I currently tutor online some students. All of my lessons are 1:1 and different students need different things so I am using a combination of teaching tools.
Here are some of my short cuts, tools and ideas that I am using to get the best out of online teaching
Zoom
1) Share Screen. You can share your screen with the child/ren. You may have, for example, a video clip you want to show them, or want to co-construct a piece of writing. Simply go to the bottom of your screen and click "share screen" then click on what you want to to share.
2) Whiteboard. Last week I had no idea this handy tool existed and instead I was using a physical whiteboard. Again go do "share screen" and click whiteboard. The whiteboard functions like a usual whiteboard in the class and you can type or use the "draw" tool to show things.
3) Annotating your shared screen. One thing I was finding particularly hard was trying to explain materials without being able to physically manipulate or give examples. The annotate tool means you can write notes or draw around a particular material on screen to help students understand. Note the second tool bar that shows you the different things you can do on the screen.
Here I am working with a student on "Fact Families"
Seesaw
Seesaw is a free tool that can be used on tablets, phones or computers. I have used it for 3 years now with children aged 5-13 and find it really helpful. It is a very user friendly app and I especially love how it can include parents or families in a child's learning.
Children usually sign in with a QR code. For the basics on Seesaw read here.
I am currently working with two children who have had their adults request a daily suite of activities for their child to use. As both children have low level literacy I also record the instructions so students can hear what they have to do.
For each day, for both children, I do the following
1) I have a daily 30 minute Zoom conversation with each child which covers a variety of learning areas and links into what is on their Seesaw. For example, one activity on Seesaw I might give could be "Finish the story we wrote together in our lesson."
I will share the Google Doc™ that we worked on together in our Zoom lesson for writing with an indication of where I want the student to write.
2) Before the Zoom conversation, I prepare the work for the day. First go to "Activities."
3) I click the big green button that says "Add."
4) I click "Assign Activity."
5) I press "Create New Activity" and write the daily list of work. I upload examples of the work and also share Google Links to collaborative work we have done in our Zoom lessons or Google Slides™ Resources.
6) I then click "Add Voice Instructions" and add a voice version of instructions.
7) The child/adult then sends me examples of the child's work.
Google Slides
There are a variety of resources for sale that you can use with Google Slides.™
These are a great resource to allow students to interact with materials. They can also be printed off, however, some resources may not suit being used as a hard or printed material.
If you are working with a large group of children I recommend using Google Classroom.™ You can then allocate a copy of each Google Slides™ resource for students to work on.
My digital resources can be used with Google Classroom.™
Here is a quick look at how you can use my resources in your digital classroom with a touch of the familiar Montessori 6-12 curriculum.
See more in my series of teaching at and from home here