Embedded Files
“Learning is changing. And, we will see new models, new technologies and designs emerge. So, let’s drop the "e–" or at least give it a new and wider definition”. Elliot Masie
What is Navigation?
What is Navigation?
Navigation, or "wayfinding" means setting up online learning spaces in ways that enable students to orient themselves and maneuver their way through the content. Navigation can include anything from video instructions to visual cues.
Why does navigation matter in distance learning?
Why does navigation matter in distance learning?
When having limited face-to-face interactions with your students, the design of online coursework must be clear, coherent, and concise in order to provide a smooth, navigable experience. Students shouldn't be spending more time figuring out instructions than actually engaging in the work.
Online learning spaces are very different from actual classrooms because students operate very differently in online spaces. Time works differently. For example, students are probably not going to go online and stay in one space for an extended period. It is important to understand that students may check in and out; and their levels of attention and engagement will vary significantly. Therefore, we cannot take exactly what we have been doing in the classroom and plunk it into an online space. Our materials need to be created and presented with distance learners in mind.
It is also important that students and any adults that support them always know where to go to find content, and that navigating that content is intuitive, consistent, and free of clutter. When designing coursework for an online learning space, it is important to ask ourselves if we are reducing the mental effort on our students to navigate our course.
Grades 6 - 12 South Portland will use the combination of Google Classroom, Calendar and Sites to create a simple but robust navigation system.
Essential question: What effect does carefully planned use of online space have on student success?
Learning Goal 1: Navigation to Empower Students
Learning Goal 1: Navigation to Empower Students
Resources
Resources
Universal Design to Create Accessible Content
# 9 Tips for Making Your Course Easy to Navigate
How to Embed a YouTube video in a website
Visual Signposts ( 1:29)
Make it Public
Make it Public
Students should understand WHY they need to navigate your lesson. To that end, any unit or lesson should begin with clear, public articulation of the learning goal. Rather than just writing the goal(s) a the top of the instructions, try communicating them using a video, infographic, or other multimedia tool. A fun challenge: Can you introduce your learning goals without writing a single word?
Use Visual Signposts
Use Visual Signposts
Visual Sign Posts help your students where you want them to be. Online teaching requires very explicit expectation so that students know:
What you want your students to do
When you want them to do it
How you want them to get there
Minimize Clicks
Minimize Clicks
Having too many clickable options can be very confusing for students. Learn how to embed video, images, documents, and other content on one page so students do not need to navigate to other places to find what they need. Embedding content in your Google Classroom or website will allow students to access it, along with your added context and instructions, without leaving the page.
Self Assessment
Self Assessment
Using an online form or survey, ask students to assess how well they met the goals and how clear they were. This feedback can be just as helpful to you as it is to your students. Make sure you provide ways for students to reflect on their learning.
Learning Goal 2: Design Digital Spaces for Student Engagement
Learning Goal 2: Design Digital Spaces for Student Engagement
The critical question to ask yourself is how might the look and feel of a page invite students to interact with it? Elements such as images, graphs, videos, hyperlinks, and negative space can create a smooth, intuitive experience for your students. Less is more.
Keeping Students Engaged (2:22)
Learning Playlists
Learning Playlists
Rather than having students download documents and files, consider creating a playlist that includes related material in a variety formats. Include links to academic resources, news sources, popular culture, and other online resources. Make sure there are items for students to read, watch, and listen to. Let students self-select which media most suits them. Use the playlist as a springboard for some quality student discussion.
Chunk Your Content
Chunk Your Content
Good online designers minimize the burden on cognitive load by delivering content in digestible bites. Break your unit or lesson into individual tasks, then clearly label and distinguish between tasks by placing media (image or video) or white space between them, placing them in a table, or using iconography to add a visual cue.
Less is More
Less is More
Students are approaching the online learning environment looking for what they need to learn. Take care that the design of your page does not distract them from that goal. Your page or instructions should not be crowded, busy, overwhelming. Write concisely. Put the subject up front. Use imagery or other media only if it relates directly to the content of the page. Use just one or two fonts/colors to keep it simple. Here is an example of a well organized Physics class.
Resources
Resources
Are You a Curator or a Dumper? - This blog post emphasizes how important it is to consider the amount of content to deliver at a time and how to organize and present material in a way that is easy for students to digest. Podcast episode available at this link as well.
How HyperDocs Can Transform Your Teaching - This post offers tips, tools, and strategies for designing a HyperDoc, which is a digital document, such as a Google Doc, where all the elements of a lesson or unit are stored in one central location.
Video: Google Classroom for beginners - Google Classroom is a clutter-free, digital learning space, where you can post links, questions, assignments, quizzes polls, and announcements. Grade and provide feedback right in Google Classroom.
Examples of Hyperdoc Navigation - Templates you can use to simplify leading students through their task list.
Learning Goal 3: Calendars and Pacing Guides to Help Keep Students on Track
Learning Goal 3: Calendars and Pacing Guides to Help Keep Students on Track
The design of online spaces must be clear, coherent, and concise in order to provide a smooth, navigable experience. You don’t want your students spending more time figuring out instructions than actually engaging in the learning. Online learning creates an opportunity for personalized pathways. Some students will move through the material quickly on their own, while others will need more guidance.
Using a calendar to provide a clear outline of the work that is expected is a consistent way for students to think about managing their time. A calendar along with a pacing guide is an effective way to reduce anxiety and a feeling of being overwhelmed for students.
Using a calendar is also a good way to show students the end goal for their learning. Knowing where you are going provides relevance and meaning to the learning activities.
Learn the ins and outs of Google Calendar
Learn the ins and outs of Google Calendar
What items populate it? What does it look like to students? What are some (dis)advantages of using it? How can you show/hide ]calendars for different classes? How to share calendars with parents? How to use calendars to keep you and your students organized? What can your calendar automate for you?
Let students be their own project managers
Let students be their own project managers
Instead of making a pacing guide for students, challenge them to review the unit and make their own. For example, if you want the project done in a week, can students tell you how they use the time each day to accomplish this? Online learning allows students more control over when they schedule their learning. Giving them the opportunity to create their own pacing plan can empower students, while informing you how they prefer to learn. Here is an example of how a middle school teacher used a "greenlight spreadsheet" to help students track their work.
Resources
Resources
Use Google Classroom Calendar (for teachers)
Use Google Classroom Calendar (for students)
Pacing Guide Example - A pacing guide template you can copy and paste to use for your classes.
On Pacing Guides - In this post, Grant Wiggins emphasizes that pacing guides are for the learners and not for mapping out a teacher's plans to cover material. He points out common mistakes and tips for creating quality pacing guides.
Choose or create a pacing guide that meets your needs , your students, and your design skills.
Example assignment that uses a hyper doc to structure the what, where, why, and how of an assignment.
Tip: Prioritize and Share the Workload
Tip: Prioritize and Share the Workload
It is virtually impossible to get to the same amount of material online as you could in the classroom. Rather than trying to teach everything you have always taught in your classroom, prioritize essential units and save "nice to have" as optional assignments for students who may need extension activities. It may also be helpful to partner with a teacher who teaches the same content to share the lesson planning workload.
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