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Last week we dove into low-prep e-learning assignments for student. Click on the title, 10 Low-Prep E-Learning Assignments for Students, to view. Now, let’s tackle what you can do during an e-learning day.
When you are required to work your “regular hours” during an e-learning day, it can be difficult to figure out how to fill those hours with meaningful work. Especially, if you are not a classroom teacher. I fit in that role as an reading interventionist. Others that may fit in that role are teachers of multilingual students or assistants.
With that in mind and having just had e-learning myself, I thought this would be the perfect time to share some ideas. I know that most classroom teachers are supposed to be available for virtual office hours at some point during the day. This seems to vary by district on the platform, amount of time required to be available, and when the hours are scheduled. Follow district guidelines for that. Hopefully, a few students will jump on and you can help them. That will pass some of the time.
Another thing that will pass time is that many schools will change scheduled meetings to virtual or, even, change the date of a nearby meeting to be virtually done over e-learning. While not enjoyable, this does help pass time too, and makes it so there are less time constraints upon return to school.
Past those required office hours and any meetings, here some other ideas. All of which I have utilized at some point.
E-learning ideas for Teachers
1. Look at data.- This is an excellent time to take a deeper dive into data. There is never enough time to really look at it and see classroom trends or check on individual students. NOW is that time you’ve been looking for. You can, also, take this time to explore the student reports provided by the programs your district uses. Many times you’ll find a report you didn’t know existed that has useful information.
Take note of what you notice and use it. It can be used to know where reteaching needs to happen, what needs reinforced, what student/s need to be met with one-on-one, make changes to a small group/s, or to assign lessons to students on that program to better support their learning. Don’t forget about the positives! Give yourself credit for all the amazing things you see, too!
2. Set up a virtual meeting with your team.– If you find it difficult to connect with your grade level team or other staff members, send them an email and set up a virtual meeting. This could be the opportunity you are looking for to discuss an upcoming unit, a particular student you need suggestions for, plan a field trip, etc.
3. Type your monthly newsletter.– During an e-learning day you can catch up on any paperwork-type stuff you need to get done. A monthly newsletter is really just an example. You could get a reading log ready for the next month or months, update sub plans, create worksheets for students, etc.
4. Plan for lessons.– You will typically have some warning before the e-learning day happens, so be sure to bring home any curriculum books you may want to look at. This a great thing to do if you lose internet! I must say, having the time to really preview upcoming lessons was a game-changer. I was more prepared on what I wanted to say and was able to add more engaging quick activities, which my students really seemed to love! I wish I had that time to plan more often.
5. Apply for a grant or start a Donor’s Choose.– Look for grants that you qualify for and that you would use. Then, apply for them. There are many grants available for things such as money for field trips, school supplies, books, and many more. If grants aren’t your thing, may be put together a Donor’s Choose project for items you need/want for your classroom. Just be sure to follow your district’s procedures for crowdfunding. If you’re thinking about starting a Donor’s Choose project, I would be honored if you used my referral link: http://share.donorschoose.org/737QTr
6. Do the extras.– Whatever events might be coming up at your school that has extra activities to be completed, do what you can of that at home. For instance, over my last e-learning day I made a video for Black History Month that will be added to the morning news show. Normally, I wouldn’t volunteer for that extra thing, but I figured I got the time, why not?
Closing Thoughts
Those ideas should cover you for a whole day and then some! I hope they are helpful to you and will help to make your e-learning day not drag on forever. Also, be sure to stop and take breaks during the day. Get up and stretch, rehydrate, use the restroom, and eat. E-learning is stressful on your body, too. Take care of you and your family. Your family comes first and you could always take the day off, if needed.
