A Virtual Classroom is a Necessary Part of Teaching These Days
Having a virtual classroom has helped educators continue teaching students during this global pandemic. There are many platforms that can be used when setting one up for your class. I will share some details on how I introduced one this past school year.
What is a Virtual Classroom?
A virtual classroom is digital platform that allows you to interact with your class using various tools such as video conferencing in real time, screen sharing, a digital whiteboard, etc. Some examples of such platforms include Google Meet™ and Zoom™.
*non-affiliate / unsponsored links*
Why is This Important?
We always knew that the 21st century would allow us to see increased development in technology.
I always knew that in my teaching career, I would get to learn about various digital platforms and teach my students about them, too.
What I didn’t expect, however, was just how quickly we would have to pivot from in-person learning to online learning over the past year and a half. I never dreamed of such a scenario when I started teaching! I know many others feel the same way.
After relying on using a virtual classroom to teach for months at a time over the past little while, I have seen the benefits of having one ready to go at the start of the school year. It is now normalized for me: when I plan for my new class each school year going forward, I will be planning for the set-up of a physical classroom and an online space. This is one of the many new norms in education that has come out of the pandemic for many. It has been used most recently out of great necessity, yet I see so many benefits of introducing it right from the start.
How I Introduced My Virtual Classroom Last Year
I used Zoom™ as my platform of choice for my virtual classroom. When we needed to pivot to online learning this past year, I was eager to have my Grade 1 students get accustomed to using it. I was happy to find out that a few students were a bit familiar with it already because they got to “talk to Grandma” or “chat with cousins” with it at home. They never used it independently, however, and that’s why we needed to develop a system to help them learn how to use it…quickly.
After learning the ins and outs of the platform, I was ready to do some test runs in the physical classroom. One day during class time in November 2020, my class and I decided to try it out. I logged onto Zoom™ and connected my computer to the SmartBoard. Using two other computers in the classroom, I helped two students log onto Zoom™, too. The rest of the students had so much fun watching their classmates pop-up on the large screen. I think they were more excited to see them both on the screen and in-person at the same time! We then talked about how this platform is another way we can learn together this year, if needed. It was the first time I used the term virtual classroom with them. I was happy to see how excited they were, too. One student remarked, “Can we use our Virtual Classroom tomorrow?”
Read the previous Teacher Tip here!
After seeing how eager they were to talk about our new virtual classroom with their parents, I decided to have an online meeting with families and students the following week. The goal was for parents to help students practice connecting to the Virtual Classroom from home (in case we needed to use it…which of course, we did, two months later). Parents and students got to do a few “challenges” such as muting the microphone, joining and leaving the meeting, etc. They were so excited to learn about it and felt prepared to use it.
What Will I Do Differently This Year?
It’s now September 2021. As I prepare to start with a new group of students next week, I intend to teach my new class about our physical classroom space and also talk about the virtual classroom, too. I never thought of doing this on the first day of school a few years back, but since this is now part of my teaching, I think it’s important to share that with them, too.
I won’t be showing them how to use Zoom™ on the first day, but I will be introducing them to our Google Classroom™ on the screen. It is a blank canvas right now, but I want them to know that it will be filled with learning opportunities over the year.
I truly enjoy using digital platforms in the classroom. It’s gratifying to see my early primary students using them with confidence, too! In a future blog post, I will share some of the digital platforms and resources that have been most helpful to me in my teaching over the past year. Stay tuned!
Questions to Consider
- If you taught online last year, what virtual classroom did you use to teach?
- Have you used various platforms as virtual classrooms before? If so, which one did you prefer and why?
- What was the learning curve like for you and your students?
Stay Connected!
Let’s chat on social media! Stay connected with Minds to Grow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. You can also keep in touch with linktr.ee/mindstogrow.
