Digital assignments are definitely something we are going to be seeing more of in the future. I know many of you will have super helpful tips to share out on this topic and I hope that you do. Right now I want to help you think about assigning digital work and how to keep it all organized.
I am writing this post to help give those not sure what to do to prepare for the fall a starting point and maybe some motivation to create some digital lessons in preparation for whatever the future of your classroom might look like, even if that is self-paced learning for our students.
I want to share some tips that I learned during the Spring 2020 home learning situation that I hope you will find helpful in your planning and preparing for the fall.
Tip #1 – Assignment Titles
Package your daily work so it will be easy for you and your students to locate it. During COVID at-home learning, I assigned weekly assignments by date. Naming the assignments the same way each time will help you locate and communicate assignments faster.
I have read online that many people numbered their assignments. You might find numbers more helpful if you do daily work. Like you can use 1, 2, or 3 digit codes for your work. You can even use the first number as the week, the second number as the assignment title. For example, in week 1, assignment 3 you would title it 103.
Another reason to assigned work this way is because you can use the Ctrl F feature to search for the title of the assignment, this includes numbers. Easy peasy to find what you are looking for.
Tip #2 – Put Everything in One Document
It does not matter what tool you are using to assign digital work (Google Docs, Slides, PowerPoint), it is important that you place all of the work, instructions, expectations, rubrics – EVERYTHING in one place. Put complete units together in one packet to make your life and the student’s (and their parents) lives simpler.
Tip #3 – Providing Instructions
Make sure in the packaging of your digital assignments you include detailed instructions. With this, I want to remind teachers we have all types of learners in our classrooms. The more ways you can provide directions in a clear manner, the fewer email questions you will have to respond to.
Try providing directions like you would in your classroom. Do you write instructions out? Do you voice them in English? Use the target language? Do you sign them? Maybe you use a combination of these. Remember it is much more complicated for kids to start working at home that it is in the classroom and communication that is unclear will only encourage procrastination. So take a little bit more time to type out instructions, use a voice audio program like Vocaroo, and make a video. The more options you provide the better.
Tip #4 – Use I Can Statements
Now more than ever students need to know what they are expected to do. Part of clear communication is letting students know what the expectation of the lesson is. What will they need to know and be able to do at the end of a lesson.
Provide I can statements in easy, student-friendly language so they know what is the learning goal for the day (or week or unit). You can read more about I Can Statements here.
Tip #5 – Assessment
If there will be an assessment or assignment that will be scored, explain how the process will work. If you have a rubric, provide the rubric up front. Again, make sure you use student-friendly language that your audience will understand.
Tip #6 – Provide the Due Dates
Make sure that you are giving the due dates upfront with plenty of communication time for students to plan accordingly. Remember, we don’t know what is happening in the homes of our students so be gracious and considerate during this time. I assigned 2-week mini-units every other Sunday evening with planned completion dates. This allowed students to be flexible in their work completion. I checked off and graded the work once a week.
Tip # 7 – Turning In Work
For some reason during remote online learning, students forgot how to turn in work. Although my process for turning in work was the same during online learning as it was in the face-to-face classroom setting, I still had to answer a ton of email questions about how and where to turn in work. (BTW I always use Google Classroom for work to be turned in).
So if you want students to upload an assignment or link a video to a document, make sure that it is crystal clear to save you time.
Tip #8 – Include all Materials in Your Packet
This may seem like a no brainer but I can assure you it is easy to forget. So before you send out your packet for distance learning, take a few minutes to double-check that everything is there. Most importantly links to work you need them to accomplish. Remember you want everything in one packet, so if you have an assignment outside of the packet, you want the link attached so everything is in one packet.
If you do extra credit work, optional work or enrichment activities, include those in your packet.
Conclusion
I hope these 8 tips will help you in preparing for the fall. If you have a tip to share, join us in the conversation in the Creative ASL Teaching Facebook group.
For more ideas on this topic, check out Shake Up Learning. You can learn so many tech tips on top of organization.
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