Five Tips to Spice Up Your Online Course
No matter what online platform you use with your students, chances are that your online course isn't nearly as pretty or as well-decorated as your physical classroom. However, that doesn't have to be the case! Think about all the time we spend making sure that our classroom is welcoming, inclusive, and demonstrative of who we are as a teacher. It's important that we spend a similar amount of time "decorating" our online class also, especially if your class only exists online!
Here are 5 tips to spice up your online course:
- Add pictures: I don't think I've ever been in a teacher's classroom that didn't have at least one poster. To get the same feel in an online class, add pictures! If you've created a "virtual classroom" in Slides, add it to the homepage of your online course (in itslearning, this would be in the Sticky Text Box of your Overview page). Then, add additional pictures throughout the course: to unit overviews; to the instructions for discussions, tests, and assignments; to messages you send, in notes you send digitally. SUGGESTED TOOLS: Google Slides (with embed code), Canva, Adobe Spark Post, Unsplash
- Add some color: Don't be shy about including different colors and fonts in the materials you share! While there are certainly some graphic design basics you should stick to (don't use 12 different colors and 15 different fonts!), it's much easier to be engaged in online learning if it's "pretty" to look at. Experiment with combining complementary fonts, complementary colors, and different stylings. TOOLS: Graphic Design Basics from Canva, Graphic Design for Kids, Ultimate Google Font Pairings from Reliable
- Unmute yourself: Be sure to include your voice and face as much as possible! Just like it's hard for us to teach to "little black squares," it's hard for students to really connect with text on a screen. Even if you've added pictures and color, nothing beats hearing your voice and seeing your face as students complete the course! Include recordings of your voice or a screencast in instructions, notes, unit overviews, anywhere it makes sense! Similarly, ask students to use their voice as well! Tools: Flipgrid, Screencastify, Loom, Mote, Talk & Comment
- "Live time" is precious: The time you get to spend with your online students in "live time" should be worth your time and theirs! Optional help sessions are great, but unlikely to get a lot of takers (think about how often students actually stay after school for help or review sessions). Instead, hold regularly scheduled "class time" in which you present actual lessons, you know, just like you would in a physical classroom! Include games and time for students to interact with each other also. This helps to give students a sense of connection to you and their classmates. TOOLS: Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
- Be present: Just like you are a constant presence in your classroom, be present in your online class. When you return student assignments, add feedback, even if it is just a Bitmoji. Be intentional but frequent with communication. Send at least one message per week to the entire class letting them know you're a human and not a robot. Respond to student messages daily, if not more frequently. Check up on discussion boards and respond as needed or wanted. Make sure your students know that while the course content may have been designed in advance, you are present NOW!
FCS Professional Learning Catalog
While many of the items are specific to teachers here in Forsyth, others (especially those under Digital Learning) can be beneficial to anyone in education! Check out the site and be sure to let me know what you think, what you'd like to see added, or what could be updated!
Angela Burgess
Forsyth County Schools, GA
Check out previous newsletters on my profile page!
Email: aburgess@forsyth.k12.ga.us
Website: https://sites.google.com/forsythk12.org/mmeburgess/home
Location: 1120 Dahlonega Highway, Cumming, GA, United States
Phone: 770.887.2461 203371
Twitter: @MmeBurgess
