I think that I was able to support engagement and had good student outcomes with this activity because I took the time to walk the students through the use of the technology step-by-step. Using technology for distance learning is new to teachers and students. We all need time and explicit support to get comfortable teaching and learning in this new way. It’s important to take a video that screen captures each step from the student point of view. In doing this I was able to provide students with step-by-step support, literally showing them what they would see and need to do with the technology as they published their stories at home.

I decided to use strategies that would be familiar to students as much as possible in order to simplify and help my students feel comfortable. If students have a familiar method of logging in to websites and apps, for example, or have experience using QR codes or an email address, the familiar method should be used. Using options like the voiceover feature where students could dictate their stories seemed to help students who struggle with reading and writing skills complete the assignment successfully and feel more comfortable sharing their work. Many students used the voiceover feature and it really added to our connection and sense of community.

The number of students who chose to type out their text rather than taking a photo of their previously hand written stories. Some students didn’t write as much as I expected them to given the assignment and as a result were unable to have a finished story for publishing. Some students had no reviews on their published stories and so teachers needed to write reviews to fill in the gaps.

Having some sort of exit ticket at multiple points as we progress through the activity. I found it’s harder for me to know what’s going on with each student when we are working at a distance. Using an exit ticket might help facilitate communication between me and my students, and might help students to better reflect and self-monitor their progress as well as what support they need to advance their work. I will also try sending an overview of the entire unit to students and families at the launch of the publishing/writing unit. This way families will know the expectations for the assignment before we begin. Overall, the system for peer-reviewing two stories worked well and was familiar to students. Next time I might try a more structured system that ensures each student has at least one review from a peer.

I found that it is extra important to communicate regularly with specialists so that students who need more one-on-one support with completing their work will get it in a timely way. It’s also important to share lessons the night before so that families can feel better connected and prepare. Explicitly teaching and modeling the entire process (from logging in to viewing a published book) in bite size pieces and from a student perspective allowed for a high level of student independence and fluency in using the technology. Students were able to navigate the technology easily and create really beautiful and personalized books. Using the voiceover feature and hearing each students’ voice in their work created a sense of community even from afar and gave students with reading and writing challenges the chance to fully participate in the activity with little or no support. I noted that when doing a similar activity face-to-face, some students would have required more one-on-one assistance to read a peer’s story and/or leave a review. This approach seemed to provide for more independence for more of my students.