Practical Access Podcast

S:1 E:3: Practical Access Keeping students connected to each other in an online world

March 23, 2020 Photo by Julie Molliver on Unsplash Season 1 Episode 3
Practical Access Podcast
S:1 E:3: Practical Access Keeping students connected to each other in an online world
Show Notes Transcript

This session UCF Professors Drs. Lisa Dieker and Rebecca Hines provide practical ways to consider keeping students with a range of disabilities and really all students connected.  The episode includes quick and easy ways to connect students to each other in this new online world. 

spk_0:   0:04
welcome to practical access. I'm Lisa

spk_1:   0:06
Dieker and I'm Rebecca Hines. So we're gonna be talking about how to keep kids connected with one another during these times of remote instructions.

spk_0:   0:17
Yeah, you know, it's interesting. Becky, I got this question from someone who said, You know, not only do you have to keep kids connected, but what about those kids who don't really have great friendships? Maybe are missing some of that social emotional learning in the regular environment. What does that look like on the online environment? Do they get left out at the indicator? Doesn't get twittered or text. Maybe they don't have a device. Maybe their families aren't comfortable with that. Got some thoughts. I that was I thought was a great question. I was given

spk_1:   0:43
Well, I think first and foremost I think people I think kids in particular gonna feel comforted with familiar names. And I think that whenever we go through a crisis, it makes us feel more like a community. And I think even in that classroom community, so I'm probably not gonna be hyper focused on trying to forge new relationships, But I would expect the kids We'll reach out to each other much in the way adults have. I think in a crisis like this one, so I would say first I would use comfortable tools. So for kids, there is the Facebook Messenger kids app. And so I would look for something like this that parents are already comfortable with. They know how to use something like Facebook and Facebook products, most likely. So if if I used it a nap like a Facebook messenger,

spk_0:   1:35
yeah, for kids in my class to stay connected, I think

spk_1:   1:38
it makes it a little. It lowers the learning curve when it is that one more thing that most of us are having to learn. You don't you don't need a Facebook account to use it, and there's no ads. It's a pretty safe at.

spk_0:   1:49
Yeah, and I think one of those things that you I always struggle with is you know what if my my kids, the kid who's not invited to the birthday party, you know, I had a great son with Tourette's and sometimes he'd be the kid that got left out, So you know, he's like you didn't get the Twitter and so I think, also setting up some purposeful. Both parents and teachers of this group is going to do so again, not overthinking it. But do you make sure those kids were included? That might not be the first choice of Peer in a natural setting, and yet also thinking about what is that kid capable of again? I'll go back to my own personal story. My son's Twitter. He'd tell you it would add 400 spelling errors. So again, Well, kids make fun of him. If he twitters, can he use the voice to text as even have the capability to do that? And if not, how do we as teachers bridge that? I think maybe we do something simple is maybe just letting kids have lunch together. And so you know what? From 11 -11:30 I'll keep the zoom on and you'll just go grab your lunch and just have conversations, have some outdoor recess together, having some fun together. I think we got to make sure that it's natural and organic, and we don't try to force it, which is what I think you said so

spk_1:   2:52
well, yeah, I think that I think there's gonna be a lot of screen time. Obviously, kids, that's formal. And I think that's a good idea. Look at those parts of the school day that normally are informal and build that in another layer that I was looking at and considering again in keeping with what kids are already familiar with to a degree as a teacher, I would look for some multi player game APs so that kids in my class could compete, if you will, against each other in much the same way. You know, several years ago we were all all doing the Tribune crack, Yeah, after things like this. But I knew trivial

spk_0:   3:30
pursuit for our you know what that is.

spk_1:   3:35
But, you know, there's all kinds of multi player content APs. But I think that would keep it in a little short bursts of instruction, or at least practice for kids, but also, in a way, that they felt like they were playing against other other kids.

spk_0:   3:50
Yeah, and you know, you could do a quiz, let live a ca who two quizzes and do it against another classroom. Even so again, don't just assume it has to be just the kids in your class. It could be the kids in your neighborhood. You know, I think the new trend I've been seeing is someone has a bullhorn and everybody goes outside their house and does their exercises together. You know, again, I think that's what we've been talking about is, you know, maybe something very simple to make it so the kids are connected, and again, maybe you start with a little bit of go noodle where kids get a little chance to work out together and laugh together so that there's this kind of deep breathing or fun. I love Maximo on Go Noodle because he's just fun. So again, keeping it easy, keeping it simple. But used tools they're kids already know instead of trying to teach them new tools to give him socially connected, don't you think

spk_1:   4:35
that that's what I think is gonna be most important? There's already going to be so much overload. Let's try to put familiar tools in their hands, just maybe using a little differently