For leaders
During this unprecedented time, school leaders are working tirelessly to ensure the safety, security and continued learning for their students.
As you navigate the immediate crisis, here are some resources to help you make the best decisions to support remote learning.
Reasons to have a strategy
The following are scenarios for why you may want a comprehensive, thought-out plan for remote learning:
Think long term
As much as possible, think about the long-term as you evaluate the right technologies for your school community. Choose technology solutions that address the urgency at hand, but also ones that may play an effective role in instruction and learning once schools get back to normal.
Choose common tools
Identify technologies that the community as a whole will use. This will streamline training for teachers, communication to parents and students, and administration of usernames and passwords.
Train teachers
Once you have selected a solution(s), make sure your staff receives training on how to use it effectively—before using it with students. While time is of the essence, it is wise to invest in ensuring teachers are comfortable with the new technology.
Help for parents and students
Though nearly all tools have existing help, parents and students may need extra support. You can share additional helpful links or have staff members on—hand by phone to answer questions.
Creating a remote learning strategy
Deciding what you need
Your school community’s specific needs will influence what technology you secure.
The following is a list of tools with various capabilities for you to consider, as well as links to examples.
School situation | Capability | Type of technology |
---|---|---|
Classrooms & parent conferences | A smaller group interacting with a leader | Video conferencing |
Lectures & assemblies | Address a large group with limited interaction | Video streaming (also enables on-demand viewing of topics) |
Messaging with students | Chat with the whole class or smaller groups of students, share resources | Instant messaging and group chats |
Assigning and collecting homework | Exchanging, commenting on, sharing materials | Document sharing |
Evaluating tools
Once you know what you require for remote learning, determine the requirements for each tool. Be sure to personally test the tools ahead of time, and consider having a teacher give a video conference lecture to a test group of students.
Don't forget security
Securing your school’s data and protecting the privacy of your students is vital when selecting technology and providing it to your users. The same technology we use to protect the world’s financial and medical data can help you protect your staff and families.
During this crisis, we are offering extended, no cost access to MaaS360 (for securing devices), Cloud Identity (for user authentication), and Quad9, a solution that helps prevent mistakenly going to malicious sites.
Train your staff
Once you have selected a solution, make sure your staff understands its use. Provide lists of assets and sessions where your staff can try it out before using it with students. It is wise to invest in ensuring teachers are comfortable with the new technology.
Tool roll out
Recommending a tool to new users can go smoothly with a little planning:
- Be positive
- Address chief concerns
- Have support ready
- Check if the company provides additional resources