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Education Dive
Ensuring e-learning equity takes time
Lauren Barack
March 25, 2020
Dive Brief:
To get students and parents used to the new reality of remote learning
they’d be navigating as a result of coronavirus-related school
closures, John S. Thomas, an elementary teacher in New Hampshire,
writes for Edutopia that he started with some simple steps that
included sending an email and video about things they’d be doing
together online for the foreseeable future.
Thomas believes connecting with students regularly is helpful to
reassure them, and while communicating about school work is key,
showing children familiar things like images of their classroom can be
nice to include. Educators can also encourage students to share
favorite things from their home with each other, like a pet or a
favorite book.
Educators should start this online shift slowly with students, Thomas
said. That also includes assigning projects that aren’t difficult to
complete to allow time to grow comfortable navigating the new tools in
use.
Dive Insight:
As many schools nationwide, from elementary to upper grades, shift to
remote learning amid the spread of novel coronavirus, the way students
are learning is rapidly changing. While these tools have been available
for some time, the shift to an online-only space is happening quickly.
This rapid shift is pushing everyone to not only learn new skills, but
also, in many cases, requiring schools and districts to line up access
to devices or internet that students may not have at home.
Computers and tablets aside, educators also shouldn’t assume all
students have a smartphone in their household. As these online programs
ramp up, some students may still not have any devices in hand.
According to 2019 data from the Pew Research Center, 81% of Americans
have smartphones. That number rises to 96% for cell phones generally.
While those devices can receive text or SMS messages, as well as short
emails via a text, it's all the more reason educators should think
about crafting simple instructions to students, with an eye toward
ensuring these messages can be accessed by everyone.
“Instructional email should be easily digestible, assignments should
take only a few minutes to read through, and end with a solid,
actionable step your students can take,” wrote the City University of
New York (CUNY) E-Learning Center.
Teachers, too, may want to consider students may not have printers, or
large screens on which to write. Handwritten responses — for all grades
— may be a good solution. As some cell phones do have cameras, students
could snap a photo of their work and text or email that back to
teachers.
For those teaching early elementary grades, educators could also reach
out to parents, asking that they spend time reading aloud with their
children — an activity that can benefit students of all ages. These
sessions could potentially be recorded on a cell phone and emailed to a
teacher, or logs could be kept and sent weekly between parents and
teachers.
Regular telephones, too, can be great resources, and educators may want
to consider tapping into conference call tools, said CUNY. The key is
crafting lessons in such a way they are equitable for all students, not
differentiated nor tiered based on a family's access to devices or the
internet.
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