Week 4 Virtual Training, Meetings and Webinar

Engagement Activities
Identify the goals:
The goal of this virtual training session is to teach participants various ways to use
technology in the visual arts classroom.
Identify the audience:
The specific audience for this virtual training session is for those teaching the visual
arts but general concepts of how to incorporate technology into the classroom
would be for all educators both general education and specials. Teachers who would
pursue this training should be interested in increasing their use of technology in
their classrooms to better communicate and engage their students in class. This
type of training would also be a great way to gather ideas and tools that could be
used in the classroom that would involve some kind of technology.
Identify the time constraints:
An appropriate time for this training would be no more than an hour and a half.
Learn the platform-inside and out:
The platform that would be used for this training would be Adobe Connect but could
be operated on other virtual training software as well.

Start with a welcome activity: Red Herring

Purpose: To engage participants while waiting for others to log into the training and
for a chance to work together as a group, opening up communication
Session format: Meeting, training, webinar
Audience: any
Number of participants: 15 - 20
Time: 5-10 minutes
Materials: a slide
Features used: Share a slide, whiteboard, chat or audio
Description:
As participants log onto the virtual training they will be greeted with a puzzle to
solve as a group. The type of puzzle is called a red herring, something that is meant
to mislead or distract one from the truth. Participants of the training will have to
work together to separate 16 words into four different categories that they will have
to figure out. Three of the categories will use 12 of the words (four words per
category) but the remaining four words are the "red herrings" meant to distract
them. Using audio and chat, participants will communicate to figure out which
words belong together and which are the red herrings. This game is inspired from
the game "Red Herring" found in the App Store and Play Store.
Design needs ahead of time: Prepare a slide with two sides. On one side show 16
words, 12 of which could be placed into three separate and unrelated categories,
each containing four words. The other side of the slide should have a grid system
with four columns and 5 rows.

Before the activity begins:

Facilitator: Welcome the trainees as they log in, prompting them to join the rest in
solving the red herring.
Producer: Ensure that everyone's technology needs are met and that their audio is
turned on.
Transition after the activity:
Facilitator: "Now that you have all had a chance to flex your mind muscles with this
puzzle, let's get started with a quick ice breaker to get to know each other better."

Break the ice: Story Time!

Purpose: To give participants a chance to share personal experiences and
demonstrate the various levels of technological competencies
Session format: Training
Audience: Educators
Number of participants: 20-25
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: a slide with a visual prompt
Features used: chat or audio, breakouts and whiteboard with annotations enabled
Description:
Participants will separate into pre-determined breakout groups to have a small
discussion on their experiences with technology in their classrooms. Each group will
assign one member as their secretary. Teachers will retell a lesson in which they
used technology, a tool they just could not live without in their classrooms, websites
that have been helpful or any other innovative ways that technology was used in
their curricula. Teachers should be encouraged to speak of their level of comfort
with technology in general and give support to others who might not be as savvy as
some. After each session is complete all secretaries will present their groups tools to
the rest of the virtual class.
Design needs ahead of time: Prepare a list of participants in each breakout group as
well as a slide with instructions for each group and a place where secretaries to
write down what they discussed.
Before the activity begins:
Facilitator: "Let's start by sharing with each other our personal experiences with
technology in the classroom up to this point in your careers. Discuss with your
breakout group different or unique ways in which you as a teacher have used
technology and a bit of the context in which the tech was used. You have 5 minutes
to discuss and then we will come back as a group to present to the group as a
whole."
Producer: Ensure that all participants have their audio enabled and load the
instruction slide onto each breakout group.
Transition after the activity:
Facilitator: "The purpose of this activity was to give you a general understanding of
the different levels of experience each of us has and a few quick tips that we may

not cover today in the training. Now, let's dig a little deeper into the use of
technology in the visual arts classroom."

Select appropriate meeting, webinar or training activities: the

Virtual Curator
Purpose: For participants to use teamwork to create a presentation of art that
centers around a common theme or motif.
Session format: Training
Audience: any with an interest or appreciation of art
Number of participants: 20 - 25
Time: 20 minutes
Materials: multiple slides
Features used: Share a slide, application, Whiteboard, audio, breakouts, file share
Description:
Participants will be tasked to curate a small, virtual art exhibit. Trainees will
breakout into groups of 5 and discuss a common theme or motif that their artwork
will share. Such examples could be courage, imagination, fantasy, geometric shapes
or color schemes. This could be predetermined by the facilitator as well. Each
member of the group will search the Internet to find a piece of art that fits their
motif and bring it back to their breakout, posting their images to a shared slide.
They will also include the name of the work, the artist and where the work was
taken from. After all members of the group have found their work they will present
their exhibition to the class as a whole. Each team should appoint a spokesperson
during breakout.
Design needs ahead of time: A slide with instructions, predetermined list of the
members in each breakout session
Before the activity begins:
Facilitator: Create a roster for each breakout session. Plan the individual themes
each separate group will be exhibiting if you wish.
Producer: Make sure each breakout group has been created, audio is on for each
and that each has a slide with instructions and an exhibition space.
Transition after the activity:
Facilitator: "This is just a taste of the type of activity that could be lead by you and
your students. It demonstrates art appreciation and presentation skills. Now, let's
close today's session with a solid conclusion. End strong!"

End with a closer activity: Making Change

Purpose: To have participants reflect on what they have learned during the session
and to commit to using what they have learned to make a lasting, impactful change
in their teaching practice.
Session format: training
Audience: any
Number of participants: 20-25
Time: 5 minutes

Materials: a slide with instructions

Features used: chat, audio
Description:
Teachers are creatures of habit. Stubborn creatures of habit. After leaving a
professional development session, most teachers (myself included) set the
materials from the session aside, hide it away in a three ring binder somewhere and
forget the most important step of the process; implementation. The Making Change
activity helps ensure that teachers hold themselves accountable by verbalizing
what they thought was the most valuable tip, skill or tool presented in the training
and vocalizing the change it will make in the lives of their students, their classroom
management, the level of engagement in their classrooms, etc. One by one
teachers will share their valuable takeaway and a quick plan for how they are going
to implement it in their rooms. This will also give others a chance to troubleshoot
any possible hurtles that teacher might have to jump over to achieve this goal.
Design needs ahead of time: a simple slide with instructions on how to complete
the activity
Before the activity begins:
Facilitator: Prepare an example of a statement regarding one of the features in the
training to give participants something to work off of.
Producer: Ensure that all participants have their audio working.
Transition after the activity:
Facilitator: "I am so pleased to know that what you've learned today will be carried
out in such dynamic and creative ways! Well done everybody! I am proud of the
work we've done today. I hope you have at least a few takeaways from today's
session. I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Walt Disney:
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."