In the digital era in which we live, where more and more educational experiences occur in virtual territory, having efficient distance learning tools has become a pressing need for primary and secondary educational institutions.
In addition to situations like the pandemic, which made us understand that we need to have alternative remote lists in the face of global eventualities, let us remember that today’s children are digital natives and we must adapt to their reality and interests to provide them with quality education, even when we do not. They can physically attend the classroom.
Today we will explore some specific tips to better adapt to distance learning, creating the necessary digital infrastructure and making it part of their permanent value proposition.
What is the importance of all schools being able to offer distance education?
Distance education has become a current necessity in the current educational landscape, since it not only allows the continuity of learning to be maintained, even in crisis situations that prevent access to the physical school environment, it also provides the opportunity to expand access. to teaching, allowing children and young people to receive education regardless of their geographical location.
On the one hand, remote teaching enables many more opportunities to level up the school population in remote or disadvantaged areas, which contributes to social development; on the other hand, it also allows us to better adapt to the formats and contents to which schools are accustomed. new generations.
For example, today it is much easier for those who have grown up with computers, iPads and cell phones to feel familiar and motivated with digital books, educational games and interactive virtual classrooms.
For all of the above, even if your main model remains in-person, it is important that your school can have a hybrid approach and that it is always ready to migrate to a 100% remote one in case of any eventuality.
6 basic strategies to implement and optimize distance learning at your school
Most decision makers in primary and secondary schools agree that it is necessary to increase efficiency and improve the use of digital tools for online education.
The problem is that, many times, we do not know where to start, how to optimize resources and even how to help families so that they also promote correct distance learning from home.
Let’s look at six strategies that, together, can be very useful for your school, since they are designed so that all people involved: teachers, students, parents and academic staff, align with the key objectives of distance learning.
Promote soft skills for self-management and coexistence
Distance learning demands better self-management and organization skills from students, because it is easier for them to become distracted, since they have less direct supervision. Schools can provide guidance and support in developing study strategies that increase concentration, attention spans, and a sense of responsibility.
For example, teaching students to establish routines, manage their time and motivate themselves. In addition, promoting social skills such as effective communication, empathy and conflict resolution throughout the family will help everyone at home to have a better coexistence.
Promote digital literacy of teachers, students and parents
One of the great challenges of distance learning is that not all actors involved are familiar with digital tools and online learning platforms. In fact, during the pandemic, the digital divide between adults and young people gave rise to an interesting phenomenon: students were often better aware of digital tools than teachers and their parents.
Provide ongoing training and support to your teachers, ensuring they are up to date on the latest educational technologies and can truly make the most of the tools and digital infrastructure your institution has already invested in. In addition, it is important to involve parents, providing them with guidance, resources and workshops so that they can effectively supervise their children’s distance learning.
Finally, part of digital literacy also means that students understand the rights and responsibilities associated with using technology. We must address topics such as online privacy, cyberbullying, digital identity management and respect for others in the virtual environment.
Ensure security and proctoring (anti-cheat) mechanisms
Ensuring that exams and assessments are administered fairly and reliably can be more complicated in the virtual environment, as there are many things in the student’s context that are not under our control and that can promote cheating.
Therefore, any distance learning strategy requires security and anti-cheating mechanisms to prevent plagiarism and guarantee academic integrity. This may include using remote monitoring tools, designing individualized assessments, and creating clear conduct policies during online exams.
Invest in an adequate technological infrastructure
We know that the resources of academic institutions, especially when they belong to the public sector, are often a cause for concern. However, it is possible to enable distance learning with a very affordable investment, as long as we know how to make the most of the digital tools available.
Implementing an efficient and easy-to-use online learning platform is key to distance learning success. This should allow teachers to share educational materials, assign homework and assessments, facilitate communication with students, and offer timely feedback.
In addition to enabling a robust and reliable technology infrastructure, schools can turn to free cloud services or establish social responsibility agreements with internet service providers to ensure that all students have access to the necessary resources.
Formative and diversified evaluation
To ensure fairer and more relevant assessment in distance learning, in addition to traditional multiple-choice tests, your teachers can use design thinking projects, exhibitions, online debates, creation of educational content on social networks or essays to evaluate student performance.
Formative assessment, which is conducted on an ongoing basis and provides constructive feedback, is especially useful for monitoring student progress and adjusting teaching strategies as necessary.
Promote collaboration and virtual interaction between students
Distance learning can be a lonely experience for some students, so it is essential to encourage collaboration and interaction between them, even in a virtual environment. Technological tools offer various possibilities to facilitate communication and teamwork, such as discussion forums, online study groups and video conferencing sessions.
In addition, virtual collaboration also prepares students to work in increasingly connected and global work environments, where remote communication is increasingly common.