Tuesday Tip for You
When we think about online teaching, we think there's a lot of technology involved. But there doesn't have to be, and I want to help you beat the tech overwhelm. Here are my top reasons why you might not want to use so much technology while working with your students online.
Keeping Students Engaged
The first reason is engagement. Think about the things involved with all the technology that's out there for online teaching. Some of them are like video games. We are almost competing with a video game! Our students are also going to get more and more technology stacked on top of those applications as we repeatedly use technology to teach skills. For example, you perhaps also use a slide or a website. This can be the reason students are becoming less engaged. Are you struggling with student engagement? If you keep it low tech and use video and the document camera, there's going to be increased engagement because it's bringing the teacher-student connection back into the game.
Technology Issues 😱
The second reason that you don't want to necessarily use a lot of technology is that it can break up the flow of your lesson. For example, think about a moment when your student is engaged during a lesson and you are teaching a critical skill, you transition to a high-tech portion of your lesson, and, then..... part of your tech, video, etc. freezes. What happens? Engagement, and that teachable moment, is lost.
The more technology we bring into our lessons, the more there's a chance of technical issues that will disrupt your lessons.
The third reason to have low-tech lessons is my favorite! You get to use your own materials. We really want to try to replicate the in-person experience. I love training other teachers on how to do this. If you need some help doing this, sign up for a coaching call. I'd love to see you there! Keep reading for a promo code.
How to Use Your Own Materials
I'm sharing a freebie this week of a Summer Word Card Activity that you can use with your students. It may not technically be your own materials. 😉 But, it's a low-tech way to get your students engaged in learning. Would you like specific ways on how to use the materials you already have? Sign up for a free 10-minute discovery call to see if coaching is right for you.
Don't forget to head over to Instagram where I share stories about what my lessons look like, behind the scenes of an online tutor, and give you lots of ideas on how to make your lessons more low tech.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
How to Deliver Engaging Reading Lessons Using Minimal Technology Webinar is August 2. Join us and be ready to start the new school year with strategies to use right away! Click HERE to learn more and sign up!
P.S. Use code: coach1 for $20 OFF a coaching call!
Have an amazing week!