Online Teaching for EL Students
With the COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching became the norm rather than the exception. We are lucky to be living in these times so that, despite the obstacles, heartbreak, disruption, or inconvenience, many of us can still have regular contact with our students. At ETHS, we are fortunate enough to be able to provide our students with much of the technology available these days so that they can relatively easily continue their secondary schooling. Below are some tips, resources, and recommendations that have emerged in these times. None are ideal, but they can help us support English Learners in these trying times.
Online Norms
Be on time.
Be attentive.
Use gestures and icons.
Dress appropriately.
Sit up so everyone can see you.
Be careful with the microphone. It picks up a lot of sounds. Mute it when you are not speaking.
Leave camera on, especially when speaking. (This may have to be negotiated and modified.)
Use the chatbox for questions and comments.
Say your name before you speak.
Ask permission to leave.
10 Tips for Curbing ‘Zoombombing’
Classrooms around the country have been interrupted by so-called “Zoombombers” or “Zoomraiders,” who shout obscenities, share sexual images, or racist content in the middle of an online lesson. Despite the name, the incidents can take place on any video conferencing platform, not just Zoom.
Here are 10 steps educators and experts say school districts and teachers can take to curb this problem:
1.) Offer teachers professional development on how to block would-be Zoombombers. One district created two, 40-minute videos, each exploring a different online conference platform.
2.) Make sure students are required to have a password to get into virtual classrooms.
3.) Continually change the online credentials for virtual classrooms, and don’t post them to external websites.
4.) Have a waiting room for each videoconferencing lesson. Teachers should only “let in” students who are on their roster.
5.) Don’t admit a student to a virtual classroom if someone under their name is already in class. That person could be an impostor.
6.) Teachers should show up to the online classroom first. That way, students are not there unsupervised.
7.) Ensure that only the teacher can share the screen, unless there’s a reason for students to share their screens.
8.) Disable students’ ability to transfer files back-and-forth in class.
9.) Disable chat unless you are using it for a clear reason.
10.) Make sure students understand the rules of a virtual classroom, just like they would in a brick-and-mortar one.
Useful Tech Tools and Tech Information
Anti-Racism Education, ESL and Online Teaching
