” My first experience teaching as a long term music teacher was during COVID 19. I have compiled a good strategies to make it easier for teachers to teach and connect with students in the virtual classroom.” –Kelly Emery, Educator, Musician
Embrace Hotkeys
Using quick commands on the keyboard is an efficient way to run a Google Meet. Pressing Command + D to toggle the microphone on and off was a lifesaver. Command + E to toggle on and off video was also very helpful. When presenting content on Youtube there are also a number of helpful hotkeys such as K, for toggling play and stop, and F, for toggling full screen. Basic shortcuts for copying, pasting, refreshing and making new internet browser tabs can save you a lot of time.
Refresh Your Browser Page Often
In Google Meet, a number of times, I would be surprised when no one would answer back to “Hi Class, how’s it going?!” I realized that sometimes Google Meet needs to be refreshed for the l. After hitting command + R and rejoining the meet, the students’ microphones and video would all of a sudden work. Don’t get discouraged if no one answers you because a simple refresh to your browser page can fix your connection.
Two Computers
Using two computers can be a great way to present content and keep an eye on student engagement. I recommend using one computer to present content and navigate through lesson plan material. Use the second computer to monitor students in the meet and respond to comments in Google Meet’s chat box.
Keep Students Engaged
From the start when students come into music class, I like to have a music video presenting. It really sets the mood class and gets students thinking about music. While silence can be a good thing, I noticed some students actually tried to sabotage the class by telling everyone to turn off of their microphones and videos. When you present to them from the beginning you can engage them with classroom talk when you are ready, no funny business.
Online Resources
Here are a number of links to online tools I have used while teaching that I think are useful and easy to learn.
Drum Beat Machines: https://drumbit.app/ , https://apps.musedlab.org/groovepizza/?
For Assessment: https://kahoot.com/schools-u/
For Listening to Music: https://www.youtube.com/, https://www.wwoz.org/listen/player/
For Recordings: https://admin.flipgrid.com/
Other Favorites: https://www.google.com/slides/about/, https://www.smore.com/67npb
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