Learning continuity is the process of maintaining learning in a crisis situation caused by a natural disaster or other precipitating factor. Continuity is vitally important because it focuses on maintaining the core function of education: providing students with the opportunity to learn.
Online learning is proven to be highly effective and ideal for students when they can't participate in person.
Education that includes at least some online work is more effective than classroom-only teaching, according to a major research done for the Department of Education. The report concludes: “On average, students with online learning performed better than those receiving only face-to-face instruction.”
DoE recommendations suggest that educators prepare take-home assignments in advance for distribution to affected students and use the Internet and telephones to post homework materials, conduct classes, share information and keep teachers, parents and students in close touch.
School Town's K12 online learning and collaboration platform substantially exceeds DoE recommendations.
Web 2.0 tools such as chat and forums provides students with opportunities for expanding collaboration skills at a higher level than ever before. Community building tools are extremely useful if students can't attend class. School Town web2.0 tools are highly secure and teacher moderated.
The time to develop an instructional continuity plan for an H1N1 outbreak is before it hits. Your goal is to develop a method to continue your class in the event that students are restricted from coming to class for a week or longer. Many technologies can help but online learning is the best approach.
School Town can be implemented in days and requires minimal technology expertise.
President Obama challenged the nation to improve student achievement. At the core of these reforms is an emphasis on 21st-century teaching and learning in which technology is used in the most effective ways possible.
The VOISE Academy in Chicago is a shining example of a high tech school with no textbooks and 1to1 computer initiative. VOISE combines the best distance learning practices and quality online curriculum with exemplary classroom teachers and student-centered philosophy. The VOISE Academy is ideally suited to deal with H1N1 issues. Visit www.voiseacademy.org. Click here for the case study and press release.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| VOISE Success Story.pdf | 84.5 KB |
| H1N1 Flu Preparedness with School Town.pdf | 91.99 KB |
1. Call School Town to establish your subscription.
2. Submit rosters for account creation. This is an excel file output from your student information system. School Town does the rest for you.
3. Set up a training date to train-the-trainer or have us train your teachers.
4. Begin using School Town ASAP to familiarize students and parents with the online learning platform in advance of an H1N1 situation.
5. Use flyers or the optional parent portal to notify parents on how to monitor assignments, events, homework scores, and teacher comments.
6. Verify connectivity at home for all students & parents.
7. Develop methods for student access if the family does not have a home computer or internet access.
