Hello and Happy Monday Everyone! Here at Literacy Connexus, we hope that this blog finds you healthy, happy, and in good faith! Today, I wanted to share a resource for those of us who may feel a little like Zoom is a bad word – *insert panicked technology scream*.
For the majority of us, ESL is a primarily face-to-face ministry. We gather with our students at our churches or community centers and spread a little language empowerment. With the world turning upside down last year, many ESL organizations were forced online for the safety of their teachers, volunteers, and students. Some ESL ministries made an immediate switch to virtual classes, but some ESL ministries were left at a standstill because the jump from face-to-face to virtual can seem, well wide.. and far.. and scary. And even when our ministries can manage the technology, how do we get our students on board?
Fear not! We are going to bridge that gap with a few tutorials for Zoom today.
First up, I have a video for the teachers.
This is a short, ten minute video where Gemma Perry from Mooncake English, shows teachers how to use Zoom.
If you’d like longer, more in depth instructions you can check out this next resource: a post by TPR Teaching conveniently titled “Zoom Tutorials for Teachers and Students”.
This post is amazing! It reviews:
- Zoom Basics
- What is Zoom
- Disadvantages of Using Zoom
- Instructions for Using Zoom
- Zoom Functionality in the Online Classroom
- Zoom Directions for Students
- Zoom Alternatives
Now, TPR Teaching does have instructions for students on how to use Zoom, but because many of us teach low level ESL students I have found that those directions may be a little difficult for them to understand and follow.
So, what about our students? The Techie Teacher has us covered! The Techie Teacher shares Zoom tutorials specifically designed for students using either computers or iPads (which could also work for phones), and these tutorials come with pictures! Best of all, she shares a copy of them on Google Slides so they are completely editable. She also has translated versions available, at the bottom of the page, of the student Zoom instructions available in: Spanish, Polish, German, French, and Arabic which could help out quite a few students! To check out the student tutorials click here.
Just as a bonus, because I know by now the excitement of finally having instructions is setting in, here are some Tips and Tricks on teaching virtually from the Zoom Website.
I hope that some of these tutorials help bridge the gap between brick and mortar ESL and virtual ESL classes. As always, blessings and happy teaching!