Guys – this has been a crazy year in education. Actually, crazy is an understatement. One word probably can’t even describe how many of our educators feel right now. Crazy, tiring, overwhelming, exhausting, heartbreaking, and so many more words can describe this year. However, I know that there are some AMAZING success stories out there – and I want to hear them!

I want to put together a blog post of amazing success stories that are occurring during distance learning and/or hybrid. In addition to this, I am selfishly hoping it will inspire me with more ideas to support the students, teachers, parents, and staff members at my own site. Perhaps you will find some great ideas in the next blog post, too!

So, please, (pretty please?) take this short survey – thank you, friends!

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post and shared a survey called “The Teacher Transparency Challenge“. To this day, it is still one of my favorite things that I have ever done in my classroom. It was simple – I wanted to know how my students felt about my class and teaching. The transparent, unfiltered truth. I wanted to know if I was truly meeting the needs of ALL my students and if there was anything else I could do to help them be successful.

One of the comments from my student has always stayed with me. They said, “You could focus more on your quiet and introverted students, not just the loud and outgoing ones.” It totally changed how I taught my students going forward. It also completely changed how I interacted with students to this day. It helped me to remember that there are all sorts of students in my class and I need to support all of them equally.

During distance learning, I feel that it may be beneficial to revisit the Teacher Transparency Challenge – Distance Learning Style! I’ve updated the survey to include a section on distance learning. I highly encourage you to take a moment and give this survey to your students. I think we all know that distance learning is a struggle and you might feel hesitant about giving this out. Distance learning is hard and we are all struggling – no matter what our role might be. However, it is also incredibly important for your students to be heard during this time. It’s important for us to continue to be reflective educators. It’s important for us to continue to try to meet the needs of all of our students, to the best of our ability.

Friends – I promise that I am only encouraging you to be reflective. This is not coming from a place of judgment because I know how much teachers are rocking it during distance learning! I only want to encourage you to continue to be reflective for kids.

Below, you will find the “View” version of the survey, as well as a “Copy” version:

Click HERE to make your own copy.

Have you given any distance learning surveys at your site? What were your “aha” moments?

Attendance in distance learning is…complicated, to say the least! However, I am hoping to provide a process that will make it more simple for you!

Below, you will find three easy steps on how to utilize Zoom and Google Sheets to take attendance. Directions and GIF’s are listed below, however, I have also added a tutorial at the end if you would like to be walked through it more formally.

Important Note: Step #1 is only available in some versions of Zoom and depends on your plan.

Step #1: Download Usage Reports from Zoom

• Go to the Zoom website.
• Click on “Reports”.
• Go to “Usage”.
• Click on the number underneath “Participants”.
• Download the .CSV file.

• Open in Google Sheets.
• Insert a new column to the right of Column A.
• Go to “Data” and select “Split Text to Columns”.
• Select Row 1, go to “View”–> “Freeze” –> “1 Row”.
• Select Column B and select “Sort Range by A to Z”.

Go to your student information system (SIS) and take attendance! That’s it!

If you need a walkthrough, here is a short video on the process outline above:

How do you take attendance during distance learning? Share in the comments below!

I have been seeing a TON of posts from educator friends over the last couple of weeks about products that would benefit them during distance learning. So, I decided to put together a list of items that I have personally used in either my home or work office. I hope that you find these items useful and that they will provide some helpful structure or support during your distance learning experience.

Adjustable Height 36″ Standing Desk – Amazon
Sitting all day is rough on your body. Personally, I feel so much better when I alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day. However, standing desks can be CRAZY expensive. Fortunately, I found an awesome standing desk that can be placed on top of your existing desk for only $150.

I added this to my work office last year and absolutely love it. It has enough space for two monitors, a keyboard, a mouse, and a spot for my phone. It also has a very easy and light to light the desk from sitting to standing.

24″ Acer Monitor – Amazon
I love these monitors! The price is incredibly affordable and the quality is great. I purchased two of them for my home office and put them on arms attached to my desk. Later, we purchased some for my work office and two of them perfectly fit on the standing desk above.

Seriously, such a great buy for such an amazing price of only $109! And pro-tip, if you are currently working on a laptop, purchase an HDMI cable (or whatever works with your laptop), plug it into the monitor, and now you have dual screens!

Logitech Webcam & Microphone – Amazon

Nearly 90% of the time I work on desktop computers that do not come with webcams or microphones. Logitech is easily one of the best brands for webcams.

I have this webcam in my home office and the quality is great. Bonus? There is a microphone in it which means you don’t have to purchase a second item. This webcam is a little more on the expensive end but you won’t be disappointed.

Wireless Keyboard/Mouse – Amazon
If you are spending every day working on your laptop, it can definitely be tough on your hands.  If you decide to purchase an extra monitor, I highly encourage you to purchase a keyboard/mouse combo to use instead of your laptop keyboard.

Seriously, you won’t regret it and neither will your hands!

Laptop Stand – Amazon
A couple of years ago, I worked from home full-time and put my laptop on this stand, plugged it into dual monitors and had three screens to work from. It was awesome.

I love this little stand. It’s super affordable and I’ve used it with both my laptop and Chromebook. It’s also a great way to add some extra space to your work station.

Phone Stand – Amazon
Never miss another message with this cheap, yet sturdy, phone stand. I have this set up in my home office and always use it. At work, I have the standing desk above and use the phone stand that is built into the desk.

I love that it has an area for your phone cord to go through so you can charge it while it’s sitting on the stand. Finally, it’s really great if you find yourself on a long phone call and want to put your phone on speaker.

Everlasting Comfort Seat  – Amazon
Okay, okay. Try not to laugh at me but…this is super comfy! I don’t use it all the time, however, it was a huge help when I threw out my back in the spring and was having trouble sitting for long periods of time.

While I have a comfy seat that works for me 99% of the time, I know a lot of friends working from their kitchen tables. Check this out and protect your back!

As many districts start the year in distance learning, I have developed a distance learning website in Google Sites that can be used to increase communication between the school and parents/students. Basically, it is the one-stop-shop for all of a family’s distance learning needs and support! Communication with our families is going to be essential if distance learning is to be a success. I hope that you find this FREE resource valuable for your school. Let’s dive into it!

Click the image above or click HERE to view the website.

The distance learning website is broken into the following sections:

General Info

In this section, parents and students can find general information on Chromebook repairs, lunch options, and other FAQ’s. It contains a broad overview of the site’s distance learning plan.

Teachers

I absolutely believe that this will be the most utilized and beneficial page for students and parents. In this section, students can find their teachers, the teacher’s contact information, their distance learning plan, and a short, introductory video that introduces the teachers and walks them through their Google Classroom and other digital resources. While students are comfortable with technology, not all of the parent community will be. My hope is that this supports our parents in supporting their students.

Administration

Nothing fancy here – just the administration’s contact information and a short video introducing themselves.

Counseling

Many students will have questions for their counselors during distance learning. Here, students can find their counselor’s information and even submit a counseling request form.

Tech Support

The top tech questions are answered in this section, along with a variety of videos to support students with accessing their student’s grades or using other technology (ex: Google Classroom).

Parent Resources

Many districts have resources for parents during distance learning – link them here!

Here is a quick video on a walkthrough of the website, as well as tips and tricks to copy and modify your own:

Interested in your own copy? Follow the directions below:

1. Go to the Distance Learning Site Template folder in Google Drive.
2. Right-click on the following file –> **(MAKE A COPY) Distance Learning Website Template**.
3. Select “Make a Copy”.
4. Right-click your new copy and select “Move To” and move it to your own folder.

Here’s a short GIF on how to do this:

How does your school plan on increasing communication with families during distance learning? Share below!