And now it's normal

The new normal, as we keep hearing. Online LINC class.

My CLB 4 LINC class has 21 students, none of whom finished high school in their home countries. One student completed grade 10. Several have less than grade 5. 

However, by the end of the week, 20 of them were able to join a Blackboard session. Most also now know how to raise their hand, write in the chat box, and control their microphones. A few had trouble with their internet connection, meaning they were't able to stay in the session; one or two had problems with their speakers, meaning they couldn't hear me; but overall I would have to say the online class was a success. 

On Friday when I asked for feedback about the first week, they all agreed that face to face classes are preferable, but since we can't meet in person right now, online is pretty good. Several expressed appreciation of the opportunity to learn new technology, and I know they have a sense of accomplishment in learning so much in such a short time.

Most of the students have also learned how to do quizzes on Moodle, including the essay-type question. They've learned to use Padlet, although so far most have just written "Hi teacher".

As for me, I used EdPuzzle to edit two videos; I installed and set up a class Padlet; and I even figured out how to make my Blackboard link open in a new tab, something I was able to share with a colleague who has taught online for years but didn't know how to do that. 

(The last point is not because I am so clever technologically; rather, it is a result of my obsession with new tabs. Everything must open in a new tab, and I will not rest until I've found out how to make it happen.)

Today I had the opportunity to observe a colleague teach her online CLB 5/6 class. My main goal was to see how she starts her class, and I was reassured to see that I have been doing basically the same thing as she did.

I also garnered a few ideas for the coming week, which I will blog about after I've tried them.

LINC in the time of Covid-19

I don't know if it really is the end of the world as we know it, but it certainly feels like it.

Overnight my colleagues and I were jettisoned into the realm of online teaching. For the higher levels, it is no doubt much easier. For me, with CLB 4, it is not too bad. But I really feel for instructors of CLB 1 or 2 students, many of whom never attended school in their home countries!

On Friday we left the college believing that on Monday we'd have classes as normal, along with a couple of workshops to prepare for online instruction, should that become necessary.

The reality: on Sunday we learned that in-person classes were cancelled and instruction would move to online.

I had already prepared some materials for the week, so it was simply a matter of altering them slightly, uploading to their Moodle book, and changing the instructions so students would know how to send me their work. I gave them three options -- they could write their answers in the email body, they could write their answers on paper and send me a photo, or they could email me and attach their work in a Word document. 

On Monday we were told not to worry about teaching any content this week; our main concern should be to contact our students.

In a matter of hours, we had formed a class WhatsApp group, missing only 4 or 5 of the 21 students. I directed them to their Moodle Book, and since then I have received numerous emails with their writing and texts telling me about the reading and listening they've done.

Here at home, I was scrambling to learn to use Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. Fortunately, it is easy to learn, and I was able to prepare a session to introduce students to the system. The plan is to have a short session on Friday to make sure everyone knows how to join and participate, and on Monday (fingers crossed!) we should be ready to roll.

I've also spent time with a couple of other tools: Screencast-o-matic, which allows you to make simple videos quickly and easily, and EdPuzzle, which allows you to edit videos and add mini quizzes. 

I said I wanted to learn to use technology in teaching! Here is my chance!

Sharing files

Recently my CLB 4 Literacy have been learning computer skills. 

They learned to format and send emails. They made LINC portfolios using a folder system in Google Drive.

Next, I wanted to teach them about file sharing.

I started with email attachments. Following instructions, they typed 2-4 sentences in a Word document, saved the document and then emailed me, sending their document as an attached file.

Everyone did this successfully, and as they left the class they were doing the happy dance.


A few days later, a student sent me an email with her homework assignment in an attached Word document. When I commented on it the next day, she said she used the instruction sheet at home. When her husband saw her working on it, he said, in a tone of awe, "You know how to do that?"

Needless to say, that made me feel pretty good.

https://www.freeiconspng.com/img/16033

But then at our next staff meeting, one of my colleagues spoke about Google Drive, explaining how her CLB 7 students regularly share files with her on that platform. And then I watched a video claiming that it is far superior to share via Google Drive than to send email attachments. 

My bubble burst ever so slightly. Was I doing it wrong? Should I have taught my students about sharing via Google Drive instead of attached files?

I set to work on an instruction sheet: "How to share a file in Google Drive". At about step 3, I realized something: it's rather complicated, especially for students with limited English.

So, I decided to consult an expert -- my husband, the IT consultant -- about the advantages and disadvantages of each method. 

At the end of our conversation, I concluded that the K-I-S-S motto applies. 

So for now, for CLB 4 literacy students, I will Keep It Super Simple and let them send their documents as attachments rather than to go through the more complicated process of sharing via Google Drive. My colleague can teach them about that when they get to CLB 7!