One Screen of Enthusiastic Learners

Funded Mar 29, 2021

Thanks to your wonderful donation 'One Screen of Enthusiastic Learners' went just a dream to a reality. Looking at the progress from the beginning the pandemic until today, we have made so much progress in terms of how we deliver learning to our students. At the beginning of remote learning, teachers were told to make do with what we had as there was no definite time period for this quarantine. Given the platform Zoom and a set of curriculum to deliver, I began focusing solely on how to deliver the content. Finding various resources allowed me to engage my students and make learning fun. However, with the increase in platforms being used, I required more screen space. With one laptop screen, I was given a choice, I can either engage with my students while actually seeing them or just give feedback on instruction based on the work they were submitting. It was nearly impossible to keep track of thirty students, while displaying a PowerPoint, and keeping track of live work on at least two different platforms.

Thanks to your donation, I was able to obtain a second screen. This screen has allowed me to capture so many smiles that I have missed during the past year. With this second screen, I am able to display thirty enthusiastic learners, their input on Zoom through the chat, my lesson, and their work all at once. While giving feedback to my students, I am able to see their reactions and adjust my next steps based on their facial expression. Whether it is gentle push of encouragement to get a smile on their faces or a further breakdown from the face of confusion, I am able to match the needs of my student from seeing both their facial expression and their work. In the past, I was only able to respond to questions in the Zoom chat when I can bring up the dialogue window, with the two screens, I am able to see the chat live while teaching a lesson. I am also able to see almost immediately when students are raising their hands to ask/answer question. This has allowed me to address questions and responses immediately and close gaps for students.

Once remote learning ends, I look forward to bringing this screen into the classroom for students to use. Prior to quarantine, a regular day in the class would look like students working on a packet for an hour and half. Classroom structure follows a strict I do-We do-You do structure. One thing I learned from this remote learning experience is that students engage most when they can interact with the activity. The various platforms also act as a support system for students who struggles academically or behaviorally in class. I hope to use this screen as one piece of technology to continue implementing the various learning platforms I have implemented during remote learning to promote student learning.

Once again, thank you so much for your wonderful donation. It has made a humongous difference in the way that I am able to interact with my students.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Tsang