Putting the students' needs first, during the COVID-19 outbreak, the school principal of the North Shore Polish Saturday school decided to switch to remote learning in week 8 (March 21, 2020) of the First Term. This required rapid conversion of the existing face-to-face courses to online format.
Researching the online tools and strategies used in other schools helped to prepare my action plan. Signing up with Loom, the screen recording app, allowed me to make test clips using screen sharing and create lesson videos. Over the next seven days, in consultation with the teachers, we decided what should be made available online and what can be cut. By allowing students to study at their own time as a number one priority, I was able to customise the rest of the materials and activities.
Adding the best interactive tools to the 'blended learning' proves that even for young students it can be just as effective as learning in the classroom. We strive to get feedback from students and parents through one-on-one chat sessions or online polls. In addition, we expanded school services to include gaming applications like Kahoot, Google quizzes, access to Google Meet, ZOOM video-conferencing and Google Drive for document storage, as well as the activation of an external Reading Tutor program, YouTube channel and email functionality for students, parents and employees.
DIGITAL SERVICES FOR EDUCATION
- MORE INFORMATION IN EDUCATION PORTFOLIO
- NORTH SHORE POLISH SATURDAY SCHOOL WEBSITE