Thread by @JenniferSpicer4

1/ In response to my Twitter polls, I received many responses from teachers/learners regarding successes & difficulties with #VirtualLearning

I wanted to summarize & share those responses before starting weekly #MedEdTwagTeam tweetorials on #VirtualTeachingTips w/ @GStetsonMD

2/ First, from a teacher standpoint, 70% of you mentioned the lack of interaction as the most difficult aspect of #VirtualTeaching.

I will have lots of tips & tricks to increase interaction for #VirtualTeaching in upcoming tweetorials.

3/ Some other difficulties included:

✅Inability to “read the room” – i.e. the non-verbal cues from learners
✅Disliking how “quiet” teaching can be (with everyone else muted)
✅Worries about competing with students’ other distractions (email, internet, etc)

4/ Some of you provided helpful tips including:

✅Using the “whiteboard” esp via an iPad
✅Engaging with students via chat
✅Asking students to use videos
✅Using breakout rooms
✅Using polls

5/ We will delve into many of those functions (and more!) in later tweetorials.

And here's a quick @YouTube tutorial that I created for @EmoryDeptofMed if you need some information more quickly!

6/ Now, hearing from our learners is always helpful, especially when we are trying something new. Check out this poll and the resulting thread for a full breakdown of their responses.

7/ Some highlights on their difficulties w/ #VirtualLearning:

✅Missing connections w/ other students
✅Missing the one-on-one time w/ lecturers
✅Struggling w/ the lack of daily structure/routine
✅In small groups, not knowing when to talk
✅Too many hours of Zoom w/o a break

8/ #MedStudentTwitter wanted teachers to:

✅Make it interactive (polls, breakouts, etc)
✅Have students answer ?s via chat or breakout rooms, not audio
✅Recognize that not all students can turn on video
✅And, most importantly…start & end ON TIME (w/ a break!)

9/ Over the next few weeks, look for tweetorials on
✅Optimizing Zoom settings
✅Optimizing screen layout
✅Creating a good virtual learning climate
✅Using the whiteboard effectively
✅Fostering interaction (polls, breakout rooms, etc)
✅Best tools for different teaching formats

10/ What other topics do you want?

@gradydoctor @Armstrws @BSchwartzinSF @YihanYangMD @DocWoc71 @VarunPhadke2 @IDSAMedEdCOP @HollyGoodMD @BonuraErin @CarlosdelRio7 @EmmGeezee @badhyar @ReenaHem @emoryimchiefs @JHaydek @MDdreamchaser @Cortes_Penfield @serotavirus @HarvardMacy

11/ @GStetsonMD & I have formed a #MedEdTwagTeam (shout out to @gradydoctor for suggesting this concept!) to share weekly tweetorials on optimizing the #VirtualLearningEnvironment.

First tweetorial next week by myself on optimizing advanced Zoom settings.