| | SEPTEMBER - 20229participants. Facilitators can ask a question for participants to respond to in chat using text, emoticons, or gifs. Incorporate tech tools to boost engagement, check for understanding, and build accountability. Facilitators should resist the urge to do the majority of the talking or plow through a PowerPoint. It's hard to stare at a screen full of silhouettes who aren't excited about responding, but adult learning theory applies to virtual learning, too. Expose participants to small chunks of new information, then allow them to process and respond in safe ways. For example, poll participants, share the collective results and then invite participants to comment. Another option is to ask participants to post their thinking anonymously on a digital bulletin board like Padlet and then have them respond to the posts of other participants. Participants can also add their responses to a shared document in Google or SharePoint. Consider checking for understanding through a quiz created in Microsoft Forms, Qualtrics, or Survey Monkey, or play a lively game of Kahoot!. Whatever the activity, allow participants to debrief and share their thinking before moving on to the next agenda item. Use breakout rooms effectively. Most platforms used for virtual professional learning include a feature to send participants to breakout rooms. Similar to table talk in an in-person session, breakout rooms allow participants to talk or work together in small groups. To maximize the time spent in breakout rooms, be sure to provide clear directions in the resources so participants can refer back to them while in the breakout room. Provide a timeline for completing the assigned task(s) and have accountability measures for all members of the group. If possible, check in on each group to answer questions and monitor their progress. Upon returning to the whole group, allow group representatives to share the outcomes of their work and debrief the learning before moving on. Even though students have largely returned to classrooms, we are finding that virtual professional development offers flexibility for our educators that surpass the options for in-person learning. As we settle into a post-pandemic new normal, virtual professional learning is here to stay. Therefore, facilitators must continue to hone their skills to plan and deliver high-quality and engaging virtual professional learning. As we settle into a post-pandemic new normal, virtual professional learning is here to stay
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