As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread, schools around the globe are shifting to online learning in an effort to slow the spread of the disease.The deep-rooted fear associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted travel from home in over 75 countries. And it’s not showing signs of slowing. Google, Microsoft, Twitter, almost every organization has asked employees to work from home. The same applies to education with schools and institutes of higher education shutting down to prevent the spread of the virus. Under such circumstances, EdTech shows the way forward. SpeedLabs allows students to continue learning 24×7 from the safe confines of your home.
Here are some of the best ideas from educators from around the world, many of whom have already been teaching during coronavirus closures.
Ensure digital equity.
Equity is the biggest obstacle in preparing for online learning, and the first thing you should be thinking about. If your district is not 1:1 and does not have devices to send home with everyone, survey teachers and families ahead of time to figure out who will need devices and bandwidth.
Most families don’t have one computer per person. During a school shutdown, parents may also be working from home, meaning several people could be competing for one or two computers. Therefore, make sure all online apps work on mobile devices in case a laptop is not available.
Keep in mind that students who have individual education plans (IEPs) need to have access to their specific accommodations during the closure, including video access to aides and logins for apps.
Practice.
By being at home you are saving lots of your time, which earlier used to get wasted in getting ready and travelling. This time you can utilize for practice and practice month, by being at safe environment of home.
Take time to plan.
If a shutdown occurs before your staff is ready to teach online, invest some time – even if it’s just a day or two – to prepare before rolling out online learning . The brief delay in starting online lessons will pay off in the long run.
Choose the right Platform and stick with them.
There are a wide range of Edtech platform is easily accessible to students. Choosing the right one and sticking to it is going to help in the long run.
Also published on Medium.