Summer Preparations for Remote Learning in Fall 2020

This past spring, COVID-19 completely altered educators’ daily schedules. Given this unexpected crisis, educators all around the world had to transition to the new normal of remote learning. Now this summer, educators focus on their preparations for remote learning fall 2020.

In a recent conversation on the Tackling Tech Podcast, Stephanie Howell (@mrshowell24), IT Coordinator for Pickerington School District, shared with us how she plans to use this summer to take a step back to plan, absorb, and reflect on the past school year. With the stress of COVID-19, she explains it has been hard to disconnect, but it is important to reflect on the past couple months of remote learning, when looking towards preparations for the fall.

Summer Preparations for Remote Learning in Fall 2020

Stephanie plans to spend her summer reflecting on the past couple months of remote learning and how they have gone. She as well wants to get her “to-do” list together, so she can complete the tasks she needs to get done to prepare for next school year. 

Stephanie’s school district has also been hard at work preparing for remote learning in Fall 2020. Her district currently has 21 different models for what the next school year could look like based on information given by the health department and their governor. With the many possibilities of what next semester could look like, they are staying open-minded. Pickerington School District understands that even if they are back in the classroom, they might have students who will not be able to come back, so they are preparing for what this blended learning environment would look like. 

Educators are coming to terms with the idea of the learning environment never fully going back to normal, so preparations must be done for remote learning in Fall 2020. Stephanie believes the most important preparation teachers can do at this time is to reflect on what they have learned from this remote learning experience thus far and then begin to prepare for how to use technology even more effectively during the Fall 2020 semester.

Other Priorities in Preparation for Fall 2020

Pickerington School District understands that a part of being fully prepared for next school year includes thinking beyond the effects of COVID-19. A part of this preparation includes teacher training sessions. One of the teacher training programs they use is Google Bootcamps. This program allows teachers to work on their Google skills and continue to refine to use Google in the classroom, whether that be remote learning or the in-person classroom. 

Another program Pickerington School District teachers have been using to prepare for remote learning fall 2020 is Matt Miller’s remote learning class. This class emphasizes how to be a better teacher no matter what setting you are in. It is a great opportunity for teachers to prepare for all the different scenarios for next fall semester.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us all to expect the unknown and now school districts must prepare for all types of possibilities and how remote learning fall 2020 may look. IT Coordinator Stephanie Howell suggests taking this time to reflect on the past quarter of remote learning to best prepare for what is to come.

Listen to full conversation with Stephanie Howell

Stephanie Howell, the IT coordinator for Pickerington School District in Ohio, shares her experience training teachers during remote learning. Her district has 21 models of what next year could look like and is preparing this summer for all possibilities. Stephanie turned to her international Personal Learning Network for guidance when COVID derailed the school year.