Remote Learning: Do This, Not That

Chromebook Staging and Distribution

Before I offer some tips for "remote teaching," I want to give a shout out to our Food Service Department and our Technology Department. On Wednesday through Friday last week, our colleagues devoted their time and energy to making sure our students remain fed and have the tools they need to learn from home. The Technology Department deployed over 1800 Chromebooks and PCs and our Food Service Department distributed over 4,000 meals to families. It is heartwarming to see such generosity, kindness, and grace on display in our community.

HS ELA Teachers Chatting on Google Meet

I also want to give a shout out to our teachers, service providers, and TAs for devoting their time and energy to getting up to speed as quickly as possible in terms of leveraging instructional technology tools and strategies to minimize the disruption to the learning process for our students. The effort to learn, and learn quickly, has been impressive to say the least! If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out my "Learning Never Stops" slide deck for some tips, tricks, and tutorials. Barb Ritch and I are here to support your efforts. Please don't hesitate to get in touch.

West Genesee's Online Learning Portal was recently shared with the community. The website provides some activities and expectations for the upcoming week at both the elementary and secondary levels. It will be updated weekly. You will also find a link to Chromebooks in the Classroom, a website where you can find information regarding Chromebooks, Chrome OS, and G Suite as well as video tutorials for parents/students and teachers.

I know that many teachers are ready to continue teaching lessons from where they left off, but keep in mind that families in our community may be struggling as all of our lives have been unexpectedly disrupted. Now is a good time to take care of your personal wellness and that of your family, experiment with some new instructional methods alongside your students, temper expectations, and connect with your students as best you can without overwhelming them. Be sure to check out  "Remote Learning: Do This, Not That" (embedded below) as you prepare to teach remotely. Thank you to TJ Vaughn for sharing the information and Jenn MacArthur for the amazing graphics!

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One Parent's Perspective

On a lighter note, I'll leave you with something that I saw on Twitter that made me laugh...make it full screen so you can read the captions.