1. HUMANIZE
Community college students are more likely to come from underserved populations and are inclined to feelings of self-doubt in academic settings. When learning online, our students need to know they have an instructor who cares and is there to support them, and that they are part of a vibrant learning community. Effective online teachers mindfully cultivate their presence at the course level and one-on-one with students. These interactions foster a relationship based on trust, which is the foundation of a learning community.
Humanizing Online Learning
Learning: I have been learning about teacher presence in an online class, culturally relevant pedagogy, and best ways to build a learning community. I feel very supported and encouraged to meet my students where they are and to engage more authentically with my students as they progress in their learning.
Reflection: I had never used video before, and was unsure about the tools and about the messages I should convey with video. My confidence grew with practice, and now video tools are core to my teaching presence.
Into the Future: I have built my knowledge in this area by attending workshops at OTC, Digital Learning Day, and CanInnovate on new tools and methods for humanizing my classes, and through my Professional Learning Network on twitter. I now use Clips and Instagram to stay in regular contact with my students, and students tell me that this regular video contact is their favorite part of the class. For ESL learners, I now understand what an essential aspect humanizing our teaching has on language learning, and as the field of Online ESL learning continues to grow, I am am eager to share what I have learned with other educators.
Examples: Below are examples of some of the ways I humanize my classes.
I have gotten braver with selfies and old photos of myself, as a way of being present and friendly, a "human", in the class. My cats are also very present in many of my posts!
Examples
I humanize my online classes from the very first meeting. I create my own banners, narrate my own Welcome Video, and offer my own Virtual Guided Tour of our Class.
This semester was unique as, mid-semester, the campus shut down and we all went into quarantine, with only 3 days notice, and a pandemic swept the globe. Here is a humanizing video I made to stay connected with my students during the frightening transition to shelter-in-place.
This video was featured in Michelle Pacansky-Brock's Humanizing Remote Learning Webinar, attended by over 300 community college educators from across the country.
During quarantine I have been staying connected with my Online Class and also bringing my online teaching skills to my Composition and Non-Credit Reading classes, quickly helping my students adjust to our new remote format.
I am now teaching all of my courses remotely, using the humanizing tools I have mastered through my @ONE training, such as Fligrid, Padlet, Clips, and Screen cast-o-matic.
I was quickly able to make videos for my students and also for my colleagues who were new to remote teaching.
Below are postings from my students about the humanized apsect of our remote and online classes.
I start my courses with a personalized welcome video, using Animoto. I also give my students surveys at the beginning of the course, to learn more about their backgrounds and learning situations, and at end of the course for feedback on my teaching and on their learning.
I post regularly to Instagram, where many students follow me, and share news about events happening on campus, updates about the class, and photos of myself in nature, doing something fun away from school. During quarantine I posted regular videos, as well as updates on my cats!
