Will we Embrace Distance Learning in a post-Covid-19 World?

I am reading an article about embracing distance learning by Jeb Bush in between Google Meets. Sometimes I feel like the meat in the Meet sandwich! (I could make a meme for that but I have to get to the next Meet...soon.)

I wonder lots about what will happen when we return to school.
I wonder if we will go back to "business as usual"?
I wonder what we can ditch in this golden opportunity to change.
Because if ever there has been an opportunity to change, it is now.

Jeb's 4 bullet points on what we should do now really struck me as a comprehensive place to start in the post-Covid-19 world. 

• Every district should make available a device and WiFi so every child can participate in online learning. The digital divide must be closed.
• Every district should practice and plan for distance-learning days every year. Distance learning isn’t just for pandemics; it’s also for times when schools would otherwise be closed — whether for snow, hurricanes or other emergency events.
• Every district should make sure teachers and other instructional professionals understand how to use distance-learning tools effectively.
• Every district must plan to virtually serve students with special needs, nonnative English learners and others who require more attention. This will be challenging. First steps should involve conducting an audit to identify which services can be delivered online, and then narrow the list of services that require unique solutions. Districtwide solutions should be considered, such as using a reading specialist to virtually support dyslexic students across the entire district, without being constrained to an assigned school.

1. Yes - we must close the digital divide. The Manaiakalani Education Trust has been front leaders in doing this. Learn from their model. It can be done.

2. Yes - distance learning isn't just for when close schools because of a pandemic. Even though this is an American article some NZ schools do have snow days, some schools are closed for emergencies. So we should learn from 2020 and always be prepared for this.

3. And yes - we should make sure teachers are digitally fluent. that is what The Manaiakalani Programme sets out to do with the Digital Fluency Intensives. Which by the way, are being delivered online right now. So that can be achieved as well.

4. But what about the last bullet point? Have we been able to virtually serve students with special needs? Many teachers I have contact with in this period has agonised over student sin their classes and how they are managing at home but they have not had any helpful guidance. Can we do an audit as suggested? The Manaiakalani Programme have a wealth of people to draw this information from and from a range of contexts, schools, geographical areas and across all demographics. I trust the way The Manaiakalani Programme researches and gathers data, so I would trust them and their findings for this particular point. 

Let's not go back to school and return to what we were doing before. Let's chuck out those awful worksheets. Let's look at our timetables again. Let's look at the way students were empowered and could design their daily timetable. Let's look at how engaged and motivated they were in things that interested them. Let's ask the students what worked for them and why.

Teachers have made huge inroads in delivering distance learning for their students by using the affordances of digital technologies. And they themselves have upped their digital fluency in doing so. 

So we need to harness what has happened and make our classrooms great again! (There's another meme in there too)

Distance Learning: It's About More Than Access

What has been your most profound change in lockdown? What are you most proud of? What do you regret?

I have worked with many teachers during the lockdown supporting them to deliver online learning and have been impressed by the adaptability of some teachers. Some teachers who had functional class sites transitioned quickly into the distance learning space picking up quickly on using Google Meets to connect with their class or groups. Some teachers had a very steep learning curve but they got there and were very proud of what they could do in a very short time. They were ready for April 15th when term 2 started.

As we moved through the weeks there was a whole lot of  'expert' advice coming from all directions. It was overwhelming. Teachers needed to be very secure in their belief in themselves, that they knew their students well, knew the curriculum and knew what the learners needed next.

A lot of the teachers I talked to were very conscious that 'hauora' was the number one consideration. They knew some learners and their parents were anxious for a variety of reasons. So they knew that by making regular contact and communications this would support those at home. And they did it with style and grace. Daily videos were created with the unique style and personality of the teacher shining through.

Ann Milne in her work about culturally sustaining pedagogies posted this on her blog recently and it struck me as good set of questions for teachers to reflect on.

Engage whānau. Engage learners. Let's ask them how online learning and distance learning was for them. Let's rethink what we do and make the changes while we have this opportunity to do so.

from Colouring in your VIRTUAL White Spaces - Ann Milne