Moving to K-12 Digital Learning Fast: Where to Start
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 03/01/20
Numerous districts and schools across the
country suddenly find themselves in the position of having to teach
students at home due to changes introduced by the national response
to COVID-19. While every school has its share of early adopters,
people who have been flipping classes and using blended learning for
years, there are plenty of other teachers who are new to the process.
To help schools make the transition as quickly and comprehensively
as possible, THE Journal reached out to education technology experts
across the country to answer the questions we believe nearly
every educator is rushing to answer right now.
Photo © Maria Symchych
Most of my teachers haven’t done this
before. Where should we start with them?
Videos work better than worksheets. It’s really easy to put
a worksheet online and think that’s making your curriculum
digital — that’s a path I’ve walked down myself. We know our
students learn best from us. If they can’t be with us in person,
then the next best thing is a video of us, even from our phone or
[computing] device to help maintain our relationship — because
that’s what will keep students working. —Rick Bray, Instructional
Technology Professional Development Specialist, Broome-Tioga Board of
Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)
If teachers begin to incorporate arts-based assignments to their
online instruction, teachers can simulate the same engaging activities
they typically do face-to-face and have the opportunity to
involve a student’s parents or family members, too. For example, if
you’re working on a history unit ask students to create a song that
represents a historical figure and perform it for their family. There
are endless opportunities for students to create and learn at home,
and free resources to support that instruction. —Susan Riley, CEO
and Founder, The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM
Start where you can! Teachers likely have email, so start with
sending information that way. From there, they can share how
they are leveraging technology. —Kara Longo Korte, Director,
Product Management at TetraVX
Educators tell us it’s helpful to start the transition to remote
teaching with a recognition that classes will be both asynchronous
as well as synchronous, and that’s ok. Some of the time,
teachers may have the opportunity to connect with their students
via video conferencing and messaging tools, but much
of the time, learning will be asynchronous and students will
be required to read, watch instructional videos, and study independently.
Identifying the easy, go-to technology that helps
with both aspects of teaching will help ground teachers and allow
them to focus on lesson plans. For instance, a lot of teachers
tell us they are using Zoom or Google Hangout Meet for video
conferencing with student groups and Google Docs for essays
and written work. —Matthew Glotzbach, CEO, Quizlet
Remind teachers that the best practices they use in their face-to-face classrooms are important to uphold in the online classroom.
Some of the best practices will need to be adapted, but
it is important that teachers prioritize relationship-tending and
clear communication. From a curricular standpoint, help teachers
make decisions about what the most critical lessons and assessments
are related to their curriculum. “Less is more” will be a
helpful guiding philosophy. Give teachers the autonomy to make
judgments around priorities within the curriculum to ensure students
are meeting necessary standards without having to complete
superfluous assignments. From a technical standpoint, be
sure to provide teachers with training and resources they need to
successfully facilitate learning remotely. Let them know how to
get support with technical questions and how to answer basic student
questions about accessing online curriculum and submitting
work. —Carol Ribeiro, CEO, VHS Learning
Same question regarding students: If
they don’t have experience with online
learning, where’s a good place to start?
Start with providing information that they can read or maybe
even print out. Give them a list of things to do — it can be
to make something, to research something, watch something
or “go” somewhere like on a virtual museum tour or virtual
field trip. Provide a list of resources; a quick Google search will provide lots of things that can be
used, but to ensure they aren’t overwhelmed,
point out a few that you
recommend. —Kara Longo Korte, Director,
Product Management at TetraVX
Start by going simple. Use technology
that students may already
be familiar with, such as Google
Classroom and Google Docs. If the
district is utilizing ClassLink or
Clever, students will have an easier
time logging into various online
services. Set clear expectations
for what needs to be completed
with [plain] and concise instructions.
Don’t forget to share these
expectations with parents as well, because the parents will
be the student’s first line of support. Even if students are not
learning new materials, providing reinforcement activities
will stop students from regressing. —Kevin Dorsey, EdTech
Advisor, GoGuardian
When introducing technology for the first time, allow for
ample time for students to assimilate to their new online learning
environment. At the K-12 level, parents and mentors will
play a key role in ensuring a smooth transition from physical
to online learning environments and they, too, will need support
from schools and administrators. —Sara Monteabaro, Lead,
Learning, MIT Solve
While most students tend to feel confident around technology,
teachers need to avoid making assumptions that students
will all understand how things work. It is important to be
crystal-clear in communication of how to navigate technology,
course content and expectations for student work and participation.
Create screenshares or screen shots with instructions
for using the technology, as needed. Provide clear instructions
around how to submit work to the teacher (using Dropbox,
email, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, etc.) and what to do if
they don’t understand or can’t get the technology to work. —
Carol Ribeiro, CEO, VHS Learning
Take a structured approach. Students benefit from the natural
cadence that classes and regular activities provide. In this new
online learning world, students will benefit from creating some
structure for themselves in their day, tackling specific classes at
times in the day when they regularly have that course, and scheduling
breaks for lunch and snacks. Regarding online tools, today’s
students have grown up in an environment where technology
is all around them. Experiences like connecting with friends
via social media or Facetiming relatives to stay in touch have
helped prepare students to make this transition, even if they’ve
never experienced online learning before. While nothing can replace
time in the classroom, students should feel empowered to
take on this challenge like they have with every new digital tool
and social app. —Matthew Glotzbach, CEO, Quizlet
What are the easiest components of a
course to transition to online delivery —
the low-hanging fruit?
Slides. Slide decks are extremely easy to upload into any online
teaching platform. —Shaan Patel, founder of Prep Expert
Things you would normally give students time to work on
in class as an independent practice makes an easy transition online
because they are self-lead assignments that you can simply
upload, have the students print and complete at home. For example,
in a third-grade unit on the Civil War, assign students to
research the historical event and then create a theatrical event to
perform in front of their parents or family. —Susan Riley, CEO
and Founder, The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM
Submission of written work is the easiest and most familiar form
of work that students can complete. The process of completing and
grading student work is almost identical to the process in the face-to-face classroom. Using discussion boards for group discussions,
student questions that may impact the group, and supervised “student
lounge” areas are intended to mimic the face-to-face discussions
that occur in a class. These types of groups are familiar to students
and teachers who have used message boards or social media sites like
Facebook. Teachers do not need to address every comment a student
makes, but they need to be sure to monitor the discussions. Uploading
images of work products, videos of presentations or voice recordings
of student responses is another way for students to demonstrate
their understanding. Again, these are technologies many students will
be familiar with, but they may not know the nuts and bolts of the
academic technology. While additional formats (videos, images, etc.)
bring variety to the ways students can show what they know, they
also may bring additional challenges, so a “plan b” is important to
have ready (“If you can’t create a video, make a transcript and email
the Word doc to your teacher...”). —Carol Ribeiro, CEO, VHS Learning
Anything that the teacher already has ready to go — weekly
spelling words, the next assignment, start with what you’ve got.
Then think of what would have been next, is it something that
would be read or taught then quizzed? Is there an online resource
to point students to? Can they collaborate online to “discuss”?
Starting with providing something versus being overwhelmed
with everything is definitely the way to go. —Kara
Longo Korte, Director, Product Management at TetraVX
By using Google Classroom, teachers can quickly set up an
online course and create modules. Not all materials need to be
teacher-created. Many content providers have offered free content.—Kevin Dorsey, EdTech Advisor, GoGuardian
Are there offline activities we should be
promoting?
Definitely! We don’t want students sitting in front of a screen all
day. In fact, screen time should be 50 percent or less of traditional
seat time. So that means teachers need to encourage students to get
creative each day with what we like to call “creativity challenges.”
There are many free resources out there with anything from kids’
exercise videos to art tutorials. Perhaps students can look at works of art by Andrew Goldsworthy (who uses found objects to create art)
and then go outside and create their own found object art. —Susan
Riley, CEO and Founder, The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM
Read, read, read and then write, write, write. Also, get out
of the house and play (where possible and at safe distances from
others). Physical activity will make kids’ brains work better as
well as fight off boredom and depression. —Hilary Scharton, VP,
Strategy, Canvas
Many districts are creating packets for students to complete.
These packets are being shared on district websites, and some
districts are even offering to print them for students who do not
have printers. —Kevin Dorsey, EdTech Advisor, GoGuardian
1. Students should be encouraged to get plenty of sleep, adequate
nutrition and physical activity. Because this will be a challenging
time for many of us — teachers, students and their families
included — encouraging students to participate in self-care is important.
2. Provide resources for families with food security issues
to access food within the community. Many schools are providing
one or meals for students (and their families). Food pantries, churches
and civic organizations may be able to help as well. 3. Encourage
students to get physical activity whenever possible. Going outside
(if they can do so without coming into close contact with others),
is important for everyone... To combat feelings of isolation and to
help resist the temptation of going to friends’ houses or other public
spaces, students can interact with family and peers using social media
or interactive online games (board games, card games and video
games). —Carol Ribeiro, CEO, VHS Learning
Encourage young children to have “play” time or “creative”
time — doing LEGOS, art projects and the like. For students
with siblings, how can they work together? Can an older student
help a younger sibling? Can kids watch something and after it
is over talk about it and ask each other questions? —Kara Longo
Korte, Director, Product Management at TetraVX
While the natural inclination is to want to move quickly to
video and lecture capture, students prefer an asynchronous form
of learning, meaning they don’t have to be online at a certain time
and can listen to a recorded lecture or take a quiz when it is convenient
for them. Plus, asynchronous allows you to tackle bandwidth
challenges for students at home — they can use Wi-Fi on any
mobile device to download videos or rich content to their learning
platform, then listen to them later. —John Baker, CEO, D2L
How can our teachers include active
forms of learning in what we’re doing?
Allowing students to explore something they’re passionate
about can make learning broader and deeper. Design an experiment,
read a book, write a poem, draw a picture — do something
on a topic that ignites your curiosity. —Hilary Scharton,
VP, Strategy, Canvas
There are many ways teachers can be active in students remote
learning. They can leverage a video call to “teach” a new topic and be
available for “office hours” or take questions via email to check in with
students to see how they are doing, if they need help with something
or even need more to do. It can also allow teachers to understand what
is working well and what isn’t so they can adjust and address. —Kara
Longo Korte, Director, Product Management at TetraVX
Teachers can poll students to schedule online synchronous discussions
using a video chat client, either as a whole-class or small
group experience. Discussions could be held using a chat feature
or discussion board with a “real time” back-and forth rather than
an asynchronous experience. —Carol Ribeiro, CEO, VHS Learning
Teachers can incorporate “brain breaks” to break up instruction
with activities like sending students on a scavenger hunt for three
objects in their home relevant to the lesson being taught. —Susan Riley,
CEO and Founder, The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM
Teachers should work to balance the more passive and traditional
learning such as reading texts and watching videos with activities
that help engage students and get them involved in the materials.
Today, teachers can take advantage of the numerous free resources
and supplemental study tools to offer students active learning opportunities
outside of traditional coursework. Interactive games and
quizzes allow students to take what they are learning and test how
well they are keeping up with the curriculum, ensuring they don’t
fall behind while at home. —Matthew Glotzbach, CEO, Quizlet
How do we make sure our students with
accessibility issues are being taken care of?
Online content should have audio materials accompanied by
text transcripts and video materials should either have a transcript
or be captioned to accommodate users with auditory handicaps.
Teachers and educators should work directly with parents to accommodate
students with physical disabilities who may require additional
technology. —Sara Monteabaro, Lead, Learning, MIT Solve
The same way you differentiate in your live classroom — if
your student needs audio, make sure they have it. Or screen
readers. Send students home with any tech tools or devices they
use at school. —Hilary Scharton, VP, Strategy, Canvas
Students who have accessibility issues documented in a learning
plan (IEP or 504) will need these accommodations met by their
teachers. [Regarding digital equity,] provide students with laptops,
as needed, and provide families with resources for internet access.
Comcast is an example of an internet service provider committed to
providing low-income families with two months of free internet in
response to the pandemic (restrictions apply). If students have technology
at home, but it is being shared by multiple students and
adults, stress the importance of scheduling time so that students
can complete school work, parents can complete their work-from-home
tasks, and everyone can access technology to connect with
friends and families. —Carol Ribeiro, CEO, VHS Learning
Ask the student [and his or her family] what kind of help
they need. —Kara Longo Korte, Director, Product Management at
TetraVX
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of Spaces4Learning.