all desire in our classroom.
Start with the assumption that students have not used technology in this way before
Often as teachers, we teach students a concept and use student discussion to assess students’ understanding. When we are comfortable that students understand, we make an assignment that requires technology such as a presentation or shared document. Are we sure that all students can do these things or do we just assume that they have learned? Don’t assume that a teacher in another course taught them! Even if they have been taught, often the only place they have used those skills are at school and then only to the level required to complete a particular assignment or project. The skills required to complete an assignment in math might be very different from those required in English or Social Studies.
We must begin by finding out what students do know and equally important, what they do not know. Interestingly enough, we pre-assess students on their knowledge of topics in our classes but never check to see what knowledge they have in the use of technology we are implementing. Can students do basic functions required in the use of most technology like opening files, saving files, sharing files, accessing the internet with browsers, opening apps, and other basic functions? Students who do not have these skills must be taught. To find out, consider a simple survey or assess students’ ability to perform basic functions you consider necessary by actually having them perform the function. If a student has a few gaps in knowledge, it is possible that it can be corrected at that time. Otherwise, it will need to be taught as needed, or that the student will need additional teacher support to learn these basic skills. The level of basic technology skill should be addressed as soon as possible and gaps corrected. Students must have these basic skills to function in a technological classroom. They must be taught these things first if necessary.
A good starting spot for training students in basic technology is to make sure all students can use basic word processing and presentation software present on your particular platform. Make sure that students can enter and format text, add images and graphics, and save and share their work. This can been done as part of a content lesson if carefully planned and teachers can use observation to determine and correct gaps in understanding. Identifying and correcting these gaps will go a long way in building students’ confidence in their ability to use the platform at hand.
Practice with a variety of devices on the platform you intend to use
Teach and monitor the devices that students will be using regularly in the classroom but find out what access students have to devices outside of school. Determine which ones will work with the online platform you will be using and take advantage of class time to allow students to practice doing assignments with those devices. It is a good idea to have students do an occasional lesson on their cell phones, for example, while anyone who doesn’t have access continues to work on devices available in class. This will serve the dual purposes of having the students practice using their own devices to practice online lessons while allowing the teacher to support students who may have issues with their devices. It is also a good opportunity for the teacher to take note of which students may not have those devices available or cannot access the online platform with them. Clearing up possible issues in class will be of great benefit when students need to access the online platform from home or another location in the future.
Integrate the technology into your lessons
In order for students to become comfortable using technology and the platforms that are used as part of a classroom, its use must be integrated into lessons on a regular and ongoing basis. If technology is a regular part of the daily routine, students will come to expect it and will adjust to its use and work out issues that may occur with the teacher. Technology should not, however, be used just for the sake of technology. Technology does not replace sound lesson development but must become a part of the lesson. If its use does not result in effective student learning and response, it should not be used or better ways to make it effective should be explored. Technology should always lead to better student learning and response as well as creating more diverse ways of presenting content to student. Technology must still support the learning targets of a lesson and not displace them.
If your main piece of technology is a computer, projector and smart board, resist the temptation to just use it as a substitute for a chalkboard. Instead look for relevant video to play or project a virtual guest speaker. There are lots of virtual manipulatives out there; especially in math and science that can be projected and used. Even if computer access is limited or not daily, consider class blogs or shared documents where students ask and answer questions or comment on current lessons. Consider your own website to organize content and encourage students to access it when they have missed something or need reinforcement of a topic. Record students or groups using video or audio apps and use the video for class discussions. Doing these things even when the entire lesson is not centered around direct student use of technology will make students more comfortable in its use and far more likely to turn to it when they need support and to use it when an assignment requires its use.
Support the use of the platform and technology as you would the lesson
Find ways to get all students connected to the platform through technology that they will have available to them. Make an effort to connect students to the learning platform through different devices and support them in making them work. Keep notes on issues that occur and students that may have limited use on their own. Take advantage of technology that is supplied in the classroom and make sure that both the teacher and the student become proficient in its use. It should be the primary connection to the learning platform but opportunities should be presented to students that have other devices to connect with them and complete assignments while the teacher is available to observe, support, and correct. If most students, for example, have a cell phone, it might be a good idea to plan a lesson that could be done with the cell phone and app connecting to the learning platform that will allow the teacher to observe issues that may occur firsthand and correct them at that time. Again, students who don’t have a cell phone or can’t access the platform with it, should still have access to classroom technology as an alternative but the teacher should note this for future reference.
Create and support lessons as if you were only present remotely
When you create a lesson that is intended to be completed using available technology, teach students to approach that lesson as if the teacher is not there. Encourage them to post thoughts and questions to a shared document, for example, and seek input from others. If students are using an online platform like Google Classroom, encourage them to post and participate in the online stream. It is okay for the teacher to also post when students get off track but teachers must be careful to act as a “last resort” source or students will begin to address their comments to the teacher instead of each other. When students have questions, resist the temptation to simply tell them what to do but instead ask them to think about where that might find more information or guide them in the right direction. Simply giving the student the answer or telling them what to do will train them that you are the first resource when problems arise and if you are busy with others, learning will stop while the student waits for your attention and direction. When you make an online assignment, try to only support it electronically unless a student runs into a technology issue, as much as possible. This will help you as the teacher see what problems occur and it will train students to understand how to get digital support when the teacher is not available.
Make regular use of technology and online lessons in your regular classroom
Making regular use of the online platform in a regular class setting will allow students to adjust to online lessons, understand the support you will give, and learn what is expected of them in response. You as a teacher will then be able to address issues as they arise with both the lesson and the technology, and students will become more sure of themselves and their abilities to complete lessons online when you are not present. As a bonus, students will be able to learn at their own pace. Some students will love online learning and thrive in that environment while others will need more support from the teacher. This will benefit both groups and ultimately make them more comfortable online.
Clearly define the expectations for the online lesson and how they will be assessed
Directions for completion of an online lesson must be presented clearly and in a consistent way. If the lesson is online, generally the directions should be online. This should generally be done in a consistent way, consistent format, and placed in a consistent place in the online platform. Using a brief teacher recorded introductory video is a good way to deliver instructions but these instructions should also be in text format and posted as well. In fact, the more formats the directions can be given in, the better.
Resources that will be used should also be clearly defined as part of the introduction. For example, are all the links that will be needed for this lesson included or will students need to go to outside websites to find information? Clearly explaining this will help tremendously when you need to have a conversation with a student who gets off topic or is using technology in a way that is not required in the lesson.
Finally, make it clear how students will be assessed on the work that they are doing online. Will they write a paper or do a presentation? Will they be assessed with an online test or on paper later? What are key things that students are looking for and how will they know if they are learning what the learning target demands? This must be a part of the initial expectations and if the lesson is to be graded, the grading rubric should also be presented. Clear expectations are important to the success of all lessons but are crucial to the “self paced” nature of online learning. Clearly defined expectations upfront will pay off in less issues as students work through the lesson on their own.
Consider your classroom a hybrid between a traditional and online class
From a student’s point of view, the best part of doing a lesson online while still in the classroom is that the teacher is available if something goes wrong but at the same time the student can move through the lesson at his or her own pace. The classroom becomes a hybrid between a regular classroom and completely online classroom where there is support available only online. It is the best of both worlds and gives the teacher a chance to train students directly while students learn to navigate the online world that they will be learning with in life after their formal training is finished.
In order for this hybrid classroom to be most effective, online learning must be included from the first day of class and students must be made to understand the equal importance of the online learning with traditional learning and how transitioning to online learning is important to transitioning to the type of learning they will do in both college and in life.
Use the classroom to model online lessons
Teachers should use class time to model completing a successful online lesson or lessons. This might include going through a complete online lesson with students that is projected on the screen while students use their devices to comment or ask and answer questions of each other. The teacher might show these and explain how to effectively use collaboration as a tool. The teacher could also model the kinds of questions the student should be asking of themselves to determine if they are understanding the lesson. Stepping through the lesson with the student and from the students’ perspectives will allow them to see the entire process including the thought process, and allow them to become more comfortable trying it on their own.
Create lessons to teach the technology, assess, and support students in its use
It is important that teachers take the time to actually teach students how to use the technology and online platform effectively that will be required in a class AND to assess their ability to use it. It is appropriate and expected that teachers in the classroom today teach the real world applications of the what they teach and connect their students and lessons to their purpose in the real world. Teachers who teach students to research, learn, and collaborate online are certainly doing that. Teaching students the technology necessary to master their content is a real world skill and is worth creating lessons around, assessing students’ knowledge of, and supporting students who need additional help in mastering the use of the technology. In the long run, teaching students to use the online platform as a learning tool will be time well spent and ultimately time saved in teaching content. And, just as they would with content, teachers should support students who are unable to accomplish tasks due to a lack of understanding of the technology and continue to do so until they can effectively use the technology.
Students must be taught how to use the online content to master a learning target
Teachers must guide the students in understanding the online resources instead of just restating, summarizing, or otherwise recreating content for the student. Failure to redirect students to the online content will result in students who are still dependent on the teacher and unable to use content, and with the inability to focus on the content with a plan to learn it.
Just like a regular classroom, it all starts with making sure students understand the learning target. Communicate to students in class what they must know or be able to do when the lesson is complete but in addition, post this target or guiding question online for the student to see and perhaps include it in your introductory video (you are doing those, right?). All content and links posted online by the teacher should serve to clarify, support, and increase knowledge of the learning target. The learning target of the lesson should be the center for student searches when the students needs more information.
Students who encounter problems with the lesson may turn to the teacher seeking immediate answers to questions. Teachers, however, should not directly answer questions about content that has been addressed in posted content or could otherwise be found online. Instead, the teacher can use this as a teaching opportunity to point out where other content might address the issue. The teacher should also refer to the learning target or question and get feedback from the student on his or her understanding of it before using it as a reference to solicit possible search topics from the student. The target should guide the student’s search. By teaching the student to use the tools at hand, the student will learn to use technology to solve problems and will become less dependent on the teacher for direct answers. Failure to instruct students in how to seek additional resources and instead supplying answers directly will teach the student to turn immediately to the teacher as the first resource when something goes wrong. Students must learn to seek answers from alternate, online sources first before looking to the teacher.
Teach students multiple strategies for completing online lessons
Not every strategy will fit every student. Lesson content should include multiple resources and not every student will use every piece. Students should learn to use pieces that fit their learning style best and use self-assessment to decide if they need to use the other resources. Some students may prefer video while others prefer to read material. Some students may use graphs or charts while others may not look at these at all. Some students may look at all of the posted content while some may do searches to find other content that is posted elsewhere.
The key to the successful use of multiple online strategies is solid understanding by students of the desired learning target and the knowledge or skills required to mastery it. Students must be able to self-assess along the way to determine if they have done enough to allow them to demonstrate the appropriate level of knowledge or skills required. Teach them by reinforcing the targets and asking them to explain what they know along the way and how they see it fitting into the learning target. Work to get students to reveal thinking in questioning, posts, shared documents, etc. that will teach students to know what to look for to indicate that they have acquired this knowledge or need more content resources.
Be persistent in presenting lessons online
At first, students may resist online learning, preferring a teacher centered classroom. Unfortunately this model is often not as effective and will not work for students when they are faced with learning in the real world. Just like any lesson, some students will respond faster, become proficient faster, and adapt to online learning easier. Don’t expect the first or even the first few online lessons to be perfect or even near where they will eventually be. Both teachers and students need time to adapt to an online learning style. Everyone must be in it for the long haul and not be tempted to revert back to the old ways of doing things when things go wrong. Be persistent and supportive of those that need help but continue to support them online without giving them an “out.” Students will be learning online for the rest of their lives and it is an important 21st century skill that students need to acquire along with other classroom content.
Set deadlines and teach time management
Since online learning is flexible, students must be taught to make progress toward completion. Set deadlines and support students along the way to reach them. Teach students to make a plan of action that will include intermediate deadlines and help them adjust to unrealistic plans and deadlines. Teachers might begin by modeling a timeline for completion in the form of a student checklist along the way and then monitoring the checklist to make sure students are remaining on target. Support students by helping them adjust when they get off target. At some point students should be able to make their own plan of action to work toward a teacher set final deadline. After this plan is made, teachers should carefully monitor students’ progress toward completion and support them when things don’t go as planned. Learning to work toward a final goal in steps is of great benefit to students when the teacher is no longer present for online learning.
Teach online communication skills and give students a chance to practice them
In addition to completing lessons and assignments online, students need to be able to communicate online. Set up and teach the process of communication with the teacher and/or with each other, and give students a chance to practice this in class. Consider making online communication primary in online lessons with direct teacher response acting as support.
Pose open-ended, online questions for students to comment on in an online stream. Encourage them to address each other’s comments and teach them proper etiquette in doing so. Monitor the discussion and allow students to respond to each other as long as they stay on track. Limit teacher comments to correcting misconceptions that apply to all. Be very careful with teacher responses or students will begin to address their comments to you as the teacher instead of to each other or the group.
Teach students to use online video conferencing software such a Zoom or Google Meet to work in small groups or with you as the teacher. Make sure students know how to use these and intentionally set up discussion to allow students to use these with various devices. This can be a great way to get students to a tutorial time after school. Set these times up just as you would in-person tutorials and be present. The likelihood of students of this generation working from home in their adult life is increasing each year and video conferencing skills are a necessary part of doing so.
Teach and use online tools in support of regular classroom lessons
Even when you are not making use of online learning platforms like Google Classroom, it is still important to make use of common software outside of the platform as part of regular classroom learning as a way to share and assess content knowledge as well as to assess student competence in the use of technology as part of regular classroom learning. For example, when having in-class, student discussion, take advantage of shared documents for class notes and students’ thoughts. When working in groups, students could prepare shared presentations projected on the board to facilitate classroom discussion. Be creative. Find effective ways to make use of technology everyday to make it a part of students’ routines.
Establish and enforce rules for classroom technology use
Guidelines for the use of technology must be established and enforced from the beginning. Students will push boundaries in the use of technology perhaps more than any other classroom rules and guidelines. Guidelines must be clear and deviation never allowed. Students must be taught to focus on online education and not be distracted by browsing, personal messages, or off-topic use. Clearly stated and written guidelines should be discussed, posted in the classroom, and posted on the online platform. Deviation from these rules must be addressed immediately and every time it occurs. If incorrect use is ever allowed, students will always look for this exception and technology will no longer be a learning tool but will become a distraction from learning!
Understand that integrating online learning into a regular classroom is a commitment
Effective online learning will look different from a traditional classroom and students will have to be taught what it looks like, but it is a commitment on the part of teachers to implement and integrate in regular lessons. It takes work to find effective ways to integrate technology into the lesson cycle and it takes commitment to stick with it when everything seems to go wrong. The benefits to students and ultimately teachers outweigh the challenge. Students will develop a skill that will serve them well in college, in their careers, and in life while teachers will develop a multitude of online content that can be built upon from year to year as learning targets are clarified and student results show what is most effective. Give technology a try and stick with it. It will pay off!
Don't be afraid to include online tips and guides as part of your online platform
Video or written instructions are an effective way to help students by modeling issues that may occur when working online. Make videos and online tips a regular part of your online postings and refer students to them when they are unclear. What kinds of things go online? Add things like your technology use guidelines, tips on how to find good online content, what to use in search queries, where to find things on your platform, links to helpful websites, links to pages on your own website if you have one, or anything that will help students find the content they need to master a learning target. Just remember, everything posted does not have to be content related if it still leads to better use of the platform to access content and leads to better student learning.
Compare the effectiveness of online lessons with those taught in a regular classroom
As you transition to the use of online lessons in your classroom, take the time to critically evaluate the effectiveness of online lessons and how they compare with the results of regular classroom learning. Look at results from previous classes taught in a more traditional format. Compare students’ growth along the way. Compare data from students with different levels of support and between classes with different approaches. Have students reflect on their own learning and write comparisons between online and traditional learning. Make adjustments as needed but be persistent. Research shows that consistent use of technology in the correct way increases student learning and that makes the effort worthwhile!