This week I’m finishing up a session of the Planning Interactive Curriculum Connections online class. One of the participants, a high school media specialist, wrote an excellent plan for supporting VCs in her school. I wanted to highlight a few points:
Here at the high school, I can also be available to assist teachers during the actual connection. This includes assisting with the equipment, setting up the room appropriately, and making students aware of what to expect and how to speak and act during the VC. From my experience, most high school teachers feel fairly confident with the equipment after they are given instruction on how to use it. High schools students can also assist in running the equipment (muting microphone, changing camera presets, etc.). It is imperative to provide teachers with sufficient support during a VC program. If they feel overwhelmed by the technical aspects of a VC program and keeping their students engaged and on task, chances are they will not enjoy the experience and will not be interested in scheduling future VC programs. Therefore, communication is the key. Teachers should not be left alone until they feel comfortable with running the VC program by themselves. Once they express that they are comfortable, they can be left with contact information in case they face technical problems. – Alma Holtgren, Lakeshore High School, Stevensville, MI
Do you agree? Are you able to provide this type of support to your teachers? If not, how do you compensate? Please comment!
Agreed! One thing I would add is that I often have to push teachers to use the equipment independently. Sometimes I just train the kids instead of the teachers.