Coronavirus In Mount Vernon: Meeting Online For Learning

Patch
·5 min read

This article originally appeared on the Mount Vernon Patch

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The new coronavirus has closed school buildings in the Mount Vernon City School District for now, so the district’s 650 teachers and 8,500 students have switched to digital learning – consuming video content, having classroom discussions and completing assignments for teachers all online.

The number of students attending school online and checking in with their teachers is growing each day, said Deputy Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jeff Gorman. Teachers, teaching assistants and administrators have been reaching out to individual families to make sure the students are aware of the digital learning opportunity and that they are able to connect with the district.

The first schools in the district closed March 4 after two families voluntarily quarantined themselves due to possible exposure to the virus officially known as COVID-19. SEE: Mount Vernon Closes Schools Over Coronavirus

On March 13, Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton announced all the city's schools would transition to a digital learning model while everyone practiced social distancing in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

The district created and submitted to the state its extensive emergency plan for a long-term closing. Part of the proposal was the district’s Educational Digital Learning Plan, which was developed by Gorman and Director of Technology Joseph McGrath and is guiding the district’s digital learning program.

After teachers prepared, the district moved into full digital instruction March 17 with administrators, teachers and students all at home — the same day New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced all the state's schools would be closed until April 1.

“I am so proud of our administrators, our teachers, our staff and our students, who have not only taken on this challenge to make the transformation to digital learning but to do it with enthusiasm and excitement,” Dr. Hamilton said. “I am looking forward to the day when our teachers and students return to the classroom and we layer in this deeper digital learning environment for the betterment of our students."

McGrath said he has restructured technical support in response to the needs of the situation. Parents who are having trouble accessing Digital Learning Resources can call (914) 665-6203 and leave a voice mail that is actively manned. Those messages are then converted into a work order system and then a technician calls the parent and works through the issue by either remotely fixing the problem or providing the parent with information so they can get it done.

Several internet providers – Altice USA, Comcast, Spectrum and AT&T – are offering free or reduced cost for internet access to students who are affected by school closures.

Teachers are creating content daily through Schoology’s online learning management system and the district’s digital content resources. Students are accessing lessons and assignments through their smart-phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. Digital learning is also being supplemented with a traditional approach of workbooks, textbooks and packets.

As a base activity, students are viewing educational videos through Discovery Education and then meeting in online classrooms for discussion and performing assigned activities related to the topics. In addition, teachers are creating assignments in their content areas based on the district’s plentiful digital resources. They include but are not limited to envision 2.0 Mathematics, Pearson Journeys and Collections, Scholastic, HMH Social Studies, Kahn Academy, ACT, Naviance, Discovery Education’s STEM Connect, Waterford, and iReady.

Dr. Gorman highlighted a sixth-grade class from Columbus School where the teacher provides videos on coronavirus, and engages in related online discussions with the students. In the very near future this type of lesson will include a video conference with another country’s class to compare how each country is dealing with the virus.

“It is such a progressive way of learning, it is project-based learning, and it is happening because of the technology that’s here,” he said.

Another student from another class, he said, had recorded himself having a mock CNN interview, where he described the intricacies of the virus. This type of project work deepens the learning experience and makes it more meaningful for the student.

"We don’t want to overload the teachers with all of the possibilities the first week, but we have the opportunity here to embrace critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication( the 4 C’s) using an amazing array of digital tools," McGrath said. "Our administrators, teachers, teaching assistants and other staff members have already exceeded so many expectations. In the face of this crisis, they continue to be spectacular."

As a leader in the integration of technology into the learning environment, the school district has many content creation tools at its disposal for staff and students to use on a daily basis. These include Microsoft 365 educational suite, Adobe SPARK, Screencast-O-Matic, Zoom, OneNote, AVID instructional strategies.

“Our staff, our students and our parents are using this technology to connect with each other through the educational process,” McGrath said. “The sense of community is a strong part of our process and our beliefs. That, in conjunction with the school community’s determination and talent is what is making this work so amazingly in such a short time."

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