Embedded Files
COVID-19 & digital Learning
COVID-19 & digital Learning
UK schools are shutting from w/c 23rd March 2020 as part of the government's efforts to reduce transmission and flatten the peak of infection.
It's proving a litmus test for schools' technology and educators' skills and confidence in using cloud learning technology.
Is your school's 'distance learning' proposition just a few links to resources and worksheets to print out and complete?
Or are you able to educate children without needing them to be in your physical classrooms?
Dissonance in parental expectations
Dissonance in parental expectations
Across the country parents are suddenly seeing how ready (or not) their children's schools are to teach remotely. They're contrasting that with their own remote working life and what they're hearing other schools are capable of.
If they're paying over £15k per child, per year, they are now wondering why the local state school is teaching online with video streaming, group collaboration, electronic workflow and electronic feedback for pupils, when their independent school is only able to provide materials to print out and complete alone.
A new 'buying criteria' has just been introduced.
Many parents are now wondering how long it will take for their school to catch-up.
What are you going to do about it?
What are you going to do about it?
If you're not one of the publicised 'beacons of best practice', your to-do list will be a mixture of technology and people tasks to tackle, in a hurry.
Technology
Technology
Most schools have chosen one of the two credible cloud technology platforms: Microsoft Office 365 or Google G-Suite - and have deployed and configured some of the tools they'll need already.
It doesn't matter which platform you have chosen. Each has the tools you'll need to educate pupils at a distance.
For example:
Workspace for Education
Workspace for Education
MS 365
MS 365
Front-of-class
Front-of-class
Live video conferencing for elements of lessons, recorded during live broadcast for later review
Meet
Jamboard as a whiteboard
Slides with captions
Teams
Stream
Live captions / transcription
OneNote as a whiteboard
Workflow
Workflow
Setting work for pupils with deadlines, access to learning resources, handing in work
Classroom
Sites
Teams & Assignments
OneNote Class Notebooks
Sharepoint Online
Assessment
Assessment
Formative assessment, quizzes to check understanding, grading
Forms
Polls
Classroom
Forms
Teams
OneNote Class Notebooks
Feedback
Feedback
Provide timely feedback on pupil work, even during its creation
Comments (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
Forms
Classroom
OneNote
Teams & Assignments
Forms
Collaboration
Collaboration
Managing purposeful group work and being clear on each pupil's contribution
Docs, Sheets, Slides, Keep
Jamboard
Version history
Groups
Word, Excel, PowerPoint
OneNote Collaboration Space
Teams
There some further great ideas from Google's new Teach from Home hub
Of course you'll also need:
Access devices: one-to-one access to appropriate devices (for staff and students)
Safeguarding: age-appropriate filtering and monitoring in place
Security: cloud platform configuration and security measures in place
If your school doesn't have the necessary technology in place, you have the Easter break to sort it out.
External help is available, you don't have to muddle through alone.
People
People
Many schools do now have the necessary tools for distance learning in place.
Often, what they haven't (yet) done is explain why, how and when these tools should be used and for what purpose. Typically, they haven't invested in training their staff to use this IT. Less than 3% of IT budgets have historically been spent on staff training; only 7% of schools were using cloud learning technology in a majority of lessons and subjects*, prior to the virus.
Distance learning for students right now needs to be a mixture of teacher-led and independent (and group) work; many teachers and pupils will unfortunately be ill for a time.
Your school's teachers will have a wide range of IT skills and confidence in applying those skills to their teaching practice. It's time to establish a new minimum expectation for your school. Clearly, that's while supporting those teachers who need help most and being sensitive to everyone's health and their need to balance other responsibilities beyond school.
The Easter break and first few days of the summer term are an ideal time to provide training, to differentiate that training, and to achieve the first step of the minimum expectation for all.
There are many ways to train teachers, synchronous and asynchronous. And there'll certainly be plenty of opportunity to practice!
You might want help with this.
* The ISBA's IT Survey 2018
Report abuse