Is the Coronavirus a Watershed Moment for Ed Tech and Online Learning?
Source: Gov Tech Published: MARCH 13, 2020
In the spirit of not letting a serious crisis go to waste, the coronavirus may provide online learning with a breakout opportunity.
As U.S. schools — both K-12 and higher ed — prepare for the looming possibility the coronavirus (COVID-19) will force them to shut down classes for an extended period of time, they’re scrambling for ways students can continue doing their schoolwork without physically attending school. Enter ed tech and online learning.
K-12 schools that have already done the heavy lifting to implement one-to-one computing programs and coupled them with an online learning component are ahead of the game when it comes to making such preparations. Though urban and rural schools continue to be challenged in trying to fund and implement such programs.
At this writing, there are more questions than answers about how COVID-19 might spread in the U.S. and the impacts it will have on schools. But every state and school district is (or should be) making plans that include hoping for the best while preparing for the worst. And moving into an online, remote learning scenario continues to be talked up at the national level as an option for schools to consider.
In January I wrote about how 12 states currently permit schools to use e-learning days in lieu of snow days. These states allow students in approved schools to complete online assignments on days when schools have closures, and let schools count these days towards the states’ required yearly total, and will presumably do likewise for COVID-19-related closures.