The Week That Was...in Remote Learning

After a four-day week of "Strong Start" (Seattle's term for the abbreviated first five days of school), we had our first week of remote learning using our regular schedule. Our traditional six-period school day is now split so that we have three classes a day, with each 1hr. 45min. class period divided into synchronous(whole class) and asynchronous (individual/small group) time. 

The "Strong Start" schedule, while frustrating and exhausting, also allowed us a low-to-no-risk setting in which to see what would succeed and fail once nearly every student in the was logged on to the same platforms and the network limits would be tested by the extreme rise in use. The SPS tech department worked diligently to update whatever needed to be broadened, strengthened, or otherwise adjusted to suit the district's needs. Even now, going into our third week, we are frequently advised to reboot our district laptops (often more than once) so that our hardware and software are performing based on the most recent updates. Especially in the context of other districts that have been suffering from a lack of leadership and vision, I feel fortunate to be working here. 

"Strong Start" also gave us teachers the opportunity to put theory into practice and then spend our afternoons addressing the problems that came up. Breakout Rooms in Teams, for instance, proved to be chaotic when students weren't signed in using their district credentials and used the browser version rather than the app. There were sites that I had expected students to be able to access easily through the links I provided, only to discover that they were being asked to log in and could not easily determine how. Meanwhile, we were also able to use that time to get to know our students and let them get to know us. 

I take great pride in my eye-catching color choices and 

clear-to-read font choices.

After the four days of continuous trial and error, we began our first week of full classes in a much more prepared and confident place. I spent a lot of time planning the timed out details of the class, mindful of the restlessness to be expected from my students. I would keep them at the screen for no more than 15 minutes, and would ensure that they get scheduled time away from it.

In adapting my traditional curriculum to the remote learning format, I had to think about how I was going to translate the interactive elements of my class. The first substantial writing assignment I am giving is the "Where I'm From" poem. They start off by reading published examples by George Ella Lyon and Willie Perdomo, and then move on to examples written by former students of mine. Each of the poems takes a different approach to the concept, hopefully encouraging students to feel confident in approaching the task. We also analyze how the poets use imagery and sensory detail to appeal to the senses. 

Once we've analyzed what others have done, the students are sent off to spend some time observing, daydreaming, and recording the sensory details they associate with "where" they're from (for some it is the physical location they are in, for others it is not). Back in the days of in-person teaching, I would have chart paper taped up around the room, each titled "Where I'm From (insert sense here) like..." The class spends some time wandering the room, adding their details to the posters and examining what others have contributed. They gather, they look, they laugh, and they see lots of great examples that might be helpful to them later as they draft. It's one of my favorite activities, and I have always found it incredibly valuable, so I didn't want to have to give it up. 

Fortunately, the answer was not hard to find. In recent staff meetings and training, our principal had used a word cloud engine online, Mentimeter.com. 

When the time came during the class period, I released my class to spend 10 minutes daydreaming, brainstorming, and jotting down the sensory details that came to mind (or nose, or ear, or hand, or tongue, or eye). They were instructed to, upon their return, enter their words and phrases into the links. Once enough students began to contribute, I put the presentations up on my designated "share screen" for them to see as they developed. As they watched, I asked them to use the meeting chat to call out any that they found particularly relatable, vivid, or otherwise stood out to them. While I love the look of the hand-written word cloud, the virtual substitute did the job it needed to do.

Based on what I've experienced and what my colleagues here have relayed, it could be said that this represents our current state. The virtual substitute may not necessarily be preferable to the "real deal" (although some students and staff, myself included, are finding some advantages), but it's doing the job we need it to do. 

Signal-loss Hurting Instructional Time Happens

I knew I was flying too close to the sun. After nearly two weeks of having things run relatively smoothly in terms of my internet, there it went this morning. Over the course of 90 minutes, I dealt with my home network failing and restarting several times. I was in the process of attempting to get my students started on an online pre-assessment when I realized it, and then heard the steps upstairs from me, telling me that the problem was clearly affecting the entire house. 

My class was patient, standing by and following whatever instructions they could see on the screen or hear in the moments when I was able to connect. However, they surely saw me hustling around my office, plugging and unplugging modems and routers, responding to texts from my wife (when the wifi's not working, neither is the wifey), and I thankfully muted myself before my frustration poured out in a deluge of profanity directed at my computer, my modem, Xfinity WiFi, and the entire internet. 

As my wife, frustrated by the internet cutting out as she was about to present to a large group, headed out the door to take the 30-40 drive to her office, she was remarking on all the things it could be. I love to find a place to lay blame, but I didn't have the energy. I gave the only answer I felt was acceptable in the moment - "these things happen". I had no other explanation, but I didn't want one either. In that moment, I needed to accept that this was entirely out of my control and not the result of equipment I had purchased or anything else that I had set up in terms of our account. It was still frustrating, and I'm especially grateful that it didn't throw off any lessons that I had planned, and that I had my second period prep to deal with the issue. So all things considered, if it had to happen some time, it might have happened today. Now it just needs to never happen again.

Otherwise, things have been going well. Perhaps "as well as can be expected", perhaps even a little better. I'll be posting in more detail about what I've learned about remote learning in the past two weeks, what I've done to improve the experience, and what I need to work on most urgently to engage more students and continue to engage those who have already bought in.  To be continued...

Whatchagonnado?????

I've been in the throes of preparation, so no time to post! The first day has passed, we all had problems, and we got through it. I personally felt good, and will elaborate on that in an upcoming post. For the time being, I'll leave you with this video of me cutting an old school pro-wrestling promo on remote learning the night before the first day of school...