5 Things You Must Do the First Week of Distance Learning

Is anyone else out there scared to death to start a school year online?  I was, but now I feel ready to go.  I teach first grade and so many questions went through my head.  How long will it take for me to learn their names?  How will I connect with them?  Will I be effective online?  How can I make this a good experience for everyone?  The questions kept going.  Even though I still don't know what my district expectations will be for the upcoming year, I couldn't sit back and wait.  Here are the things you need to do to be ready to teach online.

1. Plan for your first live meeting.  How will you get to know your students?  What will you do to keep them involved and make them want to get to know their classmates online?  I will be doing a scavenger hunt with my kiddos.  It will be simple, maybe 5 things they can go find in their house, but then they will tell the class about their favorite item.  Keep it simple!  Parents don't want a huge pile of "stuff" left on their table after the meeting.  Here is the link to the scavenger hunt I plan to use.  To extend the lesson, I will assign a "virtual" scavenger hunt in which they will find our class website, explore Google Classroom, login to our math program.  

2. Create a place for parents to find out more information.  I created a Google Site that I will post in Google Classroom that parents can access at any time.  Within the site, I included information about how our class will run, a calendar that lists due dates, reading and math resources, and so much more.  This will cut down on all those repetitive questions (I hope...).  It's still a work in progress, but click here to see my site.

3. Survey your parents.  I created a Google Form that will get information from parents regarding what kind of technology they have, whether an adult will be there to help their child login and do classwork, what I can do to help make it a better experience for them.  These are all things I need to know in order to effectively teach their children.  If you prefer, call your parents up before school starts and discuss any concerns they have.  The important thing is to reach out and find out as much information about your families as possible, BEFORE the school year starts.  

4. Create your expectations for online learning, and teach these during the very first online session.  Expectations such as keeping your microphone muted unless called on, and sitting at a table or desk will help get the students ready for online learning.  Don't forget to review these expectations every time you meet for several days.  Students should become familiar with these expectations.  

5.  Give yourself a break!  This is the most important of any of them.  We were not trained in online teaching.  We are all learning and trying to navigate these strange waters.  We will not be perfect, but we will try our best for our students and families.  That is what is important.  

I hope you all have a great first week of school!  Comment below and let me know how it went.  I'd also love to hear any strategies you're using to get started.