Hey teachers - are you struggling to create or to continue community during this time of isolation? I totally get it!! I have been a virtual teacher since 2009 and creating community virtually can be very challenging. But this is not impossible. Here are some activities that my team have implemented that have helped to create community virtually over the great state of Wyoming.
Before I get into the activities, I do have some suggestions for some prep tech. Powerpoint is my go to for all of these activities - I love Powerpoint to make showcases. Also, I find that making the Powerpoint into a video that is 2-5 minutes long is very effective. I personally like Screen Cast O Matic. But there are other video creators out there. YouTube has become my best friend. Creating my channel was super easy. Even better - YouTubeSafe! After creating my video, uploading it to YouTube, I can put the url into YouTubeSafe so that there are no ads or inappropriate material that can pop up.
Pet Parade
Every year, usually at the beginning of the school year, we have what is called the Pet Parade. Who doesn’t love pets?? What I do is send out an email to all of my students asking for pictures (no more than 3) of them with their pets. I generally ask the students to send in a the pictures as a JEPG, with the names of the pets. You can extend this out and have the students write a few sentences about their pets. I generally send out 3 email reminders over the course of 7 days so that students have time to get pictures. Copy/paste into Powerpoint; create a movie; send out the video. This is a great way to connect home to school.
Craziest Place to do School
This is a great activity. I have the students send in either a picture or a description of where they are doing school. Some students share their desks. Some students share their dining rooms. Some students share really strange places - like one student did his schooling in a tree house. The teachers share as well. One teacher had to do school outside of McDonalds for the free wifi because the internet was down. You never know what you will get. Again, I sent out 3 email reminders over the course of 7 days. Copy/paste into Powerpoint; create a movie; send out the video. The students seem to enjoy the different places where other students are doing school.
Inspirational Quotes
This is one of my favorite activities. I have the students send in their favorite quotes that have inspired them. You can have them explain why the quote inspires them, but I generally don’t. I have the students send in their inspirational quotes with a citation. I then put the quotes into Powerpoint and then go to my other favorite site - Google Images - then find images that match the quote. I then make a movie and send it out.
I hope that these ideas help you to continue to create community in your classrooms. I also hope that this helps your families to focus on some more fun activities. Please reach out to me if you have questions or have other ideas about engaging students to create community virtually.
Before I get into the activities, I do have some suggestions for some prep tech. Powerpoint is my go to for all of these activities - I love Powerpoint to make showcases. Also, I find that making the Powerpoint into a video that is 2-5 minutes long is very effective. I personally like Screen Cast O Matic. But there are other video creators out there. YouTube has become my best friend. Creating my channel was super easy. Even better - YouTubeSafe! After creating my video, uploading it to YouTube, I can put the url into YouTubeSafe so that there are no ads or inappropriate material that can pop up.
Pet Parade
Every year, usually at the beginning of the school year, we have what is called the Pet Parade. Who doesn’t love pets?? What I do is send out an email to all of my students asking for pictures (no more than 3) of them with their pets. I generally ask the students to send in a the pictures as a JEPG, with the names of the pets. You can extend this out and have the students write a few sentences about their pets. I generally send out 3 email reminders over the course of 7 days so that students have time to get pictures. Copy/paste into Powerpoint; create a movie; send out the video. This is a great way to connect home to school.
Craziest Place to do School
This is a great activity. I have the students send in either a picture or a description of where they are doing school. Some students share their desks. Some students share their dining rooms. Some students share really strange places - like one student did his schooling in a tree house. The teachers share as well. One teacher had to do school outside of McDonalds for the free wifi because the internet was down. You never know what you will get. Again, I sent out 3 email reminders over the course of 7 days. Copy/paste into Powerpoint; create a movie; send out the video. The students seem to enjoy the different places where other students are doing school.
Inspirational Quotes
This is one of my favorite activities. I have the students send in their favorite quotes that have inspired them. You can have them explain why the quote inspires them, but I generally don’t. I have the students send in their inspirational quotes with a citation. I then put the quotes into Powerpoint and then go to my other favorite site - Google Images - then find images that match the quote. I then make a movie and send it out.
I hope that these ideas help you to continue to create community in your classrooms. I also hope that this helps your families to focus on some more fun activities. Please reach out to me if you have questions or have other ideas about engaging students to create community virtually.
