How to keep your students engaged, whether they’re in class or not.
It can be difficult for a teacher when one or more students are absent. In today’s education climate, many teachers are finding their classrooms only half full of students. So how do you provide the same level of instruction for the students who are present as you would for the student who is absent? Make use of technology!
More and more teachers are turning to tools such as Google Classroom and Remind101 to help keep students engaged when they’re absent. These tools can provide a level of continuity for students by allowing them to keep up with classwork, announcements, and discussions even when they’re not in school.
The key is to post everything you do in your classroom to your LMS or class website. Your posts should not only include the assignments, but discussion topics and directions for completing the assignments as well. That way, students that are absent can simply look up what their fellow students did in class that day and complete the work at home. If you insist on lecturing, post your your outline or slides for students to view.
Other tools that can help keep your students stay engaged and on top of classroom events even when they are absent include:
Wakelet: If you’re looking for an easy way to collect and curate web content, Wakelet is a great app to check out. With Wakelet, you can create collections of articles, images, and videos, and share them with your students. Wakelet can even serve as your class LMS! So if you’re looking for an easy way to compile and share resources, Wakelet is a great option.
Parlayideas: Parlay allows you to create online discussions on curated topics as well as topics that you have created. It’s not only easy for students to participate in the classroom, but it’s great for students who happen to have missed that day. Discussions in Parlay can be in real-time or posted throughout the week.
Pear Deck & Nearpod: These apps are great for teachers because they allow you to create quizzes, polls, and presentations that your students can then interact with. Plus, you have the option to use them live in class or give them to students to finish outside of class at their own pace.
Edpuzzle: Instead of showing a video to the class where they all watch it at the same time, give it to them through Edpuzzle! Edpuzzle not only allows you to upload a video that students can watch at their own pace but it allows for the inserting of check for understanding questions. If a student is absent, they can easily watch the video at home.
Screencastify: Record you classroom instruction with Screencastify! This app lets you record your screen while you talk, which makes it perfect for creating tutorials and lessons. Plus, the recordings are automatically saved to your Google Drive, so you can access them from anywhere. Screencastify is definitely a must-have for any teacher or student!
It can be a challenge for teachers to provide the same level of instruction when one or more students are absent. When this happens, make use of technology in your classroom!
