By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka School District intends to publicize its distance learning plan later today, Superintendent Mary Wegner said. It will be in effect as long as the schools remain closed as a precaution against spread of the coronavirus.
Teachers will be devising their own instruction plans, which will rely heavily on computer communication, and Wegner said the school district will be loaning laptops to families that need them. Local communications companies ACS and GCI are offering free internet service to those in need for the time being.
The superintendent said families should expect to hear today about the precise methods of distance learning that are planned for their students. She noted that these methods will vary school to school, and even class to class.
“Schools are communicating very clearly with their families what their plans are,” Wegner said.
All Alaska schools will be shuttered until at least May 1 as ordered by Gov. Dunleavy. Sitka schools have been closed since March 13, the start of spring break. The mandated closures started March 23, making it necessary for the schools to develop distance learning plans. Sitka school staff have used the last week to plan for distance learning.
Remote learning is scheduled to begin in Sitka schools Monday.
Wegner praised school staff for their ability to deal with rapidly changing circumstances.
“Some of the things that I’m really excited about in our plan is that every school has really taken this remote learning to heart,” she said.
Specifically, Wegner said that schools will use Microsoft Teams and Zoom as remote learning platforms.
Looking forward, Wegner identified some challenges that local students and schools will face.
“What is grading going to look like? Will we be able to hold a graduation?... How do we accurately record the learning that is happening?”
She noted that “most of the work is going to be asynchronous,” meaning that live communication will not be the norm. Wegner said this would reduce the time burden on families, especially those with multiple children.
Citing her doctoral studies in distance learning, Wegner said that the new environment will change classroom dynamics.
“When you’re in a face-to-face class… you take on a persona as a student, but when you’re online it’s all new. Everybody got the same playing field. There’s nobody who is sitting in the front of a class.”
Wegner noted that mental health counseling services will remain active during the school closures, albeit online.
The process of shifting to distance learning will be challenging, she said.
“We ask for patience; this is new to all of us,” she said.
School Board Meeting
The Sitka School Board met over video conference in executive session Thursday night, and decided to postpone the discussion on the search for an interim superintendent until 6:30 p.m. Monday.