Making the Shift

Making the Shift

With many forms of education moving to a virtual teaching model, classroom Driver Education instructors are also shifting gears from traditional to virtual classrooms.   With a multitude of virtual platforms available, such as Google Class, Google Meets, Zoom, and Skype, it is important to research the different platforms and determine which one works best for you.

Regardless of the platform you choose, here are some general best practices to help you when using any virtual delivery method:

• Prepare as if you are delivering in your traditional classroom:
  
  
  
  • Dress appropriately
  
  
  • Have all your training materials ready to go:
    
    
    
    • Open needed PowerPoint files, videos, and web pages
    
    
    • Close files you will not be using – this decreases screen clutter and can help prevent computer lag
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Arrive at your virtual classroom early – this allows you to address any technical/logistical issues and provides time to greet your students
  
  
  • Test all your equipment
  
  
  
  


• Provide Code of Conduct guidelines for your students:
  
  
  
  • Appropriate attire
  
  
  • Using technology platforms properly and appropriately
  
  
  • Expectations about interactions between students
  
  
  
  


• Be mindful of your background:
  
  
  
  • Some add-on virtual backgrounds can cause distortion
  
  
  • Video backgrounds can be distracting
  
  
  • Be mindful of your camera view – ensure nothing is in your background that should not be seen
  
  
  
  


• Communicate:
  
  
  
  • Send course date and time reminder emails
  
  
  • Communicate expectations of the student and student progress to parents
  
  
  
  


• Engage your students:
  
  
  
  • Provide a student orientation on the virtual tool you are using
  
  
  • Enable the chat function for student questions and responses
  
  
  • Use breakout rooms (if available) for small group work and discussions
  
  
  • Engage specific students:
    
    
    
    • Ask students to answer a question by raising their virtual hand. Ask the first student to raise their hand to answer the question verbally
    
    
    • Select a student at random to answer a question verbally
    
    
    • If using a breakout room, have the breakout group select a speaker. The breakout group speaker presents the results of the group’s discussions when the group returns from the breakout session
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Utilize additional web-based services such as:
    
    
    
    • Kahoot Kahoot.com
    
    
    • Purposegames https://www.purposegames.com/
    
    
    • Polling tools
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Although we cannot cover all there is to know about virtual teaching and learning in a short article, these best practices help ease the shift to a virtual learning environment. To get more information on virtual delivery, visit the Association of National Stakeholders in Traffic Safety Education (ANSTSE) website at http://www.anstse.info/News.html.

Once on the ANSTSE website, you can view the ANSTSE Virtual Training Tutorials for Driver Education. The tutorials include information on:

• How the Zoom platform works


• Utilizing Breakout Rooms


• Using Google Classroom and Kahoot!


• Recorded live demos


• Foundational guidelines for virtual delivery