The latest available data show that three in four high school students had logged in to the district’s online portal on an average day the following week, a district spokesperson told Chalkbeat.
New York City schools began its attendance tracking effort last week. Teachers are counting “daily meaningful interactions,” which can include participation in an online discussion, a completed assignment, any response to a teacher’s email, or even communication with a family member that indicates a student is engaged.
Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated the initial picture would be worrisome. Teachers are “reaching a lot of kids,” he said, but “there’s clearly an issue with attendance.”
The district isn’t using this “for the purposes of any kind of punitive measures,” Denver Public Schools superintendent Susana Cordova said. It’s “really to make sure we’re engaged with our students.
“Merely logging in does not tell us anything more than the student turned on their computer,” Los Angeles superintendent Austin Beutner said in a speech last week. “The absence of a log-in, when a student is reading a book or working on a writing assignment, can leave a misleading digital footprint.”
Qualitative researchers: Does anyone have any general pointers on conducting qualitative work in this environment other than doing interviews or focus groups over Zoom? Example: I (normally) do a lot of participant observation work. Where and how will I do this or do it as well as I have done it?
At this moment, my focus is all on teaching. But if this situation becomes more prolonged, I need to figure out how to keep the research going too.
Augmented Reality + Videoconferencing: meet together virtually in the same place, collaborate and communicate as if you were there. Demo below, links to try it yourself to follow! pic.twitter.com/AbZAof0cJ5
Importantly, today’s educators in the digital-era have a range of new teaching methods, activities and resources they can consider when choosing their learning designs. Although the traditional face-to-face lecture is not dead, delivering a monologue for an hour to a passive audience of learners is hardly the gold standard of good teaching in the 21st Century–irrespective of delivery mode. This point should not be overlooked in the rush to replace conventional teaching with live online sessions using platforms like Zoom.
Most importantly, what we want to avoid is using old 19th Century teaching methods on new 21st Century technologies to merely dump large volumes of undigested information down large digital diameter pipes to relatively inactive and passive learners.
ICDE has a series of forthcoming webinars you can join and you will find around a dozen different types of online course offerings available right now for educators on our NIDL Resource Bank.
Whether we use synchronous or asynchronous online sessions, whether we call it distance or virtual learning, we’re all challenged to provide meaningful education experiences at a distance as the education world grapples with the impact of Covid-19.
this faculty group conversation is the result of the Zoom issues lately:
Hi everyone, I’m looking for a video conferencing tool/platform that does not need to be downloaded onto a student device (the way that Zoom does, so no Zoom), and operates through a website or in the cloud. It needs to be safe, student friendly, and can accommodate a group of 20, also needs to be able to be used with an iPad. Thoughts? Much appreciated.
8×8.vc https://8×8.vc/ – doesn’t work on safari but chrome/firefox on laptops. on mobile, you’ll need to download the 8×8 Video Meetings app. I’ve used it with over 60 people and it works just fine. If you pick a sufficiently random room name that will stop anyone from guessing it and jumping in. It has screen sharing, call in ability. You can’t kick anyone and if you mute people, they can unmute themselves… there is no “host” but it works pretty well for what I’ve needed lately.
