Preparing Faculty for Virtual Teaching

Preparing Faculty for Virtual Teaching

Q&A with Carmen Lagalante, an EdTech Specialist and Computer Science Teacher

Meet Carmen Lagalante, a CodeHS Teacher Trainer, Educational Technology Specialist and computer science teacher at a private high school in southern California. Carmen had a full plate last Spring with the transition to virtual teaching as the EdTech specialist, tasked with the job to prepare the entire faculty (more than 80 members) to teach online.

Q: Tell us about your background and teaching experience.

A: I have been a teacher for 15 years, at a private Catholic High School in Southern California and have taught Computer Science for the last 10. I have also been the Educational Technology Specialist for the last five. I hold a masters in Educational Technology and I’m currently a doctoral candidate in the same field.

Q: How was your transition to virtual teaching last spring?

A: The transition to virtual teaching last Spring was brutal, as the EdTech specialist it fell on my shoulders to suddenly prepare 85 faculty members to teach online. I had to teach them how to record their classes, use virtual conferencing tools and still teach my two sections of Computer Science. CodeHS made the transitioning of my computer science classes extremely easy and without it I could not have completed my other duties. Since my sections have combined CodeHS courses I was already set up for blended teaching. The attendance, lesson progress, student activity tracking, and time spent tools allowed me to make sure the kids were on track.

Q: What was your school’s setup for virtual teaching last spring?

A: Last Spring we were asked to meet synchronously once a week and have a weekly lesson posted on our LMS every Sunday night. We were asked to host daily office hours for kids to drop into using the Schoology conferences tool. This fall we used Zoom Rooms and Zoom for Education to meet synchronously everyday with each class just as if we were in the classroom. We are now in a hyflex environment with some kids still on Zoom but the majority in the classroom.

Q: How did your students adapt to the virtual classroom?

A: Despite all the tracking tools, last spring I had a lot of students fall behind. It was a challenge to get students to log in everyday and do their work from home. This fall, because students have had to meet and turn on their webcams, everyone has stayed on track so far.

Q: What tips would you like to share with other teachers to lead a successful virtual classroom?

A: Last spring I used our schools updated LMS feature to record short videos for my students so that they could see me every day. Research shows that a teacher’s face and voice is essential to creating a sense of social presence in a class. Since CodeHS provides all the instruction materials needed to teach computer science, it can be tempting to stay behind the screen. However, your students need to see you! I highly recommend finding a way to greet your students in a way that they can see and hear you.

Q: Anything else you wish to share related to computer science education and virtual teaching/learning?

A: Computer Science education is probably one of the easiest classes to teach virtually if you have a good LMS and you can hold synchronous meetings often.