I got a bit of a head start on the assignment this week and then had an issue with my phone, which is also my only internet, so then I got behind. Such is life.
My head start came from the fact that 1) this is not the first Google classroom that I have had to create and 2) I had already made this specific one to share the assignment from last week (PlayPosit) because Google classroom is required for assigning the bulb (the video that you create with embedded classroom) which was a major downside of using that resource (unless your teaching and assignments are all already on Google classroom, then it's no difference).
To me, Google classrooms is incredibly user friendly to set up a very basic classroom and make assignments. I just googled "Google classroom" and clicked on it and then clicked on the plus sign in the upper right corner and selected create class. I then named it "Life Science" because that was the subject I decided to focus on for this practice and put EDU 585 under the description to differentiate it from another "Life Science" classroom I'm building for a different class. Usually, I immediately customize the class banner, but I left it as the automatic science banner from Google (for now, at least). Next, I added my professor to the course as a student and used the class code to give to my classmates to join my class.
So, I did not have much work in forming the shell of my Google classroom, but I decided to use this assignment to research two areas: 1) how to become a MASTER Google Classroom teacher and 2) to really look at the challenges of moving K-12 online.
For the first section, I immediately went to Ditch that Textbook and found an article on starting a Google classroom. While I was reading the article, I did try out a couple of the suggestions. For the classrooms I have, there isn't the option to add a guardian like in the article, so that must be a special feature for young students using Google classrooms, but it is a great idea for involving parents. Another suggestion in the article was to get a chrome extension to share web resources directly to Google classroom. I promptly added that extension, although I have yet to use it. Perhaps the next assignment will offer that opportunity. If so, I'll report on it then. Finally, I am now following the Pinterest board "Google classroom" by Shake Up Learning for more ideas and resources. While I was looking at the resources, I ended up on the Shake Up Learning website and found an interview on that page focusing on moving instruction online because of the Coronavirus closures.
Which, leads me to my second area of research for this blog post. What are the challenges of moving to online instruction? The interview was a focus on choice boards, but they also discussed the biggest hurdle of moving K-12 public instruction virtual: it has to accommodate ALL students. For private schools or virtual academies, you can require students to have certain capabilites, but a feature of public K-12 education is that it is for everyone. This means you cannot assume that all students have access to the internet or to a device to do school work on. You also have students with IEPs or 504 plans that still need accommodations, even outside of a classroom. To succeed in this current situation, teachers have to have a plan A, but also a plan B, C, and D (if not more). On top of that is just the challenge of having meaningful instruction online. I have taken quite a few online classes online in college and, while I prefer it in certain areas (accounting, for instance), but it takes a lot of self directed learning and this is a skill that many students simply do not have and, again, you can't assume all students will have parents that can assist them or keep them on track. Beyond that, creating really authentic learning is difficult in the classroom, but I am still trying to figure out how it is accomplished online, even in the best of times. Ideally, to do online instruction, you could start with the assumption that all students in the course have internet access, appropriate devices, and a support system. Then, you could supplement instruction by suggested outings to museums, national parks, arboretums, etc., which is not the case right now.
In another class, I have to plan and implement a Microteach on Google classroom. For the first two, I was able to do them in class and they involved hands on activities and cooperative learning and I am still trying to figure out ways to create something that still allows for that virtually. As of now, I am still at a loss at how to accomplish that. Hopefully, there are some ideas on the Pinterest board I am following that I just haven't come across yet.
My head start came from the fact that 1) this is not the first Google classroom that I have had to create and 2) I had already made this specific one to share the assignment from last week (PlayPosit) because Google classroom is required for assigning the bulb (the video that you create with embedded classroom) which was a major downside of using that resource (unless your teaching and assignments are all already on Google classroom, then it's no difference).
To me, Google classrooms is incredibly user friendly to set up a very basic classroom and make assignments. I just googled "Google classroom" and clicked on it and then clicked on the plus sign in the upper right corner and selected create class. I then named it "Life Science" because that was the subject I decided to focus on for this practice and put EDU 585 under the description to differentiate it from another "Life Science" classroom I'm building for a different class. Usually, I immediately customize the class banner, but I left it as the automatic science banner from Google (for now, at least). Next, I added my professor to the course as a student and used the class code to give to my classmates to join my class.
So, I did not have much work in forming the shell of my Google classroom, but I decided to use this assignment to research two areas: 1) how to become a MASTER Google Classroom teacher and 2) to really look at the challenges of moving K-12 online.
For the first section, I immediately went to Ditch that Textbook and found an article on starting a Google classroom. While I was reading the article, I did try out a couple of the suggestions. For the classrooms I have, there isn't the option to add a guardian like in the article, so that must be a special feature for young students using Google classrooms, but it is a great idea for involving parents. Another suggestion in the article was to get a chrome extension to share web resources directly to Google classroom. I promptly added that extension, although I have yet to use it. Perhaps the next assignment will offer that opportunity. If so, I'll report on it then. Finally, I am now following the Pinterest board "Google classroom" by Shake Up Learning for more ideas and resources. While I was looking at the resources, I ended up on the Shake Up Learning website and found an interview on that page focusing on moving instruction online because of the Coronavirus closures.
Which, leads me to my second area of research for this blog post. What are the challenges of moving to online instruction? The interview was a focus on choice boards, but they also discussed the biggest hurdle of moving K-12 public instruction virtual: it has to accommodate ALL students. For private schools or virtual academies, you can require students to have certain capabilites, but a feature of public K-12 education is that it is for everyone. This means you cannot assume that all students have access to the internet or to a device to do school work on. You also have students with IEPs or 504 plans that still need accommodations, even outside of a classroom. To succeed in this current situation, teachers have to have a plan A, but also a plan B, C, and D (if not more). On top of that is just the challenge of having meaningful instruction online. I have taken quite a few online classes online in college and, while I prefer it in certain areas (accounting, for instance), but it takes a lot of self directed learning and this is a skill that many students simply do not have and, again, you can't assume all students will have parents that can assist them or keep them on track. Beyond that, creating really authentic learning is difficult in the classroom, but I am still trying to figure out how it is accomplished online, even in the best of times. Ideally, to do online instruction, you could start with the assumption that all students in the course have internet access, appropriate devices, and a support system. Then, you could supplement instruction by suggested outings to museums, national parks, arboretums, etc., which is not the case right now.
In another class, I have to plan and implement a Microteach on Google classroom. For the first two, I was able to do them in class and they involved hands on activities and cooperative learning and I am still trying to figure out ways to create something that still allows for that virtually. As of now, I am still at a loss at how to accomplish that. Hopefully, there are some ideas on the Pinterest board I am following that I just haven't come across yet.
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