This virtual conference will give teachers and teacher candidates the opportunity to explore remote teaching in a time of crisis. Since the events of COVID-19 schools have been forced to switch to remote teaching. This conference is designed to help teachers prepare for this ongoing reality of remote teaching by exploring student supports, lesson selection, teaching tools, assessment practices and feedback approaches.
The sessions have been designed to provide instructional supports and direction for teachers so they can help students in this uncertain time where flexibility is required. We leverage online resources and skills that Webster University has developed to offer this kind of support to teachers. Following registration, we will ask conference participants to submit their own questions and comments which will serve to inform the live sessions. Conference sessions are listed as Addons. Please register for each session within these Addons. We look forward to your participation.
Event Flyer
Event Program
Session Descriptions
Welcome!
9:00 – 9:15 In this general session we open the program with a keynote. This kickoff is meant to engage all participants.
Session 1: 9:30 - 10:15
UDL in Virtual Lessons - Universal Design for Learning principles and resources for UDL will be shared. Translating UDL principles into virtual learning experiences will be discussed including challenges and benefits.
Virtual Home Visits - Virtual home visits and other tools to foster family engagement and connection to school will be discussed.
FlipGrid Participation - The Flip Grid app will be shared with a discussion around how this app can be used in a variety of learning experiences to engage students in reflection, critique, and collaboration with one another.
Canvas Overview - An overview of the Canvas learning management system will be presented with discussion around the central features of the system.
Session 2: 10:30 - 11:15
Teaching “Difficult” Content - A panel discussion on “hard to teach” content (e.g., science labs, drama, design challenges, music, art, etc.) will focus on challenges and solutions in a virtual environment.
Managing Remote Teams - Challenges and lessons learned around managing collaborative, professional teams to foster student learning and personal productivity will be shared.
Microsoft Teams - The use of Teams to encourage active student engagement via small group collaborations will be presented. Additional discussion about how Teams can be utilized to foster student collaborations will be facilitated.
Canvas Discussions and Groups - The discussions and groups functions of the Canvas learning management system will be presented with discussion focusing on how these functions can be best utilized to foster student engagement and collaboration.
Session 3: 11:30 - 12:15
Design to Engage - How long should a lesson be? How should a lesson be structured to foster high levels of student engagement? What should my role as the teacher be in facilitating student engagement? How do I best structure a lesson to encourage student collaboration? These questions and more will be discussed and promising strategies shared.
Paraprofessionals Online - The role of paraprofessionals in the “new normal” will be discussed with challenges and potential solutions being shared.
Essential Apps - Apps (IXL, Khan Academy, Epix, etc.) addressing specific content areas will be shared with discussion around how these apps can be used to supplement and enhance student learning.
Canvas Rubrics and Outcomes - The rubric builder and outcomes functions of the Canvas learning management system will be presented along with best practices for utilizing these tools to effectively and efficiently measure student learning.