Step2Skills 1

Adult Learning Teacher Karen Julier talks about key learning points in her EdTech Reflective Exploration.

Project Lead Karen found the following training modules particularly useful for her practice:

• Resolving intermittent and disrupted attendance
• Technology, personalisation and effective learning

She ran a pilot hybrid session to check out challenges and what would work best for hybrid delivery, which proved to be very helpful. Two learners were on site and one learner was on Google Meet. Learners in the classroom still had access to their Google Classroom and could use the same forms, quizzes and tasks as the learner working remotely. The learners knew each other from a previous course and worked well together, which could have made the difference. The work set was completed by all and there was an effective three-way discussion between the learners on their findings. Karen noticed that the learners in the classroom kept to task more than the learner working remotely so decided to set timings for activities in future.

Learning points:

• It is helpful to run at least one pilot hybrid delivery session before rolling out the model more broadly. Some tips from this pilot are:
• Ensure learners in the classroom have access to shared online tools with remote learners so there is a shared focal point for content and collaboration. Step2Skills plan to use an interactive whiteboard shared through Google Classroom.
• Provide time for class and remote learners to get to know each other so that they can work well together.
• Pay attention to whether remote learners can hear adequately which may dictate choice of classroom and use of headsets by remote learners – or it helps if the teacher/trainer wears a Bluetooth headset with a microphone (see also John Mensah’s exploration below).
• Set timings for activities so expectations are clear for both class and remote learners.

The training modules made Karen reflect on the devices that remote learners might be using at home. She realised that she had not been checking what devices remote learners were using prior to online or hybrid sessions and this could cause problems for accessing some of the lesson content. In future she intends to ask learners what devices they will be using if working remotely to plan curriculum delivery accordingly.

Learning point: Check what devices your remote learners will be using and, as far as possible, factor that into curriculum planning. Some digital tools or activities will be unsuitable for some devices.

In her CPD role, Karen developed a Google Classroom workshop to show learners how to use Google Classroom rather than assume they would know. The aim was to resolve lesson disruption with students in class and online struggling to access the platform. The workshops have been well received and are going to become a permanent feature of delivery.

Learning point: Do not assume that your learners are all tech-savvy and able to access whatever digital platforms and tools you intend to use. It is worth creating resources to help those who may have gaps in their knowledge or lack confidence (see also John Mensah’s exploration below).

Craft and Creative subjects teacher Lynne Garner demonstrates her use of a visualiser in her EdTech Reflective Exploration project.

Craft and Creative subjects teacher Lynne Garner wanted to ensure that her classes could still run even if she or her learners could not get to the classroom. The practical nature of her subjects made this more challenging. Lynne started using a visualiser to demonstrate the activities that she wanted to teach. Visualisers are real-time image capture devices, also known as document cameras.

Lynne successfully used her visualiser to demonstrate a range of craft procedures when teaching remotely and created some tips for use of a visualiser:

• Use a plain and simple background.
• Mark the corners of the visualiser’s view so your hands stay in shot.
• Place the visualiser so the students see your point of view.
  Try to work in good light.
• Have tools and materials within easy reach.
• Have a script within sight.

Lynne also created a range of videos with text and sound narration based on use of the visualiser. She had to teach herself how to use Video Editor, an app on her laptop, to do this. She initially focused on adding text to the videos but, once she had a better microphone, she started adding narration to make the videos more accessible for students who were visually impaired. Lynne documented some tips on making videos:

• If you can’t complete your video in one day, for consistency wear the same jewellery and clothes. Or remove all jewellery and roll sleeves up out of sight.
• Don’t try to film the video in one go, that just adds pressure to the process.
• Keep the background free from clutter and have any items you might need to show within easy reach.

When editing the video:

• Choose a simple text style if you are adding instructions.
• Keep text in the same place on the screen, so students know where to look each time the shot changes.
• Keep supporting text short and concise and give students plenty of time to read. You can slow down the film if needed as well as speed up if it’s a long process.
• Not every frame has to be video, you can add slides with text on – for example, to list items or add a tip or hint for making a process easier.
• If there is no narration then perhaps add a very simple, calming piece of music – there is loads to choose from and you can even upload your own.

Lynne has also found ways of incorporating use of apps into her courses, as she sets out here:

Course: Creative Writing and Writing for Pleasure and Profit

• Story Cubes – as a generator of ideas
• What Three Words? – this uses the fact that every 1m square on the planet has been allocated three words. I encourage the students to create ‘headlines’ or short stories using the three words generated by a place they know well.
• Cannon Ball – helps students to create a ‘cut up’ story or even poem by stitching together a collection of random words that it has generated.

Course: Poetry for Beginners

• Blackout Bard – allows students to create digital blackout poems.
• Haiku – assists students to create a Haiku as it counts the syllables as they write. Great for students who struggle with this.

Courses: Photography Beginners and Intermediate, Social Media for Business, Scrapbooking, Creative Crafts and Brilliant Boxes

• Snapseed – a great tool for editing photographs.
• Prisma – simple filter apps that makes photographs into works of art.
• PicCollage – creates quick and simple collages of your favourite photographs.

Lynne identified some issues with finding suitable apps. They need to be:

• Free if advising for learners to use
• Free of advertising if possible (not all the above are)
• Able to be used on Android and iPhone

“Recently I taught a new Photography Intermediate course for the first time. It was supposed to be just for those with a camera, but a few students wanted to join who only had a phone, so I adapted the course to include phone users. This meant finding new apps for both platforms to mimic what a camera can do.”

Learning point: There are a lot of free apps that can add interest to courses, but they need to work for learners on both Android and iPhone.

Advanced Practitioner John Mensah shares some of his EdTech Exploration reflections.

Advanced Practitioner John Mensah piloted the first hybrid learning classes in the new digital learning hub for his maths students. Unfortunately, the interactive whiteboard that had been ordered had not arrived, but John was still able to progress some aspects.

He tested out how learners were able to upload their reflections on the lesson to their online learner diaries in Google Classrooms and identified some of the barriers:

“As we are trying to engage with a more hybrid/blended learning approach to teaching, learners are accessing maths courses in a face-to-face capacity as well as online. Learners on the maths course are required to complete learner reflections to document their progress on the course. The learner diaries are online which means when learners are in a face-to-face session, they need to fill them out via their mobile or tablet. Initially we thought this would be a good idea but underestimated the technical issues learners would face when trying to access Google Classroom from their devices. Revisiting modules on The Digital Teacher inspired me to create a training video with a colleague to help learners access their reflective diaries. This has had positive feedback and I have shared with other staff.”

This experience made John aware of recognising learners’ varying digital literacy levels.

Learning point: Learners who may appear tech-savvy may still struggle with particular tasks. If so, short training videos can enable learners to help themselves and avoid class disruption. (See also Karen Julier’s exploration above.)

During the pilot, John identified benefits and barriers to hybrid learning and tried out tools and techniques to overcome the barriers.

Benefits:

• When a learner was unable to attend a lesson because of illness, they were still able to attend remotely using Google Classroom.

Barriers:

• It can be challenging for remote learners to hear what is going on in class. John solved this problem by wearing Bluetooth headphones with an inbuilt microphone enabling him to talk as normal to the face-to-face group but still be clearly audible for remote learners.
• Addressing the comments and queries of both in-class and remote learners can also be demanding. Since the interactive whiteboard had not arrived at the time of the pilot, allowing a shared space for online collaboration through Google Classroom, John asked a Teaching Assistant to keep in touch with remote learners via WhatsApp which worked but was not ideal.
• A potential barrier for the teacher or trainer is being able to see the lesson content, the online collaborative ‘chat’ space and the remote learners on screen simultaneously. John used a very large second monitor which enabled him to have multiple screens open at the same time.
• He also used a visualiser like his colleague Lynne Garner (see above) to enable all learners to see live drawing of maths diagrams on screen.

“I have been using a document camera [also known as a visualiser]. This camera gives the learner a bird’s eye view of what I want to show them. This has been a game changer in comparison to writing on a touch screen laptop. For example, I can draw graphs on squared paper manually which learners can view with crystal clarity. The feedback from learners has been extremely positive as they are able to see me demonstrate these types of activities live. I prefer using this to a whiteboard – it’s so much easier as I write using an actual pen or pencil.”

Learning points:

• It helps remote learners to hear clearly if the teacher/trainer wears a Bluetooth headset with a microphone.
• Both in-class and remote learners need a shared focal point for content and collaboration, such as an interactive whiteboard that can be shared through Google Classroom. (See also Karen Julier’s exploration above.)
• A second monitor for the teacher/trainer, ideally a large one, is very useful for hybrid or remote teaching, as it allows you to have multiple screens open to see learners alongside the task, or to see your teaching content and a collaborative comments space at the same time.
• Visualisers are a great way of sharing anything that involves drawing or making – for example maths, art and craft, or creative subjects.

John also tried Nearpod in his sessions, which offers interactive media and formative assessment to integrate into online lessons:

“A discussion with my colleagues prompted me to use Nearpod with my learners. I wanted to ensure learners had been engaging with the videos I was uploading to my Google Classroom. Nearpod enabled me to add questions mid video which learners needed to answer whilst watching. This allowed me to monitor learner engagement more closely.”

Learning point: A system like Nearpod is useful for ensuring that learners are engaging with videos you produce by allowing you to insert questions mid video.

Tutor Michelle Kenny-Moore describes what she learnt during her Reflective Exploration project.

Young Person’s Tutor Michelle Kenny-Moore, who teaches Employability and maths courses, wanted to make her classes more stimulating and engaging with new delivery approaches in order to motivate her learners to gain qualifications and move into work. Unfortunately, she was unable to teach at the time of the project so could not try out new approaches in practice, except with colleagues, but was able to undertake training on the Enhance Digital Teaching Platform. She focused on modules in the following areas:

• Accessibility
• The Digital Teacher
• Connected and Effective

This gave Michelle a greater awareness about digital accessibility and the need to make learning resources accessible for all learners. She had noticed during the pandemic that additional learning support needs, particularly dyslexia, were factors in how willing students were to engage with online learning:

“During the pandemic, as a Young Person’s tutor teaching Employability and maths, attendance and engagement were issues. Many did not like to access online learning despite having the tech and being tech savvy.”

Michelle is now working through her teaching resources to make them more accessible and planning new schemes of work with accessible features in mind:

“In the past I have used the accessibility checker but will be using it more often before posting materials to Google Classroom. I have always embedded my hyperlinks in pictures but will do this more often within text. I have been more aware of checking the consecutive reading order in slides and documents. I have been testing my materials out on the Read Aloud Function in Office to ensure that all the information is in the right places. I also used the accessibility tool before posting it on Google Classroom.

“I have also adapted the course I’m planning to have more video clips, blogs and so on for those who have missed a session, so they get the measure of what I have taught and are able to complete the evidence for their portfolio.”

ETF EdTech Mentor Sally Betts agreed that using more video was a good alternative to reading text for dyslexic learners and those that miss sessions but also suggested going one step further and using tools such as Nearpod video to embed questions to check usage, understanding and reactions.

Michelle now wants to trial a visualiser after hearing about Lynne and John’s usage and to record her teaching for learners to access after sessions in their own time and with a view to creating materials for an asynchronous course.