In the midst of our scrambled routines and adjusting to being more distant to others, there are some simple things we can do to connect to our colleagues, students, and families. We are stressing SIMPLE because nobody needs more complexity in their lives right now. 

Live Video Calls

One of those options is setting up live video calls that others can join. There are a number of platforms available, but Google Meet (Hangouts) and Zoom are the most common. You can record meetings and share your screen in both. Zoom has a hand raising feature and allows the host more control over muting participants.  You can see more details about these and other options in this guide to digital communication. (note that the Enterprise features are available temporarily)

These meetings can simply be teachers talking to each other or their students and parents. But, if comfortable, screens can be shared to facilitate learning or collaboration. Live video calls are a time to see and hear each other, ask questions, and share what everyone is doing during school closures.

Recorded Videos

Another good option for educators is creating recorded videos that others can access at their convenience. A video prompt could be recorded in Flipgrid for students to view and respond to, giving them a chance to connect and/or share about a topic. Again, this is free and no downloads are needed for people to access – just a link to the Grid. You can select guest mode to make it easy for anyone to access, but it will be wise to turn on moderation to better manage privacy and appropriateness. 

Screencasting

Screencasting captures the actions of a user’s computer screen. Audio, animations, graphics, and videos can be embedded in the screencast. This tool can be used to share updates, say hello, and/or give basic learning lessons. Embedding a webcam view could help personalize the recording. The guide to digital communication offers details on some tools and tips for this as well. 

Communication is Important

A big consideration for any of this is how to make this available for students. Many schools use Remind to send text-based message because access to email may be limited. There also may be limited access to internet and devices in general, so whatever is shared should be optional and supplementary, not required. 

Additional Support

Interested in learning more about the above tools or any other tech questions? During the school closures, the Kent ISD EdTech team will be offering the following weekly times for educators to check in or learn with us!

Tech Sessions

Click here to learn some new tips, tricks, and tools to support learning with Craig Steenstra.

• Tuesday: 10:00 am – 10:30 am
• Thursday: 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Open Office Hours

Click here to drop in as needed and get EdTech support with Keith. It is a chance for you to ask any questions you might have about the tools above or others tech.

• Monday: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
• Wednesday: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

In addition to the above assistance and learning, the EdTech team (Ron, Craig, and Keith) are also available by appointment. You can set up a time by sending an email to edtech@kentisd.org

#EdTech #WeLeadLearning #KentISDpd

This blog post was written in collaboration by Kent ISD's EdTech Consultants: Craig Steenstra, Ron Houtman, and Keith Tramper. It was edited by Amanda Walma, Professional Learning Coordinator for Kent ISD.