In Practice

Creating Authentic Connection Helps

Setting Up Your Online Office

Creating an accessible online space for yourself and for your students is a great place to start. Setting up a virtual booking calendar and place that students can navigate to reach you, sends the message that you are approachable and welcome times of connection with them. Below are a few resources to get you started in setting up a warm, yet simple virtual office.

Online Calendar (Free):

This calendar resources offers a free version (which is what I use). Block off times that do not work for you and times you are allotting for your students to meet with you. The times will automatically align with the student's time zone when booking. You can set it up so that notifications are sent to both the student and yourself. The free version allows one calendar (like Google or Microsoft) to be linked so that your appointments appear in one place. Require students to meet with you at least once a semester and encourage them to book a time to meet when they just need that dialogue connection.

Create a Common Space:

Perhaps in your LMS, you have a place you can create a Teacher Office folder. In this folder, share a simple biography of yourself, including hobbies and brief family information. Students want to know a bit about you -- that you are a real person behind the computer screen!

In this folder, also include alternate ways students can communicate with you. Include your school email, preferred office hours, and warm greetings. Reiterate that your virtual office door is open for connection.

Consider creating a welcome video for your Teacher Office folder. Students want to see you and hear you in a variety of ways (whether they express this or not). It creates another level of authentic connection to your course. (I use this recording service for my teacher-made videos. There are free versions available).

Traversing the Online World Helps

Finding creative online resources can feel overwhelming. If you teach online courses that meet synchronously, that endeavor may feel even more overwhelming. As I shared in my video, using online tools that you feel the most comfortable with and the most confident with are what will set your video conference times to run more smoothly and your instruction to be more effective. You will feel better about your course and lesson instruction and students will settle into your established online expectations as well. Below you will find a few collaborative tools I use for my online synchronous courses. Take a look and see if you can build your own online repertoire of resources that you can use with your own students.

1. Kahoot: Starting a new unit? This may be a good ice-breaker to review aspects of culture, history, or literature. As an educator, you can access a free account and many pre-made quizzes to use with your students.

2. Jamboard: Do you have a school Google account? Within the Google Drive, you can use the Jamboard feature to create a space of collaboration with your students. Designate a time within your class for them to share sections of literature that resonate with them, "a-ha" moments of learning, brainstorming sessions, or other collaborative ideas. It is a great visual tool that you can share with your students and build together.

3. Google Keep: Another tool I regularly use in my collaborative rotation is the Google Keep feature. During my video conference class, I have my students go to their Google accounts and access the Google Keep portion in the Google Drive. By sharing my email with them (via chat), they can add me as a collaborator. I will usually give them a prompt and I share my screen after a time of reflection. I can visibly see the students creating their responses all in one place (my Google Keep section). Students can add links, images, or just text to share. Again, I share my screen during our reflection time so all can see our collaborative work.

4. Padlet: This visual tool allows students to "add" a post to a shared online space. As a teacher, I create a new Padlet "wall" link for students to add their own ideas. Again, they can share links, images, and text to whatever I am requesting. Padlet offers a free version to use.

5. Google Document: Believe it or not, a plain 'ol shared Google document is an online tool that I frequently use. I often will put a prompt or scenario on the document for multiple groups to "tackle," share the link, and send my video conference students off into break-out groups. With high school students, I keep the time shorter and pop into each group by joining them for a minute to see if they need anything. This tool is quite effective, easy to navigate, and students feel confident in using it.

Inspiration Along the Journey Helps

Inspiration can come in a variety of ways and look differently to each person. For educators, it is vital to create room for that inspiration. For online educators, where it is so easy for work time to bleed into personal time, a line needs to be drawn into the virtual sand to create that inspirational space.

1. Set up that online booking calendar mentioned above. This calendar is not only for your students, but for YOU! Go ahead and block off your family and personal time so that it is not gobbled up by other commitments. Also consider booking that "bigger" item event on your calendar, just to have something to look forward to during those longer days!

2. Create a space of simplicity! We all know that it can be easy to be surrounded by books and papers as teachers. If you are working from home, create a place that frees you up from distraction. Set up your working necessities nearby so that your work is even more productive.

3. Set a good working mood with playing some light instrumental music in the background. Who says you can't make your working area a peaceful and welcome area? Perhaps the instrumental genre isn't your cup of tea. Find the style of music that allows you to work well and put your mind (and soul) at ease.

4. Still enjoy the things that make you - YOU! What are your hobbies? What is it that you love doing that just fills your cup up once again? Make sure you create time to still do these. Get out that trusty calendar and make the space for the things you love!

5. Keep yourself growing and learning new things - professionally and personally! An educator mentor of mine said that while she was teaching full time, she tried to always be journeying through a professional book of some kind as well as a personal choice book. This "straddling" of book pursuits allowed her to grow and learn professionally, yet pursue genres that she just liked and wanted to read. Perhaps the podcast format is more your style. Seek out resources that will challenge you to grow in your profession...but also seek out ones that will fill your soul. It is hard to give and empty yourself to others when there is nothing to empty! Take some time to recharge!