Community Update – May 2020

[Rob Clarke]

We hope you are staying above water and making the most of the opportunities for working differently, and developing connections with students, staff and community through virtual means. We also hope that you are making time to look after yourself at this busy time.

We know it’s full-on as the level changes continue to impact everyone, so to help ease the load, here are some useful links:

1. Student attendance survey – to find out which students are coming back when we go to level 2, take a copy of this Google Form template and adapt it to make it super easy.
2. Google Meet & Hangouts – a handy list of add-ons and extensions to enhance your meetings in various ways. For example: muting tabs, using emojis, taking attendance, whiteboards, and more.
3. Google Classroom – great add-ons and extensions to make teaching with Google Classroom even better. Check out the one called Classwork Zoom which helps gauge the engagement of students in assignments set!
4. Schedule Gmail – manage your own time, write your email now, send it later.
5. Posture Panda – maintain good posture when working from home.

You may have already noticed that we have updated the Online Community home page. We hope this makes it quicker for you to find the area you are interested in:

• Online courses
• QuickTips
• Q&A forums – includes a new distance teaching/working remotely forum for any specific questions.
• Resource library
• Template gallery
• Connect

We have also launched a new initiative QuickTips aimed at providing quick, easy to implement tips and tricks. Readily available for you inside the Online Community, these are initially focussed on learning from home but contain information that’s handy in any situation. As we return to normal life or our new normal, the focus will expand to wider applications.

The QuickTips are also available via email, so you can also sign up here if you want to get them delivered directly to your inbox.

We will continue to develop courses and resources over the coming months. If you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact us here. And in the meantime, stay safe as you move to the next level, both in terms of your real-life and your technology skills!!

Soon, I’ll be off for a much-needed haircut just like you… maybe. 😉

[Author]

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