Technology Panel
The EIU Rural School Initiative and Rural Teacher Corps partnered to host a tech panel to share experiences as schools shifted to remote learning; they spoke on techniques of what worked, what didn’t, and how they adjusted. Our panel consisted of the following educators:
· Dr. Jeremy Larson, Superintendent, Paris Union School District 95
· Ms. Lisa Coburn, Tech Coord, Westville & Illini Chapter of IDEA
· Mr. Dan Allen, HS Principal, Sullivan CUSD#300
· Mr. Jordan Bear, Tech Specialist, Neoga CUSD#3
· Ms. Suzie Bosler, 3rd Grade, Carl Sandburg, Charleston CUSD#1
· Ms. Erin Hoffman, Kindergarten, Brownstown CUSD #201
· Ms. Brittany Burzinski, Special Ed, Stratton Academy of the Arts, Champaign CUSD#4
The panel named several strategies that aided them throughout the fall and spring pandemic. These strategies include, but are not limited to, using a team of collaborators specifically for remote learning, providing free lunches for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, consistently checking on the social-emotional well-being of students and families, and using social media to check in with parents and administrators. An important part of remote teaching is education for the children AND parents. The panel teachers reported that learning an online teaching software was difficult, but collaboration and “taking it day by day” aided them to take advantage of their circumstances.
There are a wide variety of technology products that are provided to students across rural Illinois. Apple iPads and Google Chromebooks were among the most prevalent hardware. Apps such as Google Classroom, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Loom, Screencastify, Edgenuity, Apptegy, and Clever were used to enhance the remote teaching experience and make it more efficient.