COVID-19 is here, and we’re all figuring out the new normal.
For many students, one consequence looms large: schools are closing, and they’re preparing to stay closed for months. The schools and the students alike are making the shift to distance learning. And they’re doing it right now, whether they’re ready or not.
But there’s more to it than just scheduling a video chat, or training for a day or two on Google Classroom.
We’ve been teaching the majority of our students via face-to-face video for years now. And not just from across the country. In fact, some of our students live less than a mile from our office. No kidding: the experience can be so seamless that even a five-minute walk seems wasteful.
It’s because we’ve practiced, year-round, for years. We’re happy to share our experience with you.
Here are some ideas for getting the most out of an educator who isn’t accustomed to working over video. They all come from years of trying everything, talking to everyone, and figuring it all out. It’s our pleasure to share it with you.
If you have more questions, schedule a chat. (Yes, we really are happy to help. No fee, no obligation.)
One of the aspects of Zoom that I have found especially valuable is one that you may not have had much need for in one-on-one interactions — that ability of multiple people to do annotations on a single person’s shared whiteboard makes group learning so much more effective.
I mention this in particular because people often think they’ll do better with third-party whiteboard software like OneNote or whatever. Those often have fancy capabilities not present in the Zoom whiteboard, but they fall short on collaboration.
Great point, Cael. Thanks for mentioning it.
I do some small-group classes sometimes and it’s been almost magical, just as you say. What I didn’t realize was that Zoom is unusual in this respect.
I especially appreciate your mentioning it now, because I’m imagining there will be more call for small-group help from students whose schools are still working out the transition to remote learning. If not for your comment, I might have taken this important capability for granted.