Remote Instruction and Learning

We are all now in the midst of providing remote instruction to our students. Fortunately, our students are very familiar with lots of technology platforms, devices, and programs. They also are assigned their own laptop and, with permission from parents, can take their laptops home to use for educationally appropriate work. This past week, they have been logging in to check their teachers' emails and assignments. We have been available to them online if they have questions or need support. So far, so good. Of course, there are a few students who, for whatever reason, may need to have their assignments in hard copy format. That, too, has been provided for and delivered to them. It all seems so strange--working and learning from home, but I think that we are all discovering that this format can be effective and, with time, we can all succeed. There will be glitches and there may be some adjusting that needs to happen, but in the long run, we will have triumphantly salvaged the lost time from our classrooms, gyms, labs and libraries. Teachers are understandably overwhelmed, yet appreciative, of all the available resources being provided by just about any organization or company that is in any way affiliated with education or technology. The generosity of authors, teachers, bloggers, librarians and others has been mind-boggling. I'm awed at the amount of information and resources that are being shared for use with students while they remain at home to continue learning. Our students can be exposed to the best of the best. It is up to us to curate these timely treasures and to prioritize them. We know our students and our curriculum well enough to decide which lessons and activities to post to their list of assignments or alternative activities. When it is all said and done, I think we are going to appreciate each other and the work that has been done and will continue to be done to overcome any obstacles to student learning. We'll appreciate our disinfected classrooms and schools and, hopefully, will not take for granted the privilege of teaching and learning in a 21st century environment--whatever that may look like.