March 31, 2020

Focus: Resources

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you all are well and feeling more comfortable with distance teaching every day. You've heard it a million times already, but as this article from the Chronicle so wonderfully states:

"Understand that this is a marathon. If you sprint at the beginning, you will vomit on your shoes by the end of the month."

Let's keep our shoes clean - breathe, and remember not to let perfect be the enemy of good.

This first Monday Musings of the term will serve as a guide to the resources available as we move forward with distance learning. The Distance Learning resource page (also linked through the Kravis Center webpage) will serve as the central location for curated resources regarding distance learning. The Kravis Center will host drop-in sessions a couple of times a week in order to address your questions relating to pedagogy, technology, and distance learning - you will find the calendar to these sessions on the Distance Learning page and the Kravis Center webpage. We will offer sessions on technology, so if you have a particular "expertise" in academic technology and would like to be part of the Academic Technology Team, please email Sara directly. On this resource page you will find articles on distance learning pedagogy and best practices as well as Finalsite and Zoom how-to videos.

Because this is a marathon and not a sprint, there are still many unanswered questions - questions that may remain unanswered for now until we have more fully experienced synchronous and asynchronous learning. Questions, Answers, and Successes is a forum where you can ask questions and find answers and resources to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on pedagogy and technology. Questions such as:

How will I assess?
How will I check for understanding and offer feedback both synchronously and asynchronously? What do I need to know about rubric design and narrative feedback?
Should I use technology other than Zoom and our class portal page (also known as Learning Management System or LMS) on Finalsite. If so, when and how will I learn?

Some quick notes:

You have probably noticed that recorded classes are taking a while to upload to Finalsite. Please watch Cloud curation to Zoom (Video 11) on how to upload your recorded classes to the Cloud instead of Finalsite.
Please communicate with students who are absent. Many are feeling anxious and need reassurance and some may have accessibility issues.
The Kravis Center's first drop-in session will be held from 2:15-3:00 on Thursday, April 2. This will be a question and answer session. We will also talk about what your needs are for future sessions. (https://zoom.us/j/4512570408)
The Kravis Center is in the process of creating a streamlined feedback survey for students. Please refrain from giving each of your classes a feedback survey at this point so that we may avoid survey fatigue.

Reminder: If you have a particular "expertise" in academic technology and would like to be part of the Academic Technology Team, please email Sara directly.

I am amazed at all of the adjustments that we have made in such a short period of time both in our personal and professional lives. Please give yourself a pat on the back (or a nice piece of your favorite chocolate) for all of the learning, growing, and adjusting you've done in the past week. This will get easier!

Hope to see many of you on Thursday at 2:15 for Q & A with the Kravis Center (https://zoom.us/j/4512570408)

Sara, on behalf of the Kravis Center

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PD Opportunities and resources

Many of us have read James Lang's Small Teaching. I look forward to reading his latest: Small Teaching Online.

Summer online PD opportunity for all teachers: Athena: Resource Sharing, Collaboration, and Professional Development. If you are interested, Eric LaForest and Laura Rochette have participated in the past.

Resources on distance learning from NAIS

SAMR model: Practical Guide for Edtech integration.

Reminder! The link to the external PD opportunities is always available. Once in the document, click on the bookmark to find conferences that may interest you. Let Sara know if you would like to add a omment or provide feedback next to a conference that you attended. Please excuse the "expired" dates. Most conferences do not update dates until January.

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Valuable Resources for distance teaching

Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching is an invaluable resource which includes a plethora of topics ranging from grading student work, to teaching statement to student evaluations of teaching, to writing good multiple choice questions. Check it out!

Deans for Impact and the pdf of The Science of Learning - a must read on teh neuroscience of learning.

Academic Tenacity by Dweck, Walter, and Cohen The New Faculty Cohort (NFC) read excerpts for orientation. A must read on creating a sense of belonging and increasing classroom motivation.

Leadership and Design's monthly newsletter is a great window into current conversations in independent schools