The recent pandemic threw language educators into a flurry of activity to adapt to the new reality of forced distance teaching and learning. This delivery of language education is called emergency remote teaching (ERT) and should not be confused with true online language teaching (OLT). Conversion time was severely limited in ERT, often less than one week, and teachers had little time to rethink and retool their materials. Still, one of the most important strategies from OLT could and should have been considered and implemented: attention to the three presences. Teaching, social and cognitive presences are described and easy pivots from face-to-face or hybrid/blended learning to fully remote are suggested.