Tips on Using Technology in Virtual and Physical Classrooms

The eLearning Guild had published an extensive guide with tips on using technology in virtual and physical classrooms. I know some people are a little weary when they hear the word technology and having to add this onto their already large workload. I am going to summarize some of these tips that I found somewhat applicable to us here in the department.

Using virtual classroom features effectively

·         Prepare and practice, it may take some time to get used to teaching in a different format, so practice beforehand with a co-worker or friend

·         Ask for some kind of response every 5 minutes; this could be a poll, thumbs up, response to question, etc.

·         Wait until you have a break in the content and then respond to questions in batches

·         Kick off your virtual course with an icebreaker that uses multiple tools so students try them out and get somewhat familiar at this point

·         Since the learning curve is large for facilitators with these new tools, provide more time for training facilitators

·         Verbalize any keyboard and mouse activity, as participants may not be able to easily see what you are doing

·         Practice, practice, practice, and it still won’t be perfect, just make sure you have a couple backup plans just in case

Tips for instructional design and presentation skills in the classroom

·         Script questions

·         Improve the quality of the visuals you use

·         Limit on slide text and put the details in a separate handout file

·         Virtual class sizes should be smaller (20-30 participants)

·         In virtual classrooms, motivation, visuals, and interactivity are critical as participants are taking the learning in their own distraction filled environments

·         Plan on some coaching and training even for the best physical classroom facilitators

·         For small groups (20-30) try welcoming each person individually as he or she enters the virtual classroom

·         At the beginning of the course, describe how to be an active participant and use the text chats  and polls

·         Having a second display showing what a student would see may be helpful for the facilitator

Pros and cons of the virtual classroom

·         A challenge in a virtual classroom is keeping participants from multitasking

·         Validate that tasks and learning objectives are best taught using a virtual classroom. Weigh the cost and benefit of developing for a virtual classroom versus a self-paced online learning or physical classroom.

·         Have a dedicated help desk phone number for participants and have that person on call during the entire class

·         Check in with participants from time to time to ensure they are seeing what’s being brought up on the screen

Pros and Cons of physical and blended classrooms

·         Try creating several short presentations and recommend a sequence for viewing the presentations

·         Add questions to your presentation for your audience to respond immediately and also questions for them to think about prior to meeting synchronously

·         When you ask a question in a virtual classroom, each learner has the opportunity to respond simultaneously, which is an advantage to a traditional classroom where some participants take over discussions

·         Blending synchronous interactive virtual classes with asynchronous peer to peer collaboration results in the richest learning experience