Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1278320
W H E N R E M O T E L E A R N I N G hit, I was ready. My daughter had been in online school for three years. I teach technology integration. But during this time, our family struggled. I found that my son, a straight-A student in a traditional school setting, got distracted, lost track of assignments, and struggled academically. So what happened? And what would help students like him? It seems to me that we teachers can use our learn- ing management system (LMS) — Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, etc. — to build a digital home base for our learners. Grounding design in a delicate combination of empathy and simplicity, we can use our LMS to build community, increase usability, and keep everyone on track and on task. Start with empathy Empathy in design is crucial. No matter what we prefer as tool selection or ways to submit assignments, we must consider empathic, student-centered choices that we can make. In the end, student-cen- tered design will make it easier for the teacher, too. F i r s t , c r e a t e a p l a c e t h a t h o u s e s everything learners and families need. A checklist with links or a week at a glance on your home page or via email is a solid start, but shouldn't be all you offer. This spring, many learners and families had to visit multiple learning platforms, emails, websites and tools to find, complete and submit online activities. This proved exceedingly difficult for most, as did the lack of consistency from week to week. Look at the online learning experiences you offer from the perspective of your learners. Are they simple, and do they make navigation easy? Do they support learning and build community? If you ask these key questions as you design, the experiences will be better for everyone. ALL SYSTEMS GO The right digital home base can keep students — and you — on track and on task By Sarah Schroeder A digital week-at-a-glance can house everything students and families need. Credit: Slidesmania 30 cta.org Class Act