It's tough when you can only see a few kids at a time online, or maybe even none at all. We all know the importance of feeling connected, so the ideas below are designed to keep the spirit of community alive.
I've used Flipgrid to keep the conversation going. My first prompt was simply, 'How are you doing?' and students responded with what they've been up to through the week. It's a nice way to see faces and remember that we are still there, even if at a distance. Some other prompt ideas:
Share a bright spot from your day
Introduce your pet / sibling / parent
Show us your best [insert dance move here]
Teach us a quick skill e.g. a card trick
Ask us a riddle
This humble site is like a simplified Padlet, which could also be used. The reason I like it is because you can comment and vote on students' posts and it has fewer distractions that its super-powered cousin. You can have 1 board for free, but you get a month premium access meaning you can have as many boards as you like. With a bit of creativity (ahem) about which email addresses you use, you can get enough access for the rest of the year. Examples of boards I've created are:
Just One Word - students type a word to describe how they're feeling; the class has 3 votes so they can indicate the ones they agree with.
Questions, Comments, Concerns - so far, I've used this at the end of lessons to wrap things up, but it could be used at any time to see how students are managing the lesson.
Celebrations - we use this at the start of a lesson to share inspirational stories and bright spots from home or the media. It's an easy way to start on a high note.
SMART Goals - as we continue toward a deadline, students post their next steps as SMART goals.
