Every day I begin class with the question,

“How are you?”

I get answers like

“I’m ten years old”

or

“Yes”.

I'm lucky that I get any answers at all since online classes started up again.

What happened?

A year ago I was the first teacher to use Zoom classes and the kids loved it. They were excited to see their friends’ faces and we made jokes and students participated eagerly. It was fun and we played language games like guessing games and imaginary ball and BINGO and drawing games.
Something changed over time.

Other teachers started using Zoom online. It wasn’t fresh to the kids anymore. Also teachers used Zoom to lecture or play teaching videos while students’ tuned out. Students got used to it. If students want to speak in class they are told that they have to raise their hand.

That sounds fair, but it’s ridiculous when almost every student has the camera off and all the students have their mics muted. They found the best way to beat the system was tune out and disappear. Then they could get back to their game or whatever it was they were doing before class had so rudely interrupted them.

Not in my class!!

I like active classes. I love class clowns. This is English as a Second Language class. No one learns English as a second language by being smart. They learn it by practicing it and having fun. I come to each class with lots of games and interactive activities to make class fun but these kids are ghosting me. They are convinced that anything online is not worth their time participating.

On the first class I found 90% of the student cameras were off. I told students clearly that they needed their cameras on and they needed to participate but nothing changed. I knew immediately that all my tricks and plans would never work. I needed to go old school on them.

Going Old School on them

One by one I called their names. None of them wanted to answer. I smiled and I tried again. When they answered I complimented them and went to the next student and asked each of them to say,

“hello”.

I was torturing them and I knew it. They wanted me to lecture them so they could get back to their video games, but one by one I continued to call them one by one.

There was only one student that I didn’t get a response from. I called him on his cell phone in front of the whole class. He then started to pay attention knowing that I would find him one way or another. By the end of that class almost half the students had turned on their camera at one point or another.

Going Kindergarten on them!!

The next day still half the class was determined to never turn on their camera. Other students had their cameras focused on a light on the ceiling or an object on their desk but nowhere near their own face or body.

I’m not an idiot. I went kindergarten on those kids. They are preteens in fifth and sixth grade but I know that curiosity and competition was about the only motivator going for me. I couldn’t give them a piece of candy online or give them a free homework coupon. They don’t care.

That second day we began show and tell. Each kid wanted to show off something a little better than the last. One kid showed off his gold fish. The other kid showed off his dog. The next kid showed off his little brother. More and more cameras were turning on.

The Empire Strikes Back!!

I gave students quiet time to think about things and showed them a timer to complete a task. I asked them to draw a picture and speak one sentence about it. One by one cameras went on and then as soon as the assignment was over they went off. This was exhausting. I felt like my title had changed from teacher to dentist.

Kids were still missing the point. I called them on the phone and talked to them one to one. Then things were starting to click. Then I could hear what they wanted to say. They said that English time is OK, but the other classes are a drag and teachers did the impossible.

They managed to make online school more boring than real school.

Reversing the effects of bad online classes

It’s going to take a long time to reverse the effect of bad classes online. A lot of money and time is wasted on stuff that never gets used. I think some money and time needs to be invested in student motivation intrinsically and extrinsically.

What is too easily forgotten is that young students are actually motivated by learning. When they recognize that they are getting something and they can use it they are excited. They are motivated when they are challenged. They are curious and want to see what will happen. When students are involved and invest ownership in the class they are motivated to participate.

Above all kids are motivated by a prize from the teacher.

The block chain is a good example. No one was forced to participate. There was no roster or attendance list. There was no grades to be sent home or degree or certificate promised yet people participated eagerly and joyfully.

The blockchain is ready to gamify education

I think our schools can learn a lot about online motivation from the block chain. What is it that would motivate people from all over the world to participate and help each other for a little reward from a token of code?

This is the secret to schools being here in the future or not. Is there any motivation. In order to activate intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivator must be put in place. I see a use for the blockchain beyond the school systems and school buildings, but applied to the education of individuals in every nation.

If learning is not gamified and rewarded in the next few years then the use value of these school buildings and equipment may be better off as a recreation center for the community.