Connect and Engage Your Students During Live Video Lessons

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As schools pivot between face-to-face, hybrid, and remote learning models, video conferencing software has become a core instructional tool for many teachers. Apps like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams have provided teachers with powerful ways to connect with their physically distanced students while also giving students a chance to connect with each other. Video conferencing software has allowed for new instructional strategies, and it has given teachers a pathway toward successfully managing the heavy workload often associated with distance and hybrid learning.

Connect in Any Model

For districts in a fully remote learning model, synchronous video lessons have become a go-to strategy for facilitating live learning. In fact, many schools have created consistent daily schedules that include daily live video meetings and lessons. This approach has allowed teachers to replicate some of the face-to-face classroom experiences that have been disrupted during remote learning.

For hybrid districts, video software has allowed remote students to connect with their face-to-face classmates during lessons. It has also helped teachers manage the workload of creating multiple lessons each day by allowing them to record the streamed lesson and post it later for students who could not attend synchronously.

Video conferencing software has found its way into more traditional face-to-face classrooms as well. Even when schools offer a fully in-person option, some families have opted for a fully remote option due to health concerns. This accommodation has added a significant workload for teachers who now must plan for both face-to-face and remote students each day. As with the hybrid scenario, video conferencing software has allowed teachers to create a unified classroom community while also offering some live instruction for remote learners.

Engage Your Students

It’s important for your students to see your face and hear your voice, but simply connecting with remote students through video conferencing software is not enough. Your students also need ample and repeated opportunities to actively engage with each other and in the lesson.

As video conferencing software continues to evolve, our options for engaging students have improved as well. While not all platforms offer the same features (and some are available only through premium versions), there are strategies that every remote learning teacher should consider for improving student engagement during live video lessons. Even when these functions are not built into the software, there are often third-party add-ons and workaround options that can be used instead.

In this collection, you’ll explore how to leverage various aspects of live video conferencing software to engage and empower your students.