Three things to consider when implementing a Distance Learning Continuity Plan...
Once a school district has decided to implement a learning continuity plan for their distance
education program, there are many things to consider. I looked closely at three things:
developing teachers, assessing learners, and choosing a course management system.
Developing teachers
According to Martin (n.d.), training and development are essential for teachers providing
online instruction. Teachers need to have access to training, resources, and learning
materials. One Alabama school district realized that in order to teach virtual students the
teachers needed virtual professional development. So the Instructional Technology
Department was tasked with creating a self-paced learning platform for their teachers on
Google Classroom. They created one for elementary teachers and one for their secondary
teachers to access. Each Google Classroom continued handouts, worksheets, and a one-hour
PD session that explained all the apps and programs that were available for them to use while
teaching students virtually. In addition to the time, they knew the teachers would have to
still complete the requirements to maintain their teaching certification. So, they adapted the
lessons so that the teachers could earn some continuing education units (CEUs).
This school district understands the importance of having qualified individuals that would be responsible for providing leadership and support for the teachers that would be handling the director’s instruction with virtual students.
This video describes the seven best websites and apps for distance education.
According to Simonson et al.(2015), one thing to consider when assessing a distance learning program is how will the “ learners demonstrate that they’re making progress toward or have mastered the goal” ( p. 225)? Assessment activities should be correlated to the expectations. There are several types of assessment activities that can be used in both virtual and classroom environments. Simonson et al.(2015) list a variety of currently available assessment strategies :
Online quizzes and tests
Asynchronous discussion forum ( blogs, online journals)
Sychrouns communication tools ( video conferencing, audioconferencing, chats, or text messaging)
Portfolios
Paper and Multimedia products ( videos, websites, slide presentations)
Problem-based activities, games, and simulations
Graphic organizers
Simonson et al.(2015), describes the CMS as a system that delivers the online course and may include a “syllabus, a course calendar, announcements, assignment instructions, learning objectives, grade book component tools, a student roster, and a glossary”(p. 157). Here is a video that describes ClassLink, one of the leading companies that currently provides services for 14 million students and over 1800 school systems.
It’s important to make sure that whatever Course Management System (CMS) a district chooses, must meet a few requirements that include:
The system is compatible with the school district infrastructure.
The system must give the instructor complete control.
It needs to allow the instructor to deliver a great learner experience to the students.
User-friendly so that both the instructor and student can access it easily.
Allow the instructor to provide a functional creative learning environment.
Integrate with email providers and other online platforms.
The management system’s cost must be within the school district’s allocated budget.
The management system must offer customer service support that covers all of the components included with the system purchase.
Tutorials or links to information that will help instructors and or learners.
The infographic details seven additional things to look for when choosing a platform for the delivery of online classes. There are many other elements that must be considered and addressed before the actual distance education program can be launched.
References
ClassLink (2020, February 7). Introduction to ClassLink.
[Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/SmIDxWGlD3o
How to pick the right online class platform. (2019). [Infographic]. Elearning Infographics.
https://elearninginfographics.com/7-things-to-consider-while-choosing-an-online-course-platform-infographic/
Martin, U. (n.d.). Remote learning in action: building online professional development and resources for teachers.Tech and Learning. https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/remote-learning-in-action-building-online-professional-development-and-resources-for-teachers
[Photo]. Giphy. Retrieved May 21, 2021, from https://media.giphy.com/media/H54feNXf6i4eAQubud/giphy.gif
Pocketful of Primary (2020, March 29). 7 best websites and apps for distance learning.
[Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/svmGQhQLuBQ
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: foundations of distance education. Information Age Publishing.
I know of multiple school systems that had been using Google Classroom for several years and at the beginning of pandemic learning, then they switched to Schoology at the beginning of the school year in the middle of the pandemic. While I understand that Google Classroom may not have offered all of the features of Schoology and may not have been a full-fledged LMS, I feel like many teachers would have benefitted from having the option of Google Classroom. As you talked about, teacher training is so important and for those teachers who may not be as tech-savvy, not having the ability to have someone there to immediately troubleshoot or instruct is a major barrier to overcome. Along with having to learn how to use the platform, there must also be a shift in pedagogical thinking and in some cases content (Lockee, 2021). The system you described had a well-thought-out plan to deliver training and guidance. This is important in the planning process for distance learning (Simonson et al., 2019) and I think systems will be considering these types of issues when planning in the future.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Lockee, B. (2021). Shifting digital, shifting context: (re)considering teacher professional development for online and blended learning in the COVID-19 era. Educational technology research and development, 69, 17-20.
Simonson, M., Zvacek, S., Smaldino, S. (2019). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (7thed.). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
Johanna,
ReplyDeleteTraining is definitely at the top of the list. People outside of the field of education would be shocked to know how much teachers have to learn on their own because there is no training. We used Google Classroom at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Almost no teachers were trained on it. There had not been a need without being a 1:1 device district. Then my district used Schoology at the beginning of this year to provide training for the use of Schoology. I think that we would have had some in person training sessions as well if there weren’t protocols against it at the time. Simonson, et.al (2019) said, “the training may be provided via intense workshops that often are online themselves, putting the instructors in the role of online learners while the workshop leader models effective online teaching methods and course structure.” (p. 292). This is exactly what our training looked like. This provided teachers with experience with the other side of Schoology as a student.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S. E., & Zvacek, S. (2019). Teaching and learning at a distance: foundations of distance education. Information Age Publishing, Inc.