5

ONLINE
ENGAGEMENT
STRATEGIES AND
TOOLS FOR
DISTANCE LEARNING

By Janie Dale June 7, 2023

Traditional Classrooms vs. Online Environments

Teachers monitor engagement Parents monitor engagement (The
Teachers ask for feedback & questions Albert Team, 2022)
Motivation from teachers and peers Flexible learning
(McNulty, 2021). Students must be self-motivated
Synchronous and asynchronous learning (McNulty, 2021)
Mostly asynchronous learning but
best when synchronous too

Strengthen Relationships
1 K-12

2 Engage
Families
with Learners K-3 & 4-8 (Kipp & Rice, 2020)
Why? Increased engagement occurs when Why?
Students who have a responsible adult caring
learners feel connected
for them have better executive functioning
How? skills and stay engaged and motivated (Kipp &
Be visible through discussion posts, Rice, 2020).
announcements, and feedback, Connected parents are able to better help
Post regular announcements, struggling students
Reply quickly, & communicate in a variety of How?
ways (Kipp & Rice, 2020). Go out of the way to get information to
Recommendation: Along parents
App that connects students by teachers video Text, email, phone, or write short hand-written
recording messages to individuals or the whole notes, to keep parents informed.
class. Students can reply by video, audio, or text.
Survey parents to make sure they feel
Pros:
connected
Helps struggling students easily express
Recommendation: Class Dojo (K-5) or Remind (6-12)
themselves.
These apps send parents information about class
Provides enhanced learning for students who
finish early by tailoring questions to the topic events, due dates, hyperlinks, etc.
being taught. Pros: Quickly notifies parents &
Shy students can use this ed-tech tool. translates for ELL families.
Con: Does not work well for shy teachers. Cons: Not all parents are tech-saavy

3 4
Help K-12
Learners
Create Interactive
Connect
K-12 Lessons
with Peers Why? Interaction with class content engages
Why? According to research when students feel students which = better learning.
connected to their peers they are more engaged How? Create lessons that require the user to react to
(Kipp & Rice, 2020). the content being learned.
How? Create an online community for the classroom Recommendations: NearPod
by getting students to connect. An app that requires student participation as the
Recommendations: Flipgrid lesson is taught.
An app that helps create an online community for Pros:
classrooms through video. Allows teachers to create interactive lessons
Pros: through the usage of new or previously
Helps those who struggle with writing created Slides or Powerpoint presentations
Encourages easy communication of thoughts Incorporates interactive components like
without the frustration of the mechanics of writing virtual field trips, polls, drawing and
so peers can connect and feel a part of a collaborative boards, videos, etc.
community Self-paced so allows students to complete
Allows simple creation of a selfie video to respond the assignment as quickly or slowly as
to the class discussion question needed.
Videos can be seen by the entire class Synchronous learning capability too
Cons:
Allows early completers enhancement of lesson
Synching to an LMS like Canvas creates a few
by teacher's deliberate usage of topics being
hiccups at first as students learn to navigate it
studied by the class.
Cons:

5
Camera-shy students may not be fond of this app
K-12 Set Clear Expectations
Why? Similar to an in-person classroom, online classes also need good
classroom management. Students especially need to know when and what is
acceptable for posting online.
How? Teachers need to be clear about behavior expectations in every live
discussion (The Albert Team, 2022).
Recommendations: Padlet
An online forum where discussions can take place offering text, video, emoji,
picture, or audio responses or reactions. This tool can help develop class norms
and set clear expectations.
Pros:
Allows for a wide range of mediums for students to communicate their ideas
like what they feel are appropriate online discussions norms
A variety of mediums helps students who struggle with text responses
Can be completed asynchronously or synchronously
Cons:
When completed asynchronously, the first few respondents will not have
much opportunity for reacting to peer posts
Kipp, K., & Rice, K. (2020, May 6). How can educators tap into research to increase engagement during remote learning? EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-05-06-how-can-educators-tap-into-
research-to-increase-engagement-during-remote-learning
McNulty, N. (2021, April 2). Online education vs traditional education – which one is better and why. Niall McNulty. https://www.niallmcnulty.com/2021/04/what-is-the-difference-between-online-education-
and-traditional-education/
The Albert Team. (2022, March 1). Strategies for teaching online: The ultimate guide for educators. https://www.albert.io/blog/strategies-for-teaching-online/