Distance Learning for All
ODE Guidance and Resources from Your SOESD
Dear Educators,
We hope what we have compiled and curated below is a manageable set of excellent resources to help you to begin to build distance learning instructional skills. Remembering that care and connection are the priority during this time is paramount, which includes SELF-care and connection with your own needs. Finding balance during this strange time for ourselves and our students will make all the difference.
Sincerely,
Your SOESD Regular Attendance Team
Using Project Based Learning and Design Thinking to Encourage and Empower Your Students
Design Thinking and Problem Based Learning, both individually and combined, can be a tremendous source of creativity, inspiration, and wellness for students personally, their families, as well as their communities.
The diagram above illustrates that design thinking can be applied to any problem that needs a solution and can be used within a variety of disciplines. Design thinking puts empathy for those experiencing the problem in the center of the design process through an interview process. The problem is then clearly defined and then the brainstorming process for solutions can begin through ideation. A solution is then chosen and tested, and then depending on the results, the solution may continue to be refined until the desired outcome is achieved.
Lane ESD's School Improvement Team has put together an incredible example of an interdisciplinary Project Based Learning unit on wellness for middle schoolers that they consider to be "open source" and have offered up to be shared with and adapted by other districts. It is very well thought out and includes educator and student planning documents that are aligned to state standards in ELA, Social Studies, Math, Science and Health and PE, as well as the Buck Institute and PBLWorks best practices for project based learning. Also included are accommodations for distance learning in reading, writing and math. There are multiple opportunities to encourage and empower our students to become active problem-solvers by using Design Thinking throughout this very well organized project.
The Big Question that students will answer throughout the project:
"How can I meaningfully support the health and wellness of my community during times of physical distancing?"
When we give our students an opportunity to truly innovate, we encourage and empower them in ways we never could have imagined possible.
A Slide Deck for Teaching Remotely: Online Resources for Engagement in a Variety of Modalities
The Parent's Guide for Using Google Classroom: En Español
Advice From Asia: Teachers and Admin Who Lived Through The Transition To Virtual Schooling
Topics Covered for K-12:
- Planning for teaching online
- Scheduling synchronous online classes
- What teachers should take home with them
- How to use student/family/staff feedback about the transition to inform its evolution
Click and watch the video below to find out more, and look up the podcast to get more information that isn't covered in this episode!
The Basics: Virtual Attendance in Oregon (CURRENT Rules for Online Schools)
Oregon attendance rules require students to make two academic contacts a week to be compliant with full attendance. Academic contacts means a substantive communication that is two way between the STUDENT and their TEACHER(s). These contacts with their teacher(s) must be made on separate days each week.
Examples of academic contacts:
Attending and participating in a live/synchronous online class via a tele-learning/conferencing interface software.
Submitting an assignment and receiving substantial feedback within 24 hours of the initial interaction within the Learning Management System(LMS).
Communication via email including a reply within 24 hours between STUDENT and TEACHER(s).
A live phone call between STUDENT and TEACHER(s).
Each of these contacts will be counted as one half of the days available to students as part of the school calendar each week. Students that do not make these contacts for a substantive amount of time must be dropped in accordance with Oregon attendance rules.
At this time, we have not received attendance-specific guidelines that apply to Distance Learning for All. Your SOESD Regular Attendance Team has experience in virtual learning attendance and is available to support you in making the above guidelines more concrete and personalized for your district needs until further guidance is available. Let us know how we can serve you!
Southern Oregon Educational Service District: Regular Attendance Team
Email: kirsten_valenzuela@soesd.k12.or.us
Website: soesd.k12.or.us
Location: 101 North Grape Street, Medford, OR, USA
Phone: (541)245-8969