Notes on getting going in my remote classes

We're never going back to where we were. We know that know. Many components of what we have been doing as online and remote teachers will remain with us, offering new ways for us to challenge and work with students. 

I've kept some notes about how I get things going in my remote classes, which for me means synchronous, Zoom-based courses. (Comment: I normally teach small-sized online writing/literacy courses, so everything here may not scale.)

Paper. I like computers. They are wonderful. They make me happy. However, paper and pencils remain great technologies. I always have brought hard-copy notes with me into my onsite courses (I have "packets" of notes going back to the 1990s), and I have maintained that practice in remote teaching. Interestingly, it often feels easier to refer to and use those notes when I'm on Zoom, where any paper shuffling is off screen.

Cameras on!? I still don't have a consistent "policy" or approach. Some days I think, "They all need to have their cameras on!" Other days, I agree strongly with those who have commented how intrusive and uncomfortable that can be for students. So I have let it go: They can choose whether they want a camera on. This term, I usually have about a quarter or a third of students with cameras on.

Jotting down names as students enter class. As students appear in the class, I jot down their names in the margin of those hard copy notes. It gives me a reliable attendance list. I also greet each student each day, and I knew everyone's name, pronunciation, and spelling from the go. This list of names also gives me an easy way to keep track of...

...Participation. In a strategy that will also work well for onsite teaching, I use that list to easily record participation. I've always had a participation component, even if it's just extra credit, and now I can write down a check or a + next to a student's name. I do hear those who suggest not grading participation (such as James Lang in a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article), but for me participation can take many forms, including a chat comment or working together in breakout rooms (which I always virtually "stroll" through to see if they have questions).

Quizzes. I almost always start class with an easy reading quiz. All they have to do is read. (I wrote about this here a long time ago.) They take these timed quizzes for the first eight to ten minutes of class. In Blackboard, completed quizzes appear in the Grade Center under Needs Grading. While students are finishing, I start grading a few of them, which is not only a time saver, but it helps me make sure I haven't asked a bad question. The quiz opens two minutes before class starts so early risers can get at it. When everyone is finished, which I can see in Blackboard, we immediately review the answers; my hope is students have done well and feel good starting the class.

I have not required students to have cameras on during these quizzes; however, you can’t take the quiz if you’re not "in" class! I do think well of my students, and I assume they are not going to cheat. However, I can mix up questions at times through the use of Blackboard Questions Sets, which allows teachers to create random quiz questions. Again, the point of the quizzes is that they are fast-paced and easy--read and you're in great shape!--so I hope that discourages cheating.

Moderators, I've recently discussed using chat moderators. This is a good practice, even if the chat is often quiet.

ClassNotes file. I have a ClassNotes Word file to cut-and-paste text into the chat. It makes the flow in class smoother for breakout group instructions: I have the instructions readily available to clip into the chat.

Questions? After the quiz review, I always take a moment to ask if there are any questions. I'm patient, and I allow my "Any questions about what's going on?" question to linger for a minute or so before we get into class.

These are a few strategies that have helped me get my remote courses started. Some are carry-overs from onsite teaching. Others will help me with onsite teaching. And, of course, some just help me become a better teacher overall--which is the spirit of online writing and literacy instruction.

GSOLE crisis support for remote writing instruction

Many of you have experienced the recent upheaval of having to convert/migrate your courses into remote formats.

A few weeks ago the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators (GSOLE) began building resources and support for teachers and schools faced with sudden CoVID-19-related campus closures. Little did we know that that would soon mean almost everyone.

GSOLE now has available a robust set of materials to help:

• The Just In Time Hub is a gateway to our various resources, including those below as well as excellent written materials to help you think through course conversion/migration. This material has continued to be updated: www.glosole.org/justintime.html
• Just Ask GSOLE provides a direct link to discussion forums moderated by GSOLE online writing/literacy instruction experts who can answer your specific questions: www.glosole.org/justaskgsole.html
• Walk-In Webinars is a direct link to live Zoom sessions hosted by GSOLE members. Every week, the schedule of facilitators is listed there along with specific topics: www.glosole.org/walkinwebinars.html

Specific questions can be directed to JustAskGSOLE@glosole.org. You can also follow GSOLE on Twitter @gsoleducators for updates on GSOLE's efforts and visit our general website at www.glosole.org for other material and information.

We have been chugging away for about three weeks with this project, and it is important that I share with you the names of the people behind this effort. Following are the primary contributors, including their role in GSOLE and institutional affiliations:

• Amanda Bemer, Webmaster, Southwest Minnesota State University, is facilitating our interfaces and communications.
• Collin Bjork, Member, Massey University-New Zealand, is facilitating Walk-in Webinars.
• Amy Cicchino, Executive Board At-Large Member and Affiliates Chair, Auburn, is coordinating and curating many of the Just-in-Time resources.
• Jenae Druckman Cohn, Webinar Co-Chair, Stanford, talked with me about the initial ideas for our response and is helping coordinate the Walk-in Webinars.
• Jennifer Cunningham, Member, Kent State, is facilitating Walk-in Webinars.
• Kevin DePew, Certification Committee Co-Chair, Old Dominion, is facilitating Walk-in Webinars.
• Miranda Egger, Executive Board At-Large Member, University of Colorado Denver, is coordinating and moderating the JustAskGSOLE email and message board questions.
• Tess Evans, Secretary, Miami University of Ohio, has contributed to the Just-in-Time resources.
• Brendan Hawkins, Florida State University, has contributed to the Just-in-Time resources.
• Lyra Hilliard, Member, University of Maryland, is facilitating Walk-in Webinars.
• Cat Mahaffey, Treasurer, University of North Carolina Charlotte, is facilitating Walk-in Webinars.
• Kim Fahle Peck, Communications and Membership Chair, York College of Pennsylvania, is coordinating the social media communications for this effort.
• Dan Seward, Vice President, Ohio State, developed the Just-in-Time web presence and interface and is the point person for maintaining it.
• Jason Snart, Online Literacies Open Resource Editor, College of DuPage, is facilitating Walk-in Webinars and has helped with our communications.
• Mary Stewart, Webinar Co-Chair, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, has created the schedule and plans for the Walk-in Webinars is facilitating Webinars
• Natalie Stillman-Webb, Member, University of Utah, is facilitating Walk-in Webinars.
• Jessi Ulmer, Executive Board At-Large Member, Texas Tech University, has contributed to the Just-in-Time resources.

I’m really glad that the resources and support that this group has provided have been useful to members of our professional communities, and we're going to build on these materials as we  continue what for all of us are untrodden educational paths.

GSOLE's annual online conference this week!

This Friday, January 31, the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators (GSOLE) will be hosting our third annual fully online conference, "Visions and Sites of Online Literacy Education."

This event brings together a range of professionals interested in online literacy education (OLI). The conference portal is ready to go, which includes the conference program, the Virtual Poster Hall, and a short welcome video message by the GSOLE president, yours truly. These links will provide you with plenty of helpful information about how to participate in the conference and get the most out of the experience.

There's still time to register, and you can purchase an individual or institutional registration here. Individual registrations include a year membership to GSOLE, and $150 institutional registrations include:

• One-year GSOLE membership for the institutional point person (the individual making the purchase through the Cart feature).
• Local meeting-room access (single room) for onsite colleagues through the point person's login (allows participation in one session at a time).
• Free remote conference access for all other GSOLE members at the institution (a list of member usernames must be provided).
• Five individual remote conference logins for non-GSOLE members at the institution (names and contact information must be provided prior to the conference date to allow login setup.)

We're especially grateful to PowerNotes for sponsoring this year's conference, and I hope attendees take a moment to check them out.

The conference has several new-and-improved elements that I describe in the welcome message, and we're looking forward to connecting this Friday.

Publishing in OLOR: Sharing strategies for teaching writing and reading online

On July 1st I became President of the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators (GSOLE), succeeding my good friend Beth Hewett. GSOLE is a hard-working group of scholars and practitioners, and since our launch in spring 2016 we have accomplished a lot to support teaching and research in online literacy instruction.

Many people who would or do teach writing and reading online are looking for practical strategies to help them. GSOLE has a tremendous resource for this purpose: OLOR: Online Literacies Open Resource. This online, peer-reviewed journal, created and edited by another good friend, Jason Snart, is a place that online teachers share their practices and strategies. From the site: "The goal of the OLOR is to publish relatively brief and practical pedagogical strategies. Busy online literacy teachers can read an OLOR publication and, within a few days, try out a strategy out for themselves."

OLOR submissions are designed to be a from-reading-to-course type experience, and not only is the content created with this goal in mind, but so is the way that content is presented: Short, user-friendly, multi-media articles.

The published pieces are organized around the Effective Practices for Online Writing Instruction from the NCTE/CCCC 2013 Position Statement of Principles and Example Effective Practices for Online Writing Instruction.

We are encouraging online literacy teachers to submit materials to OLOR. Already published have been pieces on asynchronous conversations and community, screencast feedback, and using blogs in an OWC. 

Check out OLOR, and consider publishing. In addition to sharing your practices, it can help you join a community of like-minded educators who care about helping students learn more effectively online.