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Web-Based Learning

In high school, I was fortunate enough to take a touch typing class, and as soon as laptops became available, I quickly realized it was much easier for me to complete my notes and assignments using technology. Since then, I have always been a leader in the use of technology in my schools. I am very fortunate that my school provides laptops to each of the students which allowed me to fully embrace and pioneer an integrated web-based teaching platform at my school. By innovating my teaching and adapting to a more modern teaching strategy, my students not only benefit from my differentiated and accessible lessons, but they improve their technology skills and become better prepared for the professional world of Microsoft 365. My current school also uses Google Suite, which I am also very comfortable using, even though I prefer the Microsoft 365 tools.

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In 2017 I decided to fully embrace Office 365 for Education (now named Microsoft 365). Below are some benefits:

  • Microsoft Software is internationally recognized and widely used by individuals and corporations.

  • Microsoft 365 provides excellent organization of all my work on one platform linked to my OneDrive and Outlook. 

  • Student data (SIMS) and Office 365 was already linked at my school

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Using Class OneNote

Why I Love Class OneNote:

  • Class OneNote creates a personal / separate notebook for each student. This provides for seamless creation of classes in Teams or Class OneNote, and full integration of student OneDrive and SharePoint.

  • Using Class OneNote I can distribute all lessons, activities, resources directly and immediately 

  • I can "Review Student Work" to monitor completion and provide feedback on student work whenever I want, where every I want, without collecting notebooks. 

  • I can embed interactive links and media into my lessons. 

  • I can create differentiated lessons which are easily accessed by students. 

  • I can embed Microsoft Forms directly into the lesson. 

    • Used as starters for lesson recall and diagnostic quizzing 

    • Used for in class quizzes 

    • Used for plenaries  

  • OneNote can be used easily with a 'SmartBoard' - including drawing tools

  • Paperless lessons reduce environmental impact and costs less 

Using Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a fantastic tool for communication and collaboration. Our school has restricted students from using Teams, but I find it extremely valuable to use with my department and colleagues.

I use teams for the following:

  • Sharing documents

  • Creating, updating, tracking and maintaining shared markbooks (excel)

  • Remote Department meetings

  • Communication with staff about courses and projects

  • Professional Development and Training

  • Online chat, voice and video calling

  • Screen sharing and remote control for training and support

  • Sharing OneNote resources

Other Online Tools

Outside of the Microsoft 365 suite, I use a variety of additional web tools to help with web-based learning .

Below is a list of other web-based tools I use:

  • Google Suite - At CIS the majority of the staff use Google Suite. I am confident in using these apps, including Google Classroom.

  • Kognity.com  - Our school purchased this online resource for student access to textbooks and revision activities. It has been an excellent resource for my teaching and student learning.

  • IB InThinking - Excellent tool for teacher resources and student access to past-paper questions.

  • ManageBac - As a site-based coordinator (SBC) for Pamoja online courses, I have become very familiar with this website and the tools it provides for tracking and monitoring student progress.

  • Everest - St. Ignatius School has a platform/portal for communication between the school and home. I used this platform for setting homework, communication with students and adding important dates to class calendars.

  • ZOOM - St. Ignatius School chose ZOOM as the method of voice and video conferencing with staff and students during web-based teaching. ZOOM is a good tool, but I prefer the use of Microsoft Teams.

  • YouTube - I regularly embed educational youtube.com videos into my OneNote lessons. During online learning, I have been creating my own videos to support my lessons.

  • PHET Simulators - These online simulators are excellent for replacing demonstrations and practical activities that are typically done in a science lesson.

  • Tassomai.com - All of the Year 10-11 students use this website to practice past-paper questions in preparation for standardized end of year examinations.

  • SenecaLearning.com - This free website is provides a good supplement to lessons and a chance to extend students learning. I am currently using it to set assignments for my IGCSE science classes.

  • GoFormative.com - Recently our school has been trialing this website for assessments. Personally all my classes have had issues with the website being overloaded. I think i will create my online tests with Microsoft Forms embedded in my Class OneNote notebooks.

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