Facebook
MicrosoftMy district has decided to use Zoom to conduct distance learning with our students. At first we were going to use Google Meets, but it did not have all the features of Zoom, like breakout rooms.
If you have never used the breakout room feature on Zoom, it's a game changer. You can put your students into smaller groups and send them to a separate virtual breakout room to discuss topics or work on a Google Slide together. The Teacher (host) can enter each separate breakout room to check in on the student progress.
There are tons of YouTube videos out there to teach you to use this feature. Check them out!
I like the Annotate tool in Zoom for interactivity. If you share a document, the students can use Annotate to circle their preferences, input a "stamp" in a category they agree with, add a word or symbol, etc. This tip sheet from Zoom includes a list of engagement tools: https://zoom.us/docs/doc/Tips%20and%20Tricks%20for%20Teachers%20Educating%20on%20Zoom.pdf
I like that tool as well. I really like that I can use the Chat feature to do pair-share with the kids. I just create a document and pre-select partners. The kids are given this document ahead of time so when it is time to share with their partner, they do a private chat to just their individual partner. If you are going to try this, I highly recommend that you create strict Norms in your virtual classroom. Individual chat cannot be seen by the teacher.
If Chat is not what you are into, Zoom has a setting to turn it off or to "only chat with the host".
I like to play various games, but lately I have been attracted to gambling. Moreover, there is https://www.ninjacasino.com/fi/jackpot-pelit/megafortune the opportunity to hit a good jackpot, and this is very attractive.