[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 4.7 Creating Engaging Virtual Activities #17835

Maybe assigning roles to students and having them act their part out online would work.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 4.7 Creating Engaging Virtual Activities #17834

It might work having various break-out rooms that small groups can move around to different virtual rooms to work on the different passages.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 4.7 Creating Engaging Virtual Activities #17833

Help make this in-person activity virtual: simulate a coffee market, where half the class act as buyers and the other half as sellers, where they have to negotiate and agree on a price.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 4.6 Classroom Meeting Activities #17831

I teach high school economics. I try to incorporate fun time when I can. On occasion we’ll play trivia with random facts which they seem to enjoy. On the last day of a quarter I print coloring pages and let them play cards if they’ve completed their work. For content-specific activities, I try to use simulations as much as possible to encourage collaboration, including one for economic systems, supply & demand, the Ultimatum Game, etc.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 4.4 Fostering Student Relationships #17829

That’s a great way to get a snapshot of your students to start the year.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 4.4 Fostering Student Relationships #17828

I think those are good, structured ways to start a conversation in an online format.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 4.4 Fostering Student Relationships #17821

In person, I usually build relationships by learning names as quickly as possible, because it makes communication more personal. Periods of general conversation can help get everyone participating in discussion before starting classwork. I think with online classes it would need to be a little more guided while still providing space to break the ice for the day, maybe by providing fun conversation prompts students can respond to. I think a lot of the relationship building will come through opportunities for feedback, especially if they can be done face-to-face or during office hours. I don’t like to make students share things about themselves if they don’t want to, but I always try and provide the opportunity for them.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 4.3 Remote Learning Matrix #17820

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dja5ibsNb1NW6R__YOPfZhLJtAEphZZx/view?usp=sharing

I like this one as it covers email etiquette which many high schoolers need practice with.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 3.5 Your Hyperdoc #17819

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MXbXOiY_FbP0YuJZZ-GqbghCFhKLKnuFMMb7NyglnAw/edit?usp=sharing

My hyperdoc covers the topic of supply and demand, and would probably be about a week’s worth of work. I tried to incorporate interactive tools and collaboration boards where it made sense; Nearpod for letting students share ideas and collaborate (like in the hook), interactive practice with supply and demand with MRU, a quizizz for a formative assessment to check understanding, and slides, videos & articles for content and applications to current events.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 2.9 Digital Lesson and Reflection #17772

Here is a link to one of the online versions of an Econiful lesson I like to use that can be adapted for online/hybrid classrooms: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ya6LzX8aqnRrjR_yKvi_m-1zJlShZdnVX2FccRaPENM/edit?usp=sharing

What part of your live lesson went well? Why? The students were engaged with the lesson activity were interested in how they were using all four of the economic principles when working together to pack for their rafting trip.

What part of your live lesson could go better? Why? Students had some difficulty at first navigating the Google Sheets version of the raft activity. I have students work together on one copy of the sheet and reflection questions so they can discuss and generate a single assignment.

Identify 1-2 areas where you think you can improve. What would you do differently next time? Next time I might have them work together but each complete an individual spreadsheet/reflection. This ensures that each student is participating in the activity and lets them have their own chance to reflect, in case they had a different experience than their peers.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 2.6 Tech Tool Tic-Tac-Toe #17758

Here is a really cool presentation tool a colleague of mine showed me: https://gamma.app/signin?logout_success=true

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 2.6 Tech Tool Tic-Tac-Toe #17757

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j9nQ2pxo_it81p28u_3Dws_b0ylk9nof/view?usp=sharing

I use Quizizz for review and extra practice, the kids enjoy it and it provides data on initial scores and how long it takes them to achieve mastery. There are presentations and other tools in Quizizz as well, although I haven’t used them as much. The challenge is using the right amount of tech for the best situations; oversaturating a course with tech can make it disorganized. But it can definitely be great for engagement.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 2.4 Your Digital Home Base #17755

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KC94S8tNlrJZmu-ILzqcESsIN3j8KtUJ/view?usp=sharing

We use Schoology. I keep my syllabus and class calendar linked at the top, then divide everything by unit and daily work. I can also integrate tools into the LMS when needed. All of my information, including name, email address, office hours, etc. are listed at the top of the syllabus so students don’t have to search for it. My district also uses Parent Square and PowerSchool to communicate and give students and parents a place to check progress.

• This reply was modified 1 day, 18 hours ago by Aaron McWaters.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 1.8 Challenges of Teaching Online #17751

A description of what you find most challenging about online teaching: I think keeping students on-track and engaged during lessons is the most challenging, in addition to being able to directly help students with feedback.

A possible solution to your challenge, using a tool, tip, or strategy you learned: One of the strategies in the lesson mentioned a few ways to connect a little more personally with students. One is hold office hours to students that are struggling can ask questions or get some personalized help. Also, recording audio or video feedback can make giving personalized feedback a faster and more efficient process.

An explanation of how this tool, tip, or strategy can help you improve your experience as an online teacher: I think this tip will make online teaching much more personal. Getting to know the students is one of the best parts of teaching that can be lost in online teaching, individualized feedback and opportunities to speak can help with that.

[Aaron McWaters]

in reply to: 1.6 Streamlining Your Digital Workspace #17748

I use Google Drive to organize my materials by class, semester, unit, and lesson, so I can quickly access lessons plans and student work quickly and upload it to the LMS as necessary (we use Schoology). I also create a class calendar I post for students to keep pace with lessons if they’re absent or working online. I also try and keep Schoology organized by unit and lesson. Finally, instead of using links to direct students to outside material, I try and integrate with Schoology whenever possible; most games like Quizizz integrate, as do other programs I use like Icivics, Bill of Rights Institute, Marginal Revolution University, etc. A clean and systematic way of presenting information definitely helps keep thinks orderly.

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