I'm on my rant mode. Ts, if sending work work home via Google Docs, please do not use tables. Many parents are accessing these lessons with their mobile phones and tables are not mobile-friendly. #Thinkopen
Also don't introduce new tech & give an assignment at the same time. Familiarity w/ the tech IS the assignment. Day 1 Log in and share how you are doing. Day 2 Share how you are doing & Try new feature. Day 3 Share how you are doing & share if you understand this assignment...
If you are receiving a ton of questions or critical comments about something you assigned, assume that your instructions are too complicated, not that people aren't reading what you wrote. #DesignTeaching #UDL
If you don't take things slow and overwhelm your parents and students early, expect that they will simply stop trying... Just like in the classroom. 🙏🏾TAKE. IT. SLOW.
Ok Kids, Today we're going to use 4 new tech tools... I'm going to need you to login to each one, follow the instructions, follow the rabbit trail, come back to this other tool, use this new feature, then go to this other tool.... MAKE IT STOP! Anything new is a new challenge.
If you use Google Classroom, the schedule feature is your friend. Don't assign a week's worth of work as one assignment. Saying that they have a week to complete it doesn't make it any less overwhelming. "If you missed part one, see yesterday's assignment" works just fine.
Don't weaponize words like, "GRIT" or "GROWTH MINDSET." Kids and parents are frustrated about a lot of things right now. Do everything you can to reduce the stress and show that you care. #SEL
Remember the days of, "On a piece of paper copy what's on the board"? That still works! Annotating on top of a PDF can be very challenging for students with underdeveloped fine motor skills, let alone an inequitable expectation for kids with limited devices. #equityed
☝🏽Take a lesson and give analog, blended, and digital learning options: 1. Use paper & writing utensil 2. Print (w/ option for color) 3. Recreate this assignment using a digital tool of your choice and share how you did it! #StudentVoice
Schools should try and access everything they send out in incognito mode on a mobile phone. Do the links work? Can you see all information without having to zoom or sliding right or left? If not, adjust before sending out to parents. #mobilefirstmentailty
Sending multiple codes to access multiple types of platforms for multiple classes is an easy way to up the frustration level of parents. Then multiply by number of siblings = 🤬
For the sake of all things sane do not assign anything that is not cross-platform. That means no iPad only apps, especially premium with no free option. Here's a directory I started developing 8 yrs ago- solveintime.com/apps
