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The Help-O-Matic

Digital learning is difficult because students and parents are all learning new ways to do school, and often at different times of the day (and… let’s be real… late at night, too). I am not always available for in-the-moment support, so I wanted to create a place for them to go to seek assistance. And let’s just get super real for a minute — we are still in crisis response for a whole lot of reasons, so tension is just super high all the time — for me, for students, for parents. It’s just a lot. So I needed to find a way to link everyone to the help they needed in the easiest way possible.

Enter the Help-O-Matic! A marvel of modern technology that provides in-the-moment assistance to students and parents at all hours — sometimes even more than one student or parent at a time! OK, it’s just a Google slide show, but it’s super helpful!

Here’s what it looks like:


And here is a quick how-to video to show you how I made it:

I hope this helps! Have a great year!

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Email Hack : Use Gmail Templates for Frequent Questions

You know how it is. You give instructions a thousand times a day, but you keep getting the same questions over and over again. It’s not the kids’ fault — especially now! They’re learning from home, on platforms some are just learning how to use, and they are getting so many new instructions all the time. But, teachers are also really busy right now, and responding to the same questions over and over again takes a lot of time.

Leave it to our friends at Google to come up with perhaps the best and easiest Gmail feature for this very problem. This is not a new feature, nor is it very complicated, but it may be my favorite feature of Gmail — Templates!

Now that my students are learning online, I’ve taken all their common questions and put them all into one document with answers — a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document. I wrote the document in Google Docs so I have an extra copy of it to share in our online classroom, but I also entered it into the body of a blank email and saved it as a template. Now, when a student asks a question that’s covered in the FAQ, I simply send the FAQ template along with a friendly greeting and salutation, and that usually does the trick.

Here’s a quick video to show you how to make and load a Gmail template:

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What do teachers even do during online learning?

A teacher helping another teacher use a computer

Digital learning, demystified.

The recent controversy over returning to digital learning has been fierce. Experts on both sides of the argument have posted impassioned pleas either for or against digital learning, and teachers are caught in the middle. Of course, teachers want to return to their classrooms full of our favorite people (our students!) — but we also want to keep our students, our communities, and ourselves safe during this pandemic.

While I’ve seen many things written and said about digital learning, what stands out to me is that many people really don’t understand what teachers do when digital- or distance learning. I’ve collected some of the questions I’ve seen about digital learning and will answer them here. Hopefully this will help shed some light so that everyone can be on the same page when talking and making decisions about digital learning.

What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous learning?
Synchronous learning is when all the teaching happens at once, using a digital tool like Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet so the teacher can provide instruction. Asynchronous learning is when a teacher creates a lesson within a digital learning environment (which is basically just an online website where activities are linked), and students can learn at different times.

What are some of the pros and cons about synchronous and asynchronous learning?
Synchronous learning is good for having small group discussions, providing feedback, giving presentations, and demonstrating concepts. However, synchronous learning can be really difficult with large classes, and it is very difficult for a teacher to provide 1:1 support to students who need extra support. It can also be very distracting for students if they can see other members of the class (for example, in Zoom, when students’ cameras are on, or if the chat box is enabled), and can be miserable when a student has to spend hours watching video lectures. Teachers can check for understanding by building formative assessments into synchronous online lessons (such as asking students to respond to a question by adding a card to a Padlet board), but if not, it is difficult to check for understanding, or even to see if a student needs assistance if the class is too big to see all the student’s faces.

Asynchronous learning can provide the same benefits of synchronous learning when a teacher uploads videos or slide decks to the digital learning environment, but with asynchronous learning, a teacher can also provide better 1:1 support for students who need it by using Zoom to check in with students during the delivery of instruction. Asynchronous learning requires a lot of work upfront building a digital learning environment and filling it with quality resources like video demonstrations, slide decks, and other activities to check for understanding (Google Forms, Kahoot, or Quizizz assessments, Flipgrid or Padlet questions, PearDeck activities, etc…) and other activities. But, despite the heavy front-loading of teacher work, asynchronous learning frees a teacher up to assist students during the learning process and to track student progress through student data features (like the student progress feature in Hapara Workspaces, or by students posting responses in the class activities. Asynchronous learning can feel impersonal to students without face-to-face time with teachers, so it’s really important that teachers provide opportunities for students to check in with the teacher and also to collaborate with other students.

Why can’t we just take a 50-minute class and turn it into a 50-minute Zoom class?
While this sounds like an easy solution, it’s not that easy to replicate an in-person class in an online setting. In a face-to-face class, a teacher can physically occupy the same space as students and can easily spot students who are off-task or confused. That’s a lot harder to do in a video meeting. Also, in face-to-face learning, a teacher can manage instructional and physical tasks at the same time, walking around to support students at the same time. In a digital classroom, it’s kind of impossible to provide instruction, activities, and support students at the same time. This is why experts in digital learning, such as the Christensen Institute, suggest that teachers provide more asynchronous learning, with plenty of 1:1 and small-group collaboration between students and teachers.

My district’s teacher’s union is proposing flexible time for teachers. I have to work an 8-hour day. How come these teachers are given free time?
It’s really good that your district is considering some flexibility for teachers in how they do their work, because good digital learning requires a lot of different types of tasks. To be great digital teachers, these teachers need to become content creators and curators. Teachers need time to create lesson videos, slide shows, to search for online resources that will help students better understand a concept, to deliver online instruction, to check in individually on all their students, to score student work, and to provide tech support to students and parents who need it. Also, please consider that during face-to-face learning, teachers are physically up and moving around and not looking at a computer screen all day. Teachers who have to spend all day on computers, often at kitchen tables and other less-than-ergonomic settings, tend to suffer from eye strain, back and neck pain, and other health issues, so districts who are giving teachers some “wellness time” or some flexibility in how they spend their work hours are giving teachers opportunities to take eye breaks, stretch breaks, short walks outdoors, and to practice mental health-boosting mindfulness meditation that will help them to be their best for their students. Don’t worry, your child’s teacher is probably putting in more than an 8-hour day working from home, especially if they’re just learning how to do online learning for the first time.

But digital learning was a failure in the Spring. Why are we still trying this?
Digital learning in Spring 2020 wasn’t a failure — it was crisis response. Many districts did not have solid digital systems in place prior to COVID-19. Students lacked appropriate technology, did not have the digital skills to learn away from school, families lacked internet connectivity, and teachers lacked the training to deliver online learning. Though all these problems have not been solved, the shutdown highlighted the need to address these issues. Even when COVID-19 is no longer creating problems with returning to in-person learning, addressing these problems will create stronger learning opportunities for students and help deliver instruction during other times that school must shut down — inclement weather, wildfires, structural issues, etc… Also, having a good digital learning system in place will allow students and parents to access learning 24/7, not just when class is in session. Though we are not there, yet, there is no better time than right now to start working toward that goal. It is especially important to address digital access for every family. Digital access is no longer a luxury; it is a social justice issue!

Gee, this all sounds really complicated. Where do teachers go for good training in digital learning?
Sadly, many districts did not prioritize online or blended learning training in the run up to the COVID-19 shutdown, and many teachers (and students) really struggled with digital learning during that time. Hopefully, districts are now providing teachers with training to create dynamic online and blended lessons that support diverse learners, but many districts aren’t. That’s why DIY EdTech was created — to provide districts, schools, and individual teachers with quality consulting and training using the tools you already have to create exciting and successful digital learning experiences for all students. We also offer support to parents and homeschool groups in navigating learning in the digital world. Please contact us today using our contact form if we can be of service.

Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels

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NO, ONLINE LEARNING WASN’T A FAILURE: IT WAS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Sad Girl

People keep circulating this article from the Wall Street Journal about remote learning. “The results are in” it declares.  “Remote learning didn’t work!”  Results?  Was this an experiment?  Funny, I don’t recall there ever being a hypothesis, or any kind of preparation to ensure that the resultant data had any real value.  There was no set up of an experiment, or distribution of supplies and training to ensure that teachers even knew how to do online learning.  This was not an experiment.  

What online learning was, from about March to June, was disaster response.  And teachers responded in heroic fashion!  With very little (and sometimes no) warning, teachers went from teaching in-person, in classrooms, with all their supplies and equipment, to teaching from home, from their kitchen tables and makeshift home classrooms, with their own technology, and sometimes no training in online learning best practices — often while trying to help their own children with online classes. 

Of course, this “experiment” failed — like so many “experiments” in public education. But since this was an experience and not an experiment, we should do just what we encourage our students to do when things don’t go the way they want them to — reflect on our experience and learn from it.  Here are some takeaways from the shutdown.

  1. We need to invest in digital learning.  Like everything else in schools, our technology budgets are squeezed to the max.  Students are learning on broken and outdated equipment, and teachers lack tools needed to do online learning justice.  
  2. We need to close the digital divide.  Students hurt the most with online learning are students who lack access to technology and internet services.  Though there were many clever workarounds during the shutdown, success was spotty.  In a world where digital access is no longer a luxury, this divide is an equity issue that needs to be addressed in order for all our students to learn, whether we are learning in-person or at home.  This also applies to teachers, who need digital tools to work from home.  Many teachers were also hamstrung by lack of access to digital tools, especially those who live in and serve marginalized communities.  
  3. Students and teachers need digital literacy skills.  This may be surprising at a time when students are creating impressive Tik Tok videos and teachers are using computers to teach every day, but the way we use technology in our lives and in our classrooms does not always translate into successful online learning.  Many of the programs that we use in schools are designed to be very intuitive for every student, but don’t exactly teach important skills needed for learning online — creating content, uploading, knowing how to protect ourselves online, digital citizenship, etc… — so we may be using technology all the time, but we are not building skills important for learning online. Also, because we live in a digital world, these skills are important for more than just online learning.  We all need these skills to be productive citizens.  By not teaching these skills, we are limiting our students’ success in life.  
  4. We need to understand that online learning includes offline learning, too!  It is possible — and encouraged — that we find ways to move students offline, even while learning online. Too much screen time is unhealthy for kids and teachers.  But online learning can still work because not every task can and should be done on a computer.  Some learning just works better with analog tools.  For example, I teach art.  Many teachers asked me, “how do you even teach art online?”  I could have taught for the entire 11 weeks doing nothing but online zoom lessons about famous artists with students responding in Google Classroom with what they have learned.  But that would be torture — for students and for me!  Instead, my students watched my videos, responded with written or video reflections, then went offline to create art with things they had at home.  They would then photograph their art and submit it on Padlet.  All the resources were available for my students 24/7 on our Hapara Workspaces, so students could log on and learn anytime they felt like it, and though uploading work required learning some new skills, they quickly conquered them.  Students logged in for Zoom studio hours to get assistance and feedback, but for the most part, they learned on their own — offline!
  5. We need to empower students and teachers to become content creators — not just content consumers.  Again, this applies to learning in-person or from home.  Online curricula are wonderfully convenient but the best learning experiences happen when teachers can design resources and learning spaces specifically for their own students’ needs.  We talk a lot about differentiation, but it’s hard to differentiate without teacher-created resources.  By training teachers to create and curate digital content and design good digital learning spaces, we are truly giving our teachers the tools to differentiate learning.  Better yet, when we empower students to be content creators, we are promoting deeper understanding through the authentic learning experience of sharing their knowledge with others.  
  6. We need technology decision makers who are informed about online learning.  Many districts employ IT personnel but not digital learning specialists.  These are two very different fields.  When people are making choices about digital learning tools with only an IT background, they are looking at an entirely different set of criteria than a person who is trained in digital learning best practices.  Often this results in some of the nightmares we found during the shutdown, like compatibility issues between Learning Management Systems (LMS) and content creation tools, or issues with systems not working properly from students’ homes or learning devices.  Also, many teachers complained of not knowing how to choose appropriate online learning tools, or how to use them to teach online, so a digital learning specialist would be able to spot and provide appropriate professional development and resources to minimize shortfalls.  
  7. We need time to shift from primarily in-person learning to online learning.  Time is unfortunately our biggest challenge, when students need to be able to learn right now.  But shifting to using more technology, even with face-to-face learning, is important, to provide students with important digital skills, understanding and practicing good digital citizenship, information literacy, and to provide the differentiation students need to succeed in school.  And, with issues such as wildfires, continued periodic shutdowns from COVID-19, and natural disasters, it’s good to have a solid digital learning system in place so that our next shift to online learning won’t be disappointing.

It’s safe to say that this experience (not experiment) was a learning opportunity for all of us  — from the most tech-averse to the blended learning super-teacher.  But to write off our first foray into online learning as a “failure” is like grading a rough draft as a final research paper.  We wouldn’t do that to our students, so let’s also cut our teachers some slack.  Moving our teaching entirely online without much warning was an impressive feat, and though there were major problems, there were also great successes, and even more opportunities to reflect on our in-person teaching and learning practices and the inequities that exist in our day-to-day schools.  We need to look at our experience through a growth mindset lens, and apply what we’ve learned to improve our work — just like we teach our students to do.  When we return to face-to-face learning (hopefully, when it is safe to do so), let’s not forget what we learned, and use our knowledge to improve school for all students, no matter where they are doing the learning.

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How to set up your physical space for digital teaching:

happy ethnic woman sitting at table with laptop

When teaching online, you still need to have a well-organized physical space to work in — a classroom, a home office, or just a desk in the corner of your living room.  You don’t need to have the most high-tech setup to be successful in digital learning.  Think of this space as a digital content creation studio, because that’s exactly what it is!  Even if you don’t have the luxury of having a whole room to devote to your classroom (I just have the back side of one room), you can manage online teaching and prevent chaos by setting up your space in a way that allows you to create a good digital/non-digital workflow.

Here’s how my space is set up for digital teaching and learning.  At school, my “teacher space” is set up pretty much just like this, but without the sweet lighting for Zoom meetings.  

Photo of the author's home workspace with numbers to correspond to numbered list in article.
Home, sweet digital classroom.
  1. A good desk.  My desk is smaller than I would like, but a good size for the space that I have available.  This is probably a good thing because I tend to “kudzu” any workspace with supplies, so having a smaller desk forces me to clear it off more regularly.  
  2. A good chair, with back support.  Digital learning means sometimes sitting longer than we would like to, so it’s important to have a good chair that can adjust to the appropriate height and back support for your work surface.  This link has some good tips for how to ensure good ergonomics when working from home.  
  3. Your devices, of course!  I have two computers– my personal laptop computer and my school-assigned laptop.  I also use an iPad, because it allows me to film my own art demonstrations (like a document camera) and record the demo at the same time.   It also allows me to sometimes take my work outside so I don’t have to sit in my office all day.
  4. A good USB microphone (not pictured, because my husband was using it to record his podcast, “The Broke Historians”). My computer mic works OK, but since I create a lot of videos, I upgraded to a better microphone and it was worth the investment for the sound quality.  This also helps to make sure I sound clear on Zoom calls so students can hear me clearly.
  5. A stand to hold my iPad for filming demos.  This stand is pretty nice and includes a handy extra light for my demos.  It also has a USB outlet for charging my iPad while filming. You can also use your smartphone to video your demos with a stand like this.  But, if you don’t want to purchase a stand for this, you can do what I did for a while and improvise.  A wire locker shelf insert worked pretty well for this until I could get something better.
  6. A good light.  Having a nice diffuse light on your face makes you always look nice on video chats or when you are recording yourself.  If you have a good window in your home classroom, sit with the window behind your camera.  If not, an inexpensive ring lamp can provide that nice, diffuse light that always makes you look your best, even if you’re having a no-makeup day.  
  7. A nice surge protector for all your devices (not pictured, because it’s tucked behind the storage bins, but still easy to reach).  It’s best if you don’t have to constantly unplug items so you can plug other ones in.  Set up a station with all the charging cords so you don’t have to look for them when you’re busy.
  8. A clean background.  You don’t have to have a completely white background, but you want to keep it uncluttered and not distracting.  You also want to turn your camera so that you don’t capture other people in your home, TV, other people’s conversations, bathroom noises, or anything that you might not want to broadcast to the rest of the world.  (Painting by artist Elizabeth Turner).
  9. Storage — Teaching requires a lot of STUFF, so it’s good to have a place to store all your papers and supplies besides your desk.  I currently have a small shelf with 2 large flat-file drawers for art paper and art supplies, all within easy reach of my desk.  I also have a file cabinet for papers, and two large storage bins for storing clunky items that don’t fit in drawers.  While I am not the best at keeping everything put away, I can easily clear off my desk to record a demo and put everything in its place until I need it.  This all helps me to keep my background uncluttered and professional-looking, too.
  10. Of course, a Memo Board.  I got a black one with neon markers because I think that’s fun, but any memo board works.  I divided mine into 3 columns — Not started, Started, and done!  I write tasks on color coded  2” neon post-it notes and put them in the “not started” column.  Blue = content creation, Pink = administrative tasks, Green = non-digital work, and orange = meetings and presentations.  Then, I move them toward “done” as I complete the tasks.  This physical, non-digital method is a nice way to keep track of all the things I need to create for my digital workspaces, and it adds some fun color to my workspace.  At the end of the week, it feels awesome to pull a huge stack of squares from my “done” column and start fresh the next week.  It also allows me to leave work in my office and go live my life without fear of forgetting something.  If I think of a thing I need to do during my “off-time”, I run to my office, add it to my “not started” column, then shut the door and forget about it until work time.  It will be waiting for me when I get there!
Photo of the artist's task board, with not started, started, and done columns.
My Task Board

11. Some plants!  Plants filter the air and help you to feel like you have a little nature in your indoor space.  They also provide a nice backdrop for Zoom meetings and video discussions.  I have a monstera and a philodendron.  Both are really easy to care for and provide a nice outdoor touch when I’m stuck indoors more than I want to be.

12. Hobby items, books to read.  You will need brain breaks, so keep something nearby that you can do with your hands and your brain instead of staring at screens.  This will prevent eye strain and will help you to maintain focus when you are working online.

Of course, you may need additional things I haven’t listed here, but hopefully this post will help you get started thinking about how to create a smooth workflow and save your sanity while shifting back and forth from physical to digital tasks.

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5 tips to help you prepare for the fall — whatever school looks like for you.

As we start thinking about returning to school in the fall (which — let’s face it — is not in the fall, but in just a few short weeks), many teachers are still waiting for guidance about what we will be returning to, and how our classrooms will operate. It’s a lot to think about, especially when many of us don’t know when we will be returning, for how long, and how long we will be in school, as periodic shutdowns look more likely as the COVID-19 predictions tell us.

Teachers must stay flexible even in the best days of in-person learning, so flexibility is kind of our superpower, right? Surprise school assembly? Been there. Picture day? Yup! Fire drill? Shelter in place drill? Earthquake drill? Check, check, check. Random room reassignment? New curriculum adoption? It’s happened to a lot of us. Rapid shift to digital learning due to a global pandemic? A lot of people like to call our spring digital learning response a failure, but for something that happened without time to prepare, train, or bolster our technology systems for our students, it went remarkably well. So, moving to blended or distance learning in the fall is totally something we can do.
Bonus — taking the time to build a digital learning space will pay off even with in-person learning by giving your students access to learning materials from your class 24/7, no matter what life throws at us.

Here are a few things to consider as we go into planning mode for the fall:

  1. Two words: Universal Design. In 1940, the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, added curb cuts to help disabled veterans with wheel chairs or crutches easily cross the street from sidewalk to sidewalk. Though these sloped curbs were intended for very specific users, other people also found them to be very helpful — mothers and fathers pushing strollers, people using carts to carry groceries home from the store, kids on bikes, and more! Soon, these curb cuts were copied in other cities around the USA. Chances are, there’s one near your home. This is universal design. You can use the same thinking to make your workspace accessible to every student by considering the needs of all your students when designing digital learning, and offering supports as choices for students who need them. Brainstorm a list of considerations you must include in your physical classroom — English Language Learning, IEP accommodations, low reading levels, low tech literacy, questionable technology access, lack of access to physical materials, etc… Refer to this list to provide options for students within your learning space design.
    Bonus — The more accessibility you can build into your learning space design, the better for all your students.
  2. Avoid Zoom overload. Have you ever been on a Zoom call that lasted longer than an hour? Imagine what students will feel like after spending 7 hours on Zoom! Many decision-makers expect teachers to replace 50 minutes of in-person learning with 50 minutes of Zoom teaching, and this is actually the antithesis of all research about digital learning! Instead, embrace a flipped-classroom model. Provide students with reading, videos, and other reference materials that support the learning objective, create some offline learning work, and use Zoom for individual student check-ins, feedback, and group discussions.
    Bonus — an asynchronous (students learn at different times) or hybrid synchronous/asynchronous (students learn at different times but have regular video meetings) model will help students with working parents or shared learning devices to better learn at home.
  3. Spend the first week teaching digital literacy and digital citizenship skills. What skills will your students need to succeed in your class? Little kids might need some practice using a mouse and clicking. Older kids might need to learn how to upload a Google document to an LMS or digital learning space. Students in art might need to know how to take a photo of their artwork and share it online. Music students might need to learn how to record a practice session on Flipgrid. All students need to learn about digital citizenship, especially to respect copyrighted information and how to cite materials. All students need to know about digital health and wellness, and how to stay safe and well while learning online. Do yourself and your students (parents, too!) a favor, and start with these lessons.
    Bonus — Create a way for students to return to these lessons for a refresher.
  4. Templates are your friend! How do I create learning spaces over and over? I use templates! Templates for learning spaces. Templates for instructions for parents. Templates for slide shows, quizzes, and discussion guides. I even use templates in my email so I can send important support to students and parents with just a few clicks. Once you have a few templates that you like, building new content for your digital learning space is just a matter of adding specific resources.
    Bonus — make sure you make a copy of your template each time so your template stays clean. The best part is that templates can be really helpful whether you’re learning in person, online, or in a hybrid model.
  5. Embrace your new life as a social media star. OK, you don’t have to use social media (some school systems forbid it), but look to social media for inspiration to make lots of videos for your students. Film yourself welcoming your students to your online learning space, discussing the learning materials, demonstrating a new skill, reminding students of upcoming deadlines, etc… Keep videos as short as possible, and make them fun! Maybe check out some popular social media celebrities for ideas to make your videos enjoyable — you don’t have to go over the top with it, but a well-placed fun filter or Tik-Tok-style effect can be an attention getter, and can be used to emphasize an important point. This also helps create a personal connection to your online classroom.
    Bonus — students can pause or revisit these videos as many times as they need to to get the information. This is especially helpful for English Language Learners (ELL) and students who might need to go at a slower pace or try more than once.

However you return to teaching and learning in the fall, realize that this is a difficult time for all. Most school systems do not have robust digital learning systems in place and many teachers are also just learning what we will be doing as the school year begins. Give yourself the same safe space to learn as you do your students, and keep a healthy growth mindset as you build your digital practice. We are all learning together!

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

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Welcome to DIY Edtech!

We’re just getting things set up, but please have a look around! We would love to talk to you about your digital learning goals. Be sure to use the contact form to connect with us.