JVS - Hyde Park 

Jewish Vocational Services - Hyde Park

TAGS: #InstructionalRoutine #VideoConferencing #Zoom #JVS

WHAT | Students click or tap on a link from the chat feature during remote classes to do an activity on another program. Students can use Wordwall, ELLII, Jamboard, Padlet, or others to navigate between the web meeting platform and the program.

WHY | Being able to navigate between screens can be an important skill. Students need to multitask on both their phones and computers.  For example, if a student is checking email on their phone and wants to look up a word in Google Translate, they will need to navigate between screens. 

Connected Evidence-Based Strategies | This strategy connects to the following evidence-based strategies:

• Clear Structure and Presentation

• Explicit Instruction: Computer Basics

• Immediate Feedback

• Multimodal Instruction

• Spaced Learning

HOW | Zoom: It is important to show students how to use your chosen program that they will be using to navigate between screens before teaching them how to do the navigation so students don’t get stuck on how to use the program. First, the teacher can use the program in class with a shared screen routinely so students start to recognize the program and how it works. Then, activities can be assigned through a link sent by the teacher as homework (for example using WhatsApp or email) so students can practice using the program on their own. After that, the students use the program during a remote class by navigating between screens with a link. Students who have trouble opening the program can go into a breakout room with the teacher who can use a shared screen to help students do the activity.

DIGITAL SKILLS | Implementing this strategy connects to the following digital skill(s):

• LL.2 Adapt to New Technology: Using a new program will help students be able to navigate other similar programs in the future. Having more interactive classes with the use of various programs, as well as practicing the skill of opening new windows, helps students adapt to a new way of learning in the remote classroom. Using different types of games in various programs helps students navigate sites (for example, they have to press the start/play button, click on answers, drag to do matching, and so on). 

• MO.6 Collaborate Using Mobile Tools: By practicing opening multiple windows on their phones, students gain a skill to better collaborate on projects with their classmates. This will eventually allow them to work on a shared document in a breakout room during class or look up information that they need while on Zoom or on a phone call. 

Jewish Vocational Services - Hyde Park

TAGS: #InstructionalRoutine #Survey #GoogleForms #JVS

WHAT | Students take a survey at the beginning of the year to give information about their digital literacy needs. Instead of focusing on their devices, this survey asks the students to identify both what they already do on their phones and computers and what they want to be able to do on their phones and computers. 

WHY | The goal of this survey is to help teachers know what the students’ needs are around digital literacy to be better able to craft lessons that meet those needs. This information not only helps individual teachers craft lessons but can also identify skills to emphasize for the whole program. This can also help teachers identify what lessons to craft that can be used in the future. For students, this survey will help them to identify their own needs and set goals. 

Connected Evidence-Based Strategies | This strategy connects to the following evidence-based strategies:

• Goal Setting and Monitoring

HOW |Google Forms: Teachers give students the survey during the first two weeks of classes on a digital form such as Google Forms and can be sent to students as a homework assignment. Teachers review the results within the first month of classes. The results can be used to determine which digital literacy lessons to emphasize for that year. Teachers can share the results with the students in their classes so students know what will be taught that year. For beginner students, use multiple choice with pictures. For higher level students, use open-ended questions. 

DIGITAL SKILLS | Implementing this strategy connects to the following digital skill(s):

• LL.3 Set Goals and Reflect: For students, this is a way to identify what they want and need to learn in order to give them some say in their own learning. Helping the teacher to set classroom goals also helps with motivation because students can see the relevance in their own lives.  

Jewish Vocational Services - Hyde Park

TAGS: #InstructionalRoutine #Survey #Zoom #JVS

WHAT | Students will use digital tools in order to provide feedback and self-assessment in the form of an exit ticket. Zoom polls, annotation, reactions, or chat, Google Forms, Wordwall, and WhatsApp texting, polls, or audio are all programs that could be used for exit tickets. 

WHY | Doing an exit ticket activity helps students solidify what they have learned and self-assess their own learning. It also gives the teacher feedback about what and how the students are learning. This feedback can be used to help plan future classes. 

Connected Evidence-Based Strategies | This strategy connects to the following evidence-based strategies:

• Foster Growth Mindset

• Multimodal Instruction

• Self Monitoring

HOW | Zoom Poll: At the end of the class or the end of the week, the teacher can present a short poll, survey, or question for the students to answer about how the class or week went. The teacher can use this information to get a sense of how the students are feeling and plan class accordingly moving forward. Students can answer questions such as: What did you learn today? What was your favorite activity today?  What do you still have questions about? What are you looking forward to in the next class? Different tools may elicit different kinds of feedback. For example, with Zoom polls, yes or no questions or multiple choice may be appropriate instead of open ended questions. With Zoom reactions, students could choose a symbol that best represents how they are feeling at the end of class or how they felt during a certain activity. In some cases, the teacher may want to know how specific students are feeling. In some cases, they might want to get the feedback anonymously. Some tools are able to be used anonymously while others are not.  

DIGITAL SKILLS | Implementing this strategy connects to the following digital skill(s):

• CO.1 Communicate Effectively: Exit tickets are designed to be quick ways to get feedback from students. Using exit tickets, students learn to communicate quickly and succinctly to their teachers. The goal is to get information across rather than focusing on accuracy. 

Jewish Vocational Services - Hyde Park

TAGS: #InstructionalRoutine #Internet #JVS

WHAT | Depending on the unit topic, students will search for apartments, jobs, educational videos, or other things using the search bar on various websites.

WHY | Searching is one of the primary functions of using the internet. Students need to know how to gather and evaluate information that they will need for work, health, housing, travel, and other aspects of life. This routine will help students search for what they need, narrow search terms, and navigate websites.

Connected Evidence-Based Strategies | This strategy connects to the following evidence-based strategies:

• Experiential Learning

• Explicit instruction:  Internet Search

HOW | For example, during a thematic unit about housing, students will first learn vocabulary for rooms and items in a home and expressions related to housing. Then they will practice describing houses/apartments and inquiring about housing for rent. They will also practice asking for and following directions to locate different addresses. After studying textbook examples of housing ads, they will be introduced to a housing search tool such as Zillow or Apartments.com through a slideshow and teacher demonstration of the tool. Students will be told to perform a search on their own as homework and send the teacher the details. An extension of this could be presenting a sample situation (family with a specific housing budget. What apartments can you find for them?) to create a problem-based lesson using the digital tool and language content.

This type of lesson can be used with any topic using any website that has a search function. Below are some websites where the search function is essential to the use of the website, which will allow students to get a specific set of results as opposed to the broader set of results in a search engine. 

Housing: Zillow, Apartments.com, Craigslist

Jobs: Indeed, Craigslist, ZipRecruiter, MassHire

Shopping: Amazon, Etsy

Health: Medlineplus.gov

Civics: Mass.gov

Travel: MBTA.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, Kayak, Tripadvisor

General information: public library website, Youtube

DIGITAL SKILLS | Implementing this strategy connects to the following digital skill(s):

• IS.3.  Evaluate online information: Using the search function requires students to both be able to communicate what information they want to find by changing and narrowing search terms as well as evaluating the information they find to choose what’s appropriate for their purpose. Students can use a variety of websites to practice this skill, helping them get any information that they want and need.  While evaluating online information, students also practice problem solving skills. 

• IS.5   Use search strategies: Students must ask themselves whether or not the search terms they chose produced the information they wanted and then change those terms as appropriate. If they cannot find the information they need, they can then ask themselves which search terms will get them the correct information. Search strategies can also help develop vocabulary and writing skills as students must think of synonyms or more specific ways to describe the information they are looking for.