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Tips and Best Practices

Quick Tips​

  1. Use the Text Component to leave simple directions

  2. Screenshots are an easy way to add images or text - just screenshot something on another page, and then drag and drop the file to bring it into your classroom. Couldn’t be simpler!

  3. Make the world your own - i.e. easter eggs for your students, GIFs, and other window dressing

How To Stage Your World For Learning​

In general, an effective educational world will have these distinct areas:

A Direct Learning area

This is where your lesson is given.

An Interactive Learning area

Pick a area in your world where you can design an activity for your students to practice what they’ve learned in your lesson.  For example, students could make use of 3D objects, the 3D pen, text, videos and even GIFs to demonstrate their understanding of the material.

A Reflection area

Pick a area where you can wrap up the lesson for your students.  Leave a short quiz, exit poll, or sign out sheet to gauge their learning (just drop a link to your quiz or Google Form and pin it).  Consider creating a wrap up video to reinforce to your students what you want them to come away with and remind them they have full access to return to this world at any time.

Personalized Video and Audio​

We strongly encourage teachers to record personalized videos and/or audio for your students. Give them specific information on what they’ll be learning in your room and always leave directions on what to do next.  This will help make your world feel more intentional and personal to them. Show your unique personality and style. Be someone they can connect with and look up to. Be encouraging! You can have a big social-emotional impact on your students’ experience even if you’re not there in person.

Soon, we’ll be adding recording functionality to the platform, but until then you can record your videos with your webcam or cell phone and upload them to YouTube. Then simply add the URL of the video to your world. If you decide to leave audio notes instead, simply record your instructions with an audio recorder app on your cell phone, export the file, and then just drag and drop it into your world.

It’s Best To Use Your Own Lesson Videos​

It’s best to use your own lesson videos in your worlds. Linking to YouTube videos or outside content are out of your control and they may be taken down or made private which will break the link in your world. Whenever possible, record and use your own lesson videos.

Text Component​

We encourage you to use the Text Component to leave clear directions or hints to help guide your students on where to go and what to accomplish next.

Make Your World Fun!​

Here are some ideas to try with your worlds to make them even more engaging and fun!

  • Try adding music (but don’t make it too loud to drown out any talking)
  • Leave encouraging pieces of video or audio around the room for your students to discover
  • Use GIFs and 3D objects to surprise and delight your students
  • Create drawing challenges on the collaborative whiteboard
  • Leave questions and encourage your students to record response videos to demonstrate knowledge.
  • Have your students search for GIFs, Photos, or 3D objects to add to the room that illustrate they’ve grasped your lesson conceptually. Have them take a screenshot of it and send it to you.
    • Showcase the best ones in the corner of your room.
  • Leave encouraging audio files around your world for students to discover.
  • Leave positive or inspirational quotes to encourage them.

See Ms. Marie’s Lesson on Quadrilaterals​

For inspiration, check out this lesson on Quadrilaterals.

It’s a great example of how to lay out a FULL lesson in MegaMinds

https://megaminds.world/URvGgLt

This Classroom contains five ‘learning stations’ where students can engage with new content and/or activities. There is also a fun activity for students to try in the Discussion Zone.

You can use a classroom in any way you want. Assign it for homework as a full lesson to use in flipped model teaching, use parts of it as a hook or reward in class, set up an interactive learning station in your classroom, or simply use it as a repository for your students to re-visit at any time during the year.

MegaMinds is an incredibly flexible tool pedagogically, and we’re excited to see how you use it!