Students at the Franklin and Indian Creek school districts participated in an unorthodox day away from school this week — sort of.
They communicated with teachers and completed assignments online from the comfort of their homes as an arctic blast that froze the Midwest closed schools.
At Franklin, it was the first ever e-learning day, a term coined to emphasize its electronic aspect. Students from grades 5 through 12 used Chromebooks the district loaned them, while those from kindergarten through fourth grade used their own electronic devices and worked from hard copies that teachers sent home with students. Not having to reschedule a make-up day has multiple advantages, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Deb Brown-Nally said.
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“Ideally we’d love to be in the classroom, but we feel this is a better alternative to taking a day on when you get into the end of May towards finals and awards programs, field days, there’s not a lot of new learning that takes place,” Brown-Nally said. “It allows us in the middle of the year to continue with learning from (Tuesday), to pick up right where they left off.”
Students had a practice day in November that Brown-Nally said went smoothly. She said both students and teachers felt ready for when the e-learning day became a reality.
“Practice went better than anticipated,” Brown-Nally said. “There were just a couple of kinks to work out, and they were minor.”
On Wednesday, teachers posted assignments for the day at 9 a.m. on Google Classrooms. With much learning shifted online to prepare students for tests like the IREAD, transitioning to a fully online day when classes are cancelled is less difficult than in years past. Students are now able to access their textbooks online, Brown-Nally said. Students with technical difficulties were able to communicate through an e-learning support email, while teachers monitored their emails for questions about assignments from students.
“Overall, the day was successful,” Brown-Nally said in an email. “Teachers are pleased with the amount of students who have already completed all of their assigned tasks. Most of the feedback we’ve received from teachers, students and parents has been positive.”
Indian Creek became the first Johnson County district to use e-learning days when their students went online for makeup days on Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day in 2018. On Wednesday, students from kindergarten through second grade used iPads while those in third grade and above used Chromebooks to complete their assignments and interact with teachers, who held Google Hangout sessions. Students with limited or no internet connectivity had built in time during the following days to complete their assignments.
“Really, e-learning should be a continuation of what’s taught in the classroom,” Assistant Superintendent Andy Cline said. “It’s continuity for student and teachers.
“With continuity, it allows teachers to continue working on instructional material and maintain preparation and a timeline for the state assessments in March, the IREAD for third graders and the ILEARN in April.”
