PRESIDENT’S BLOG: A LOOK INSIDE DISTANCE LEARNING
“If you give people tools, (and they use) their natural ability and their curiosity, they will develop things in ways that will surprise you very much beyond what you might have expected. I’m a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they’re interested in.”
– Bill Gates
I will never forget the day my parents brought home our first computer, an Apple IIe. We had the same version at my middle school where I took a computer programming course in DOS and learned how to program the cursor to move across the screen. We had an Epson dot matrix printer to print out my school work with typing skills honed from training on an electronic typewriter in my typing class. The computer sat next to our rotary phone. Who would have envisioned these two devices would one day blend together to offer instant communication and information? Think back to the technology of the 1980s: floppy disks, modems, Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets, BASIC and Matthew Broderick in Wargames.
In the world of education we often search for ways to integrate technology into our curriculum and use it to enhance the learning process. Our students have grown up in a digital world where communication and networking is instant. Effective distance learning methods were introduced to many of us by Sal Kahn and his Kahn Academy videos. Kahn’s videos went from youTube to his own website when he caught the attention of Bill Gates (Gates’ children used the videos to help with their math and science classes) and the Gates Foundation, which helped Kahn launch the Academy website in the fall of 2010. Kahn influenced the method of “flipping” the classroom, where teachers used his videos as homework to preface their lessons. As Kahn developed videos for all disciplines, his approach and resources became a phenomenon as teachers integrated his videos as well as other resources to distance learning platforms.
AMHS has used the Moodle platform since before my arrival in 2006. As a teacher I used Moodle during the school year and developed a hybrid online course for Washington State History I taught during the summer. The use of Moodle in a hybrid concept allowed for my summer students to maintain their busy summer schedule and still satisfy the instructional hours necessary for credit for the class. Many of our teachers who have used Moodle effectively do so with a flipped approach to instruction and organize their curriculum with Moodle as a holding space. As we shift our instruction to distance learning in this time of social distancing, we are confident our platform will allow our students to fulfill their courses this school year. I invited a few members of our school to share their thoughts about distance learning.
Alicia Mitchell, Principal
AMHS began preparing for a potential transition to distance learning using our existing learning management system, Moodle, several weeks before the announced school closure. The hard work of our faculty allowed us to continue high quality teaching and learning at AMHS without interruption. Although our teachers were already experienced with using Moodle, they have continued to expand their toolkit to further engage students in their learning and maintain a sense of community through the use of technology in these unprecedented times.
What sets AMHS apart is that we are defined by a pioneering spirit, the school after all was founded by four families who came together around a kitchen table with a pioneering spirit and a desire to open the first Catholic High School in Snohomish County. As a community this pioneering spirit continues to be evident in our virtual space as we have now made the move fully into distance learning using online tools. Through a planned phased process we began with two transition days, one on campus with students where teachers went over the distance learning expectations with their classes, followed by a second day off campus where students prepared for distance learning at home.
Then we held our first full week of school with instruction delivered via our Moodle platform, with a goal of getting students into the routine of distance learning and gathering their feedback at the end of the week to help inform our practice moving forward. Now as we enter the next phase of our distance learning plans, teachers are incorporating more regular social interaction among their classes, using asynchronous tools like discussion boards and original videos, as well synchronous tools, such as chat features and video conferencing.
As a former high school teacher, I had experience with a variety of learning management systems prior to becoming an administrator, including Moodle. However, that was many years ago and I felt the need to brush up on my skills set as a first step. So as part of this transition, I set up a Moodle Course for the AMHS faculty prior to the school closure. I use this Faculty Moodle Course to model virtual learning and continue updating it as a resource for the AMHS faculty. This virtual space has given us a central location to continue collaborating as a staff. The incredibly talented and creative AMHS faculty has also been instrumental in helping lead training sessions and facilitate collaboration on their use of these virtual tools. Not only did they lead sessions prior to the school closure, but they have continued to host meetings via video conferencing. Throughout this process, our faculty remains committed to an engaging student experience.
Jon Echols, Director of Technology, faculty member
Vince Alkire brought Moodle to AMHS in the 2003-2004 school year. We were an early adopter of Moodle back then. Over the next couple of years we encouraged teachers to use Moodle with limited success. Early on I would guess that we had less than 20% of teachers using Moodle. In 2005-06 we were asked to develop a pandemic plan for the Avian (Bird) Flu that was spreading in Asia. AMHS developed APEEP (AMHS Pandemic Emergency Education Plan). As part of this plan all teachers needed to be prepared to have two weeks of content ready on Moodle if the school had to close its doors. In addition to being prepared for a pandemic we thought that this would promote more teachers to adopt Moodle into their everyday classroom.
APEEP also spawned “Moodle Days”– these were days where the students and teachers would practice using Moodle. Utilizing state in-service days, students would stay home and view courses online. Teachers would deliver and collect content using Moodle. Every year teachers were trained on using Moodle during inservice days, before and after school training, optional drop in, and countless one-on-one sessions. Over the next 10 years, AMHS would have one or two Moodle Days per year. As more teachers used Moodle as part of their daily routine, the number of teachers using Moodle regularly at AMHS is now up well over 80%. With such a high number of teachers using Moodle on a daily basis we decided that we no longer required Moodle Days about 4 years ago. With teachers and students integrating Moodle into their daily routine already at AMHS, the transition to online learning has not been a complete restart for delivering instruction to our students.
I want to emphasize here that our teachers are working extremely hard and doing an amazing job to teach online. They deserve to be recognized for their dedication and professionalism.
Katie Campbell, ASB moderator, faculty member; Kainoa Evans (ASB officer)
Our students are resilient! Within minutes of the closure announcement, Student Council members were sending us ideas.
We had to cancel Tolo, a Senior Class Office event, but this didn’t stop their school spirit. Students posted photos of their Spirit Week attire on social media, primarily Instagram. The ASB Instagram account highlighted a few submissions, mostly those of faculty and staff–we had a great turn out from faculty and staff!
Moreover, the school closure gave us an opportunity to engage with the students through Instagram, a popular outlet of communication for teachers today. Courtesy of the faculty and staff, we were able to launch our first Instagram activity: Guess That Desk! Members of the faculty and staff sent us pictures of their work spaces at home and we posted them on Instagram challenging the student body to guess whose desk is who’s. Many students commented their guesses on the post and there was a great turn out overall.
In addition, with the school closure and unique situation we are currently in, the College Board has made significant changes to how they will administer AP Exams and also to the structure of each test. Moreover, they have set up live, daily online review sessions with AP teachers so students can gain extra preparation for their upcoming tests. They made these announcements through their Instagram account so we made sure to repost these announcements on our Instagram so our many AP students could have direct access to this important information and be further encouraged to utilize these valuable resources.
The students want to mimic normalcy as much as possible. Each member of the Leadership class wrote a special prayer intention to offer up each weekday. They sent these out on Remind and posted to Instagram. We sent out information to families about the Remind and Instagram accounts, encouraging families to sign up.
There’s much more to come, too! We’ll be having Wildcat Wednesday each week and the freshmen class members are planning activities. That’s the beauty of our Student Council, everyone pitches in and wants the best for our student body.
Each class office has a day of the week to plan activities. They are “meeting” via group chats and Google docs. We set up shared folders on Google Drive after elections last spring, for summer communication and planning. We wanted to give the kids time to adjust to online learning before we approached Leadership curriculum and activities.
It’s heartbreaking to hear the kids talk about missing events, like Tolo, or when they ask us if they’ll have a Prom after months of planning. Unfortunately, the Student Council hears the complaints of the student body more than anyone, and I know it wears on them. They’ve been doing a great job keeping spirits up and communicating to their peers. They are a huge source of support for their classmates, and they do a fabulous job!
I know the faculty and staff submissions for Desk Detectives really picked up their spirits. It’s important for them to know we’re still a community, all of us. Student Council has been amazing during this time and I know what they have planned will be just as great!
Steve Schmutz, President
This transition to distance learning and social distancing has been challenging in so many ways. What is most concerning to many of us is the added anxiety and stress this has added to the daily lives of our students and our faculty and staff. With a school of 500 students and 70 faculty/staff we have a significant advantage over a larger school with regards to our adult to student ratio. Our class sizes are small, and our students receive a great deal of support both in and outside of the classroom from a variety of adults on campus, including our counselors, administrators, coaches and club moderators.
Over the past few years we have developed a Wellness program to focus on ministering to the overall health of our students in mind, body, and spirit. During this time of online learning and time away from campus, we are extending this program virtually in weekly announcements to families. The Wellness Wednesdays announcement includes resources for families to address topics such as isolation anxiety, physical health/fitness/nutrition while in a limited social environment, and prayer and faith resources.
Our counselors have set up methods of communication with students using Zoom and Google Meet (video conferencing). This allows students to contact their counselor for needed support during this time. Various student groups are planning virtual touchpoints with their community, including our honors choir, the choral-aires, who are organizing an online talent show.
I am extremely proud of our faculty who are the most connected with our students at this time. They are maintaining instruction and more importantly, a sense of structure and daily routine for our students. Teachers use a wide variety of instructional techniques for their online education through Moodle. The collaboration within departments and between departments has been inspiring–our colleagues are working hard to support and help one another throughout this process. Our teachers have helped students establish a daily schedule, complete with a home office/workstation, encouragement for taking appropriate breaks for mental and physical wellness, and continue to encourage students to reflect in prayer as we do each day at our opening and closing of school.
Social distancing may keep us from our campus, but it will not prevent our community from staying in touch or in support of one another. With our online platform of Moodle our students will stay on schedule to complete their coursework on time, take their scheduled final exams, and matriculate to the next grade level or to college as planned.
“(Y)ou can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
– Steve Jobs, Stanford University commencement address, June 2005
