Today is one of those days I despise as a teacher: Guest Teacher Day. Being home with my two, very ill kids is definitely priority one today, but as the semester is coming to a close, I need to ensure I moving along with content. I hate worksheets. I hate busy work. And, guess what -- my students do too. So, how can teachers ensure they are providing enriching content to their students even when they are not present in the classroom? With a little technology, students can continue learning without disrupting their daily routine. With a little technology, Let's take a look at the pieces I put in place to ensure the day runs as smoothly as possible.
**Note: My room is not 1:1, but our school has Chromebook carts available for use on a daily basis.**
**Note: My room is not 1:1, but our school has Chromebook carts available for use on a daily basis.**
The Platform: Google Classroom
Housing information in one place is an important aspect in the assuring students can find what they are supposed to work on for the day. If students need to jump around from place to place and are required to type in web addresses, issue arise that lead to disruption for the guest teacher. To alleviate this issue, anything my students are required to do is linked on our Google Classroom page. Having used this platform during the school year means my students are familiar with how to access and navigate the page, and requires less disruption to the normal process.
**Note: If your students are more familiar with Edmodo or another hosting platform, this process will likely work with those as well.**
**Note: If your students are more familiar with Edmodo or another hosting platform, this process will likely work with those as well.**
Communication: Google Hangouts
It never fails. When I am out and there is a guest teacher in the room, things go wrong and students seem to (conveniently) forget processes and procedures that have been in place for months. They also "forget" any and all content they had been previously been working on. This puts the guest teacher in a sticky situation. So what do you do when problems come up and cannot be resolved without help? Put in a lifeline.
I use Google Hangouts as a way for my students to contact me whenever I am out. I provide my students with a link to our Hangout at the top of the assignment they are working on. This allows them the opportunity to send me text messages with questions or issues they may be having with the work. I can then respond back with a text, image, photo, or (in extreme cases) video chat with them one-on-one (when I am available) to work through anything they need help with. This tool has proven extremely valuable and lets my students know I am there for them, even when not physically in the classroom.
I use Google Hangouts as a way for my students to contact me whenever I am out. I provide my students with a link to our Hangout at the top of the assignment they are working on. This allows them the opportunity to send me text messages with questions or issues they may be having with the work. I can then respond back with a text, image, photo, or (in extreme cases) video chat with them one-on-one (when I am available) to work through anything they need help with. This tool has proven extremely valuable and lets my students know I am there for them, even when not physically in the classroom.
Content - Part 1: HyperDocs
If you have never used HyperDocs, I highly recommend this practice as a way to introduce content in a personalized way for your students whether or not . I use HyperDocs in my classroom on a regular basis because I can differentiate what content goes to what students and they allow for students to work at their own pace and level of understanding. Jennifer Gonzalez (@cultofpedagogy) says on her blog, Cult of Pedagogy, that "a HyperDoc is a digital document—such as a Google Doc—where all components of a learning cycle have been pulled together into one central hub." Within this document, I can place all of the directions for completion, links to content (videos, readings, presentations, student-collaboration materials, etc.), and pose thinking questions for my students which can be tailored to my students' current level of understanding. Students can also post their questions and wonderings about the assignments back onto Google Classroom to start discussions between students without my interjection. This allows for individualized instruction without me having to be in the classroom for small group/1:1 instruction.
When it comes to guest teacher plans, these are a lifesaver. With students in control of their learning and materials at their fingertips, the guest teacher can focus solely on classroom management.
When it comes to guest teacher plans, these are a lifesaver. With students in control of their learning and materials at their fingertips, the guest teacher can focus solely on classroom management.
Content - Part 2: EdPuzzle
One struggle of missing time in the classroom is how to get new content to the students. With all of the great video playing tools on the Internet, this has gotten loads easier for teachers. One of the great Web-based video tools I find best fits my need is EdPuzzle. First, EdPuzzle is free. Secondly, EdPuzzle allows you to clip videos into segments so you use what you need. Third, I can add questions, comments, audio commentary, and more into the clips so I can explain or assess student understanding up to that point in the video. This means students need to be engaged in the content in order to be successful. Finally, when connected to your Google Classroom account, EdPuzzle will manage your data on a students-by-student basis and I can visit their responses to provide feedback.
EdPuzzle allows you to search YouTube within the site and allows you to upload your own content. That means if you have time to prepare, you can film yourself or your screencast, upload it to the site, and provided individualized content to your students without being in the classroom.
EdPuzzle allows you to search YouTube within the site and allows you to upload your own content. That means if you have time to prepare, you can film yourself or your screencast, upload it to the site, and provided individualized content to your students without being in the classroom.
Content - Part 3: Quizizz
The next tool I like to take advantage of when I am out is Quizizz. Quizizz is an online quiz game assessment tool, similar to Kahoot! The thing I like most about this is the student completes this on their own device and it is self-driven. The student has time to think about the concept and answer the question (I turn the timer off so students are not pressured to answer the question faster than they are ready) at their own pace. The students like it because at the end of each question, a meme shows up to congratulate them on a job well done or delicately explain they got the answer wrong (this feature can be turned off, but it really is fun to leave on).
There are two great features Quizizz has that makes it my go to game-based assessment tool. First, Quizizz allows teachers to upload their game code directly to Google Classroom, Edmodo, or Remind. Secondly, the Quizizz platform also has a feature that allows you to assign a Quizizz as homework with a due date. This means, you start the game when you are ready, and you wait for the results to come in. Students do not need to wait for a class code and sit while others enter their information. They can get started right away.
There are two great features Quizizz has that makes it my go to game-based assessment tool. First, Quizizz allows teachers to upload their game code directly to Google Classroom, Edmodo, or Remind. Secondly, the Quizizz platform also has a feature that allows you to assign a Quizizz as homework with a due date. This means, you start the game when you are ready, and you wait for the results to come in. Students do not need to wait for a class code and sit while others enter their information. They can get started right away.
This practice takes a little getting used to and, like anything else, will have some bugs when you first take it on. But, as I have implemented this style of lesson plan in my classroom on the dreaded Guest Teacher Day, I get reports of fewer students being disruptive and off-task. And, when I return, we can have a quick discussion of the concepts, assess understanding, and move on as if I had been in class with them the previous day. I urge you to give it a try and let me know how it went -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Remember, without failure, growth cannot take place.