Teachers face a future where online instruction plays an increasingly significant role in designing curriculums and lesson plans. Compassionate and creative, teachers are more than up for the challenge. They only need the right tools, skills and knowledge to help them better engage students online.
Fresno Pacific University recently created a free infographic that points teachers in the right direction. Called “Top Tips for Interacting and Engaging with Students Online,” the infographic provides suggestions on engaging students and being more involved in classes, from promoting good relationships to ways to encourage more student response.
Teachers can access the infographic by filling out the form below and downloading it for free.
Professional Development Courses on Student Engagement
Fresno Pacific University offers hundreds of high-quality professional development courses that teachers can take online from wherever they live. These courses allow them to expand their teaching skills and knowledge while earning the credits needed to maintain teaching licensure in their state.
Learning methods for engaging students online is a topic that threads through many courses, especially those that delve into innovative technology. One such course is Kahoot! In the Classroom, one of a series of courses teachers can take to earn Fresno Pacific University’s Student Engagement Certificate.
An important factor in online student engagement is the ability to make assignments fun. Kahoot! accomplishes that by offering teachers many ways to use the online platform. For example, teachers can create ice breaker games for the start of a class or create games that offer rewards based on what students have learned by the end of class. They also can create multiple-choice quizzes or surveys.
The idea behind everything in Kahoot! is to keep students engaged, encouraged and inspired. Teachers completing the Fresno Pacific course will know how to put Kahoot! to use in their classroom—they can even design games and activities for students to do while in the class.
Why Teachers Need to Better Engage Students Online
More schools have incorporated the internet in the classroom as a new generation of students arrives, students who have spent their entire lives with screens—computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. Even in traditional classrooms, teachers use online resources to engage students because of their comfort level with the online world and the many resources available.
It’s led to the further evolution of teaching strategies such as gamification, which services like Kahoot! incorporate into many activities they offer. “Industrial-age instructional techniques leave many information-age students in the dust,” according to Teach Thought. “Gamified instruction uses the mechanics, engines, and underpinning strategies games use to encourage play to encourage learning.”
Gamification encourages self-directed learning and can build social skills by requiring students to work together. Games also promote risk-taking and are, by their very nature, both democratic and meritocratic. When done correctly, it's also fun. Online sites offer gamification support in myriad subject areas and game types.
Gamification and the Kahoot! platform offer just two of the many ways teachers can engage students online. For all teachers, it’s no longer a question of “if” they will need to develop online education skills, but “when.” For many, that time is now. Fresno Pacific’s free infographic and many online courses can help teachers quickly ramp up the skills they need.