AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tuesday marked the first day of school for students in the Austin Independent School District.
Everyone was required to log in virtually for classes and will continue to do so for the next four weeks.
But some teachers at Bear Creek Elementary School elected to still head to their classrooms to lead virtual instructions there. They were not obligated to do so but chose to for various reasons.
Some said they wanted to feel confident their WiFi would hold up. Others said they wanted the excitement of showing off their classrooms to the kids.
“It’s still exciting. We still get our new kids, we still get to talk to them and have fun with them and laugh. We do all kinds of stuff,” said 1st grade teacher Mrs. Preston.
Principal David Crissey said it was a disappointment to open the brand new school without students in their chairs, but he is thankful that both teachers and families are navigating the virtual platform as best as they can.
“Everybody is in this together,” Crissey said. “We’re giving students and parents lots of grace and they are giving us that grace right back.”
Teachers worked through discussions in a live, synchronous environment, where kids were actively participating in discussions and also asynchronous instruction, where students submitted their assignments for grading later-on.
The teachers asked for both parents and students to show a little patience during these first few weeks as everyone gets the hang of their new virtual environment.
“These first three weeks are about building community and building capacity with the technology tools,” Crissey said.
“Discovery Education”
For the next two years, Bear Creek will partner with “Discovery Education” to offer solutions-based learning tools to students and their teachers to compliment the AISD curriculum.
The goal of the program is to help kids collaborate with other grade levels, guiding their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Teachers also get in-class coaching and 10 days of professional development focusing on STEM instruction.
Bear Creek is the only school in the district with that partnership, Crissey said. Administrators used a portion of the school’s startup funds to enter into the two-year contract.
Technology Update
AISD says every student who requested a Chromebook or iPad will get one.
It’s also checked out more than 15,000 hotspots that are either in students’ hands or ready to be picked up.
An additional 10,000 hotspots are coming to students who may need help with connectivity but haven’t requested a hotspot yet.
261 parked buses will be used as WiFi hotpsots in neighborhoods across Austin. That’s more than double what was rolled out during spring virtual learning.
Reach KXAN’s Education Reporter Alex Caprariello by email at alexc@kxan.com or by phone at 512-703-5365, or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
Credit: Source link
