When stepping into a classroom most students and teachers inherently know the classroom protocol. Having been exposed to it repeatedly. When part or all of the classroom is in a digital context the protocol needs to be adjusted. 

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It is still important to have a daily schedule, so students have a idea of what their time will look like.  It is important to have patterns of doing things. A structure helps students know what to expect. Within that structure it is important to have variety. You should not do the same activities every single day. 

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It is also important to have learning goals. The computer portion of the program aligns with the teacher lead portion. Select a goal or two to work on for the week, display the goal(s) and refer to them. 

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Prior to turning students lose online preview the content they are going to be working on. Prepare them for what they might see, and let them know the content they are working is something you are using to monitor their progress.

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Instead of telling students to, "Work on their computers," give them task completion goal. Time goals can be effective as long as students aren't sitting idly for that amount of time. When students are asked to learn in an online environment we have to teach them discipline and time management skills, and clear expectations and communication and feedback about meeting or failing to meet those expectations is essential. 

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On there are portions of the program that require your grading. Stay caught up. Students begin to skip over those writing nonsense answers or not recording their fluency if they don't think you are checking them. Many experts say there should be a 2 day turn around for feedback on work submitted digitally.

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Updated: July 11, 2019

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