I began this year looking for better options for open lines of communication outside of the classroom for my Geometry learners. Remind does not offer the features I need to go in the direction I hope to guide my students in. In brainstorming with my campus Instructional Technology Specialist, he suggested Microsoft Teams. All the students in our district have access to Microsoft 365 Suite. It has integrated features to allow a teacher to create and monitor a class group. There are also ways to make assignments, calendars with deadlines, and other options that I utilize in our district LMS of choice.

I was looking for a way to encourage interaction and collaboration between the learners and even myself. I want to foster opportunities for peer support when they find themselves struggling. We can share files, pictures, and links. I am also looking at encouraging video responses, as well as text responses. I am not looking to do any type of formal assessment in this medium. I merely want to open a means of dialogue that will expose the learners to other resources they have when struggling through their learning. I am cautiously optimistic and I look forward to building on these ideas of collaboration that can be meaningful and useful in the future for all of us.