by Alex Brooks
Governor Cuomo announced over the weekend of May 2 that New York public schools are not going to reopen for the remainder of this school year, so remote classes will continue until the end of the year. The Eastwick Press asked Hoosick Falls Superintendent Patrick Dailey how the remote learning effort is going. He said it has been a steep learning curve for the teachers, as only five or six of them were using Google classroom at the time the school was closed. But he said they have responded beautifully, and now 95% of the normal curriculum is happening on Google classroom. He said the teachers are helping each other to master the software and to share best practices in the remote learning environment.
He said the teachers hold classes in which the teacher does most of the talking (but students can ask questions, of course) and they also hold “office hours” when students can hold video conferences one on one with teachers. He said overall he believes teachers are working as much or more than they do normally, and they are putting a big effort into making the new learning environment work for all their students.
Dailey said most of the students are able to connect, either through their regular home internet connection or through cellular networks using their phone account. He said Verizon and AT&T are allowing unlimited data for all students’ phone accounts without additional charge as a special measure to help enable remote learning. However, he said 5% of the students do not have internet access, not because they can’t afford it but because they are located in places where cable internet connections are not available and cell phone signals are not strong enough. Dailey said the District has a total of 700 Chromebooks, of which 250 are out on loan to students. The rest of the students are able to use their own computer equipment.
Dailey said we must recognize that remote learning has its limitations. Especially for the younger students and for students who are struggling to keep up, a lot is lost by not having personal contact and the school setting to work in. Dailey said the District continues to try to respond to students having academic difficulties, but the response is more limited. Teachers can offer one on one video conferences but can’t make home visits. Principals have made home visits, but the number of visits they can do is, of course, limited.
Dailey said testing continues through online platforms, but it is of course more of the “open-book” variety. Students can’t use the library, but there are video resources available through the school to enhance the learning experience.
Leslie Whitcomb, Superintendent of the New Lebanon School District, also reports difficulties with remote learning. She reports that many of the students have sufficient internet capabilities, and teachers are able to instruct many students simultaneously. But in other instances, they have to repeat their lessons in a one on one scenario at times when internet is available or the students are able to travel to a hot spot, like a library parking lot. She said the whole effort is very challenging, and for some of the students, teachers are struggling to make it work.