High School Science Teacher Scott Barton Describes his Experience with Online Teaching and Plans for the Fall

Scott Barton is a San Marino High School science teacher with 13 years of SMHS teaching experience. During this period of time, he’s most enjoyed teaching the AP/Honors Physics course, though he’s also enjoyed teaching the Regular Physics and Geometry course.

But Scott isn’t just known for his teaching of various academic courses, he’s also known for the teaching of various social studies courses. This past academic year, for example, he taught an Government and Economic course and this past summer he taught a World History course.

One other thing Scott is know for is the fact that he’s one of the more experienced and accomplished SMHS online teachers with MUCH of value to offer any teacher assigned to teach online in the fall.

On this episode of Titan Talk, Scott answers the questions appearing below (all related to his past online teaching experience and his plans for teaching online this fall)

1. Briefly describe your online teaching experience from March 13, when school shutdown, to the present.
2. Assuming that in the fall there will be no face-to-face instruction . . . that the school and the district have decided to play it safe and keep us away from school for at least another two or three more months . . . what do yo plan to use, Google Meet or Zoom?
3. If in the fall, I were to access your classroom during the first week of school, what would I see and hear when it comes to “get-to-know-you activities?” Are you planning to integrate any of these into your long distance learning sessions?
4. What about when it comes to the teaching of content? How do you plan to deliver what the students need to know to pass your tests?
5. How do you plan to test?
6. Do you believe teachers should be permitted to require their students to present their face on camera?
7. Should teachers be permitted to require their students to present their voice on camera?
8. How do you plan to hold your students accountable? In other words, what are you going to do to prevent your students from checking out on class discussion?
9. Has anyone ever tried to bomb your online class sessions and if so, what did you do?
10. Have you yet in any way polled/surveyed your students to learn what they thought of your online instruction?
11. Do you plan at the end of the first semester to in any way poll/survey your students to learn what they thought of your online instruction?
12. Have you had any epic fails when it comes to your online teaching experience?
13. Do you believe that Zoom fatigue is a real thing and if so, what if anything do you plan to do in the fall to prevent your students from acquiring Zoom fatigue?
14. Is there anything else that you would like to say, that you haven’t yet said, about either your long distance learning experience or your plans for the fall?

Titan Talk is a San Marino High School teacher-hosted, interview formatted, bi-monthly podcast that seeks to highlight two kinds of educators: (1) those who have something of value to say in regards to teaching, learning, testing, and wellness and (2) those who have a personal story worth sharing.

Titan Talk is hosted by SMHS social studies teachers Peter Paccone and Andrew Gayl. Peter can be reached at ppaccone@smusd.us and Andrew can be reached at agayl@smusd.us.

San Marino High School is a a top rated public high school located in San Marino, California, just twenty minutes northeast of downtown Los Angeles and a few miles from the Pasadena Rose Bowl. This "Home of the Titans" serves grades 9-12. The San Marino High School website can be viewed at https://www.sanmarinohs.org.

This Titan Talk was produced using Free Conference Call to record, Audacity to edit, Auphonics to level, and Libsyn to publish.