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.