Bricks to Clicks: Best Practices to Transition From the Classroom to Online

by Natalie Casale

As teachers and leaders in the classroom, our followers will look to us for wisdom, guidance, and calmness. Especially calmness.

Remember, we have to put forth a calm exterior.

Students of any age require clear boundaries and rules. These rules help maintain calm; help provide clear guidance in an often rapidly changing situation—particularly the crisis we find ourselves with rapidly having to transition and take the leap where we may not yet be ready to go.

For some of my online or asynchronous classes, I can use live or in person tools such as streaming, or recorded video feedback emailed to the student to let your students know that you are more than just words in an email or on a website.

Just don’t try too much too fast. This is a marathon not a sprint. Try one thing at a time. Sometimes to go faster, we need to slow down.

The secret is clear organization of time and task.

Let’s manage these expectations. Try to keep in mind that you are both student AND teacher.

Learning comes best in chunking. The more complex the learning skill, the more time it will take. SHORT BURSTS of learning. FOCUSED learning are the strategies to use going forward.

Stay Calm. Let your students know you’ve got this, and they’ve got this. Smile. Keep your voice lower and slower than you think. Smile. Breathe. Your students will sense fear and panic only if you do.

WHEN YOU ARE FRUSTRATED, STOP. Should I say this again? When you are frustrated, stop. Walk away. Take a break. Try again.

You will decide if you will deliver your online curriculum in synchrony (in real time using a webinar format such as, Adobe Connect, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, & Google Classrooms, etc.) or asynchronous (learners work independently and submit their work to you on a specific day and time).

Identify an area in the home that may be dedicated to learning while schools are closed.

Students will need breaks to maintain their focus.

Ensure all students participate in virtual discussions. Allow students to lead and facilitate discussions. Encourage students to engage their peers in discussions (“Rachel, can you offer examples of how dogs are more social than cats?”) Encourage learners to stay on topic during discussions.

Coronavirus does not scare you. Working or teaching online does not scare you. It is what you tell yourself, what you assume or believe, about coronavirus and teaching online, that scares you.

Those experienced in online education can show you how to take the distance out of distance learning.

There is an option in the Zoom Settings area where the educator is notified if the student is not focused only upon the class,

To Unmute instantly hit and hold down the space bar

This shift from viewing the educator as a content expert translates into a factor of whether a faculty has met all of a student’s social expectations as part of the educational experience.

The professor is no longer revered for their depth of scholarly knowledge and andragogical skill. Instead, the educator is now at the subjective mercy of an assessment that evaluates how well they pleased the personal and entertainment interests of their students, as opposed to learning objectives, curriculum agendas, and demonstration of learned course skills and theory. When did this paradigm shift from educator to customer service agent begin?

In an emerging consumer learner environment, the faculty member can engage and direct understanding.

students are evaluating the opportunities of college against the financial return of acquiring a degree

Learners continue to weigh their interest in the subject matter, their ability to succeed, and the overall opinion of the educational experience against the expense.

Technology is both the engine that drives the online learning platform (such as Blackboard or eCollege, on a macro level) and is delving deeper into the micro level from the integration or real time video enhancements to chat programs.

This new modality of learning quickly created a curriculum specialization as it became critical to pack- age progressive educational experiences, and to keep the class moving together toward course outcome achievement.