Ask. Listen. Respond.
Ask
Record a video and simply ask students how they are doing. I recently asked students to share how they were doing emotionally and physically during COVID-19 stay-at-home learning. I also requested that they share book/series/movie recommendations or games/activities that I could enjoy with my family.
Listen
Listen to their videos. Take notes. What did they reveal? Did they express struggles and/or celebrations? Did they go above/beyond sharing with you? What did you feel when you heard what they shared?
Respond
They took the time to reply, so you should take the time to let them know you saw/heard their responses. FlipGrid allows you to provide a quick email response that auto sends to each student. Repeat back something they shared to help validate that their voice was not only heard but felt. Let them know you look forward to connecting again soon.
I recommend using FlipGrid to create a personal video for students to provide video responses. This allows two-way communication at a time when COVID-19 prevents us from in-person connections.