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Hi all!
We stopped teaching at my homeschool co-op, where I hold my Music Lingua class, a couple of weeks ago. All the teachers are using Zoom meetings to teach their classes virtually. Teaching Music Lingua this way works really well! I still see the kids and they see me. I can show the kids the animals and other props. I hung my snowman on the wall with tape instead of laying it on the ground.
One note: I mute the kids while I’m singing, since one mom said there is a delay and the other voices come in late, making the song confusing.
When we realized we were switching to virtual teaching, I prepped all my art supplies and made a bag of materials for each student. I mailed some and other moms picked them up outside my front door. A teacher for another class also set up a time for the parents to drive by and she handed each parent art supplies through their car window. This could be done in the parking lot of the place you usually meet at the time you normally meet.
Each week, I send my parents an email with a photo of the materials and home art supplies (glue, scissors, etc.) they will need for the craft. At the end of the Zoom meeting (after about 30 min), I show the kids my craft and invite them to do theirs with their parents and email me a photo of their completed craft if they want. We sing the closing song and I end the meeting. It works great!
I wanted to attach a picture of my latest craft photo for the parents, but I can’t see a way to add an attachment.
Feel free to contact me at rmusy@vt.edu if you have any questions or need tech help with Zoom. 🙂
Music Lingua teacher Jennifer Wiltse of Denver has created a super fun video for her last Spanish class for the Life at Home unit. I love how she brings us to all the rooms of the house to introduce the vocabulary, and outside to talk about the weather. It’s a very creative way to reinforce the vocabulary in each song, especially later in the unit when kids already know most of the songs. See her video here: https://vimeo.com/402408001/7dadb8c131
Hello Music Lingua teachers,
Cinthia Frame, our Spanish Music Lingua teacher in Colorado Springs, has graciously shared with us her solution for finishing out her winter session and teaching her spring classes online. She is filming all her classes, uploading them to Vimeo, sending a link to all her students saying the video will be available for 2 weeks, and giving each a packet with the ML take-home materials as well as the art project for each week. A link to her first video is here. This is actually the last class of her winter session (Forest Animals) so all her students already know the songs and the routine of her class, and she doesn’t have to do a lot of explanation.
Hello all!
Well, I have really approached online learning reluctantly, but here we are. I had 5 classes of the Home theme to go when we were all asked to start social distancing.
Eight classes with almost forty families! What to do? I quickly bundled up the remaining crafts and was able to distribute them via pick up and post.
Originally, I planned to do one live class via Zoom and record it for those who couldn’t attend. After tinkering with the technology over the weekend, I realized what a challenge this might become, so I hastily recorded the class for families to watch at their leisure, instructing them to gather props from their home (clothes, food, toy cars, etc).
If you would like to see what I put together, please click this link – https://vimeo.com/402043845/b0943262d7
I purchased lighting for $40 on amazon as well as an external microphone for my laptop for the recording. The feedback I have received is that the volume was still too low on some of their devices, so I will try to do the recording in a smaller room with better acoustics for next week’s lesson.
I did host the Zoom session and played a game (mystery bag with objects they already know) and tried to read a topical book. It was fun seeing their faces but it was too many and then the internet service for my entire neighborhood went out during the book reading time. What a bummer. The feedback I received was that the connection was choppy and there were too many faces. I had intended to record the session, but failed there as well. 🙁
I do intend to finish the session out with recorded classes but would like to continue the live online element via Zoom. Should I set up a sign-up genius for families to schedule one-on-one time with me via Zoom or should I hold a short session for each of the 8 classes during their regularly scheduled class time? I’m on the fence here.
I would appreicate your feedback on the above if you are reading this!
This is an uncertain time and we are all out there trying to figure things out as we go. I am so happy to have this forum to exchange ideas.
Thank you to everyone who has posted here. I look forward to more input from others!
Best,
Barbara MillsI loved all the videos above! It’s good to see what other Music Lingua teachers are doing! Barbara, I think the short session for each class during their regularly scheduled class time is a great idea! I am on a learning curve myself. I had just finished my second lesson for the spring session when we had to stop due to the stay-at-home order. At first I asked my families if they were willing to try online classes and only half were interested. So I was thinking of refunding everyone until I spoke to some of you and you encouraged me to give it a go. I couldn’t see how my students would be captivated by a weekly video with just me (I don’t have young children to join me like some of you do, which is such a brilliant idea) so I decided to do a live online class on Zoom with all my families. First I had to convince more people to stay on so I decided to video tape a lesson and send it out as a free additional class to all my students. So far the majority of my families have decided to stay the course, most are online with me and for those who cannot attend, I send them the recorded video of the lesson. I quickly realized that the families’ microphones need to be muted during the lesson. It gets very noisy and it’s difficult to hear with all the interruptions (to be expected with kids their age) but I make sure that they have some time at the end of class to join in and share with everyone whatever they feel like sharing. I have decided to try full immersion (almost all of my current students have been with me for more than one session). So far (3 lessons in) my families seem to fine with it. As for the art projects, I have chosen simple ones made out of paper and common art supplies. I email instructions and templates to parents ahead of time. Now I would like to share some of the benefits I see with live online classes in case you are considering it.
1. Kids get to see each other and when some of them are engaged and are following my lead, more of them follow suit. 2. I can applaud efforts made by a particular kid to follow along by saying their name or pointing at them and cheering them on. 3. I can slow down or repeat something if I see that a parent or child has a puzzled look on their face. 4. When we get to the end, I can say goodbye to each kid and say their name. And once um-muted they can reach out to me and say what is on their mind.
My videos are far from being professional looking but it does the trick for now. I thought I would share a video with you all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY177phy5LM
We are all venturing into new territory! It’s exciting but more work at the same time. I keep reminding myself that the kids and families we serve are worth it! I hope to hear from others too. Warmly, Veronica
Hallo Freunde!
My name is Christina Crane and I’m a new teacher out of Bozeman, Montana, though my son and I have been Gigi’s students for years now. I so appreciated seeing Cinthia’s Spanish video that I opted to teach via video myself, and thought I would share what I came up with. My video is not as smooth, but it was a great learning experience – especially for a first time teacher trying to navigate her first Music Lingua class and first online class, all at the same time.
I recorded the video one song at a time in cased I made mistakes and had to re-record. And I messed up plenty! I did many “takes” over three days to make this video. In fact, I was starting to question my process, but then I realized that I was gaining valuable practice and experience by trying to get it just right. Of course, I never got it just right, but I got close enough that I felt happy sending my video out into the world.
I have offered to try Zoom this week for our second to last class, but I will be reading through your experiences first. Not all the votes are in, but it seems that the video might actually be preferred. I know as a parent, being able to watch the video whenever it is most convenient is very helpful during these times, and I don’t even have an elementary or older child’s online schedule to navigate. My second video was the duration of a normal class, but as a video I felt that was a bit too long. I’ll be keeping a closer eye on the time for my third and fourth classes.
I look forward to learning more from all of you! Thanks for sharing your videos and tips.
All the best,
Christina
Christina – your video was REALLY good! Congratulations!
After 3 weeks of trying, I have discovered that the recorded videos should not exceed 30 minutes or so. By the time they do the craft, they have run out of steam. Plus, my kids are then doing a 15 minute Zoom class with me so I can reinforce vocabulary. During the last 2 Zoom classes, I have found a 2-3 minute video on YouTube that reinforces the vocabulary and then we talk about the video. They really enjoyed that. I emailed the link for the video along with a trancript in both languages for the parents to use as an additional tool.
I have also learned that I need to send a text message to the families right before our short Zoom session. We are all having a hard time keeping track of time or what day it is for that matter! Several have really struggled, so I added that to my to-do’s prior to each Zoom class.
The Zoom classes are an important piece. It keeps us connected and the parents tell me how much the kids look forward to the interaction with their friends and teacher – even if it is very brief.
In May, I will start another 10-week session using 30 minute, weekly recorded classes with 15-minute Zoom sessions. I have also learned that 8 kids are the maximum number for a Zoom session. This ensures that everyone gets a turn to talk.
I’m enjoying this thread! Everyone keep posting ideas and questions!
Best,
Barbara
PS – here is a clip of a couple of my cuties doing a recorded class with me in their home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=sdMyp8LvGaU&feature=emb_logo
Christina, I agree with Barbara, I really liked your video! I wanted to ask what is everyone planning for summer? Here we are in limbo as more and more businesses start to open. Are you continuing to offer pre-recorded online classes? Are you getting enough interest to make it work? Barbara, I see you are offering a session with pre-recorded classes and live Zoom follow up. Please share how you are recruiting participants. Are you all still planning to mail the supplies to your students for the art project? Is anyone offering summer camps? I would love to hear your plans for summer and fall. Veronica
Hello all,
I have been very busy since I last posted, so I apologize for the delay in this update.
My first fully online 10-week session (Ocean) starts next week. I have recorded 10 classes, each around 30 minutes. I was only able to do each song twice, but the families can rewatch the videos, so I am forgiving myself for that.
Each family received a CD, audio book and for each child, a workbook, toy and weekly crafts along with a bag to keep all of the materials in. I packaged everything up by week, so the first week included images on cardstock that they could cut out to use as props as well as the craft and the final week included the craft and certificates for each child.
Prices are $100 per family, plus $25 per child for materials. I let parents decide whether to purchase materials for the very young.
Each week, the families will receive an email reminding them to watch the video available on Vimeo and what materials they will need for the recorded class. Then, they join their assigned 15-20 minute Zoom class with the craft completed and perhaps something in the workbook to show me.
The Zoom classes will be an opportunity to reinforce vocabulary from each week’s class and praise them for their at-home work. I have limited how many kids/families are in each session so that they all have a chance to participate fully.
I have 9 full Zoom classes consisting of 30 families with 60 kids (including the babies). Most of the families who joined already knew me, several had moved away and were excited to play again with me virtually.
I was able to find 8 more families by doing free trial classes on Pearchute, Activity Hero and Outschool.
Through Pearchute and Activity Hero, I was able to capture many email addresses, even if the families did not show up for the trial class. I will use these addresses to market my regular classes to them through Mailchimp, which allows them to unsubscribe if they choose.
Outschool does not share email addresses and does not allow free classes, so I charged $5 for a 30 minute class – they kept 30%. They would not allow me to post my Summer classes either due to the fact that families are required to purchase additional materials for the class. Oh well. I explained this fact to those who were willing to do a 30 minute intro class and followed up with a message on how to find me outside of Outschool. I have 2 families who joined.
Pearchute had mixed results with many of free classes having no families or very few participate, with the exception of one class that had 22 kids join after they randomly sent text messages to the members to encourage them to attend. I have 3 families who joined for the Summer session. The free classes were free for me to do and if I had listed my 10-week session with them, they would have taken a 30% cut.
Activity Hero by far was the most successful, with almost every class filling to 15 kids, although attendance was often only a handful at a time and many parents simply turned on the device and then left the room. I learned quickly to only list one class at a time and wait until it filled before listing a new one. Many families would sign up for all of the classes, creating a long wait list. The free classes were free to do but they kept 15% + 3% transaction fee for each registration for the full 10-week session. 3 families registered through them.
Veronica asked about what to do if families want to join after the session has already begun. I plan to let them join late if they wish since everything is done at home. While they will miss the Zoom sessions that have already taken place, they can catch themselves up easily on their own. Normally, I would prorate for the missed classes, but in this case, I may not offer that since my margins are very thin. What do you think?
I could write more about what equipment I am using and tips for recording if anyone is interested. What is working for you?
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