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3. Create your own assignments.
Creating worksheets.
This sounds daunting, but it’s really not! For example, you can create a Google Doc with content
that can be reviewed or graded. Or, you might create a Google Doc that has multiple choice or
fill in the blank questions. Or you might have it be a writing prompt. How will students get you
the answers? If it’s multiple choice or fill in the blank, they can text you back their answers.
Alternatively, they can take pictures of their work and text you the image of their answers. If you
are using a text-based system with an online platform, say Google Voice or WhatsApp, you can
easily retrieve and view these same images on your computer screen (as opposed to your cell
phone, which is often too small!).
Creating online quizzes.
There are a wealth of options for creating online quizzes. One of the most popular is Kahoot,
where you can either use someone else’s pre-made quiz, or create your own. The only thing
you need to provide your students is the link and an access pin to that particular quiz.
If you’ve never used Kahoot, try this sample Citizenship quiz to get a feel - better yet, try it using
your cell phone! Go to https://kahoot.it/ and enter the pin: 0983898, then enter your name to
play.
To create your own quiz, create a teacher account using your Gmail, then watch this tutorial.
4. Have students record themselves speaking.
If you are using a shared texting platform like WhatsApp, students can use the record button to
record themselves speaking in lieu of texting. That way, you can give them a prompt, say,
‘What did you do yesterday?’ (to elicit use of past tense for ESL) or ‘What resources are you
using to get information on Coronavirus?’. Students can then listen to each others’ answers,
engaging both speaking and listening. They can even ask questions of each other about
vocabulary they used, or grammatical errors. Here’s a quick
tutorial on how to send a voice
message on WhatsApp. Google Voice and Facebook Messenger (as well as regular texting) all
have this feature.
5. Host a live chat with your students.
Zoom is a great option for scheduling an online meeting, and you can automatically set up an
account using your district Gmail account. Students do not need an email to participate; they
only need the link to join the meeting, which you can send via text.
For an overview of how Zoom works watch this video
. For instructions on how to set up a Zoom
account and start scheduling a meeting, use these written instructions or see Zoom’s YouTube
channel for step-by-step videos; alternatively, here’s an instructional video on how to set up a
zoom meeting. They will need to download the app, though (which is free). During COVID-19,
they have lifted the amount of participants in the free version to accommodate 100 participants,
and for school districts have also lifted the 40 minute limit. (If you do get kicked off at the 40
minute mark, you can easily reignite by clicking the invite link once again - all invitees will need
to do this too). Zoom also has a ‘Whiteboard’ feature that you can access when you are in
Share Screen mode - that way you can write things on the board just as you would do in class!
Here’s a
brief tutorial on how to use the Zoom Whiteboard.