I just recently flew home to California and the next day woke congested and with flu-like symptoms. I'm not saying it's Swine Flu, but it does make me thankful to a) be married to a nurse and b) be able to work remotely (so I don't have to miss school/work in order to quarantine myself).
Students and teachers don't always have the same opportunities to miss school/work without missing school/work. When H1N1 appears at a school, it can have dire consequences to the health of the student body and staff, but it also disrupts school schedules and keeps students from accessing critical homework, lessons and instruction when they're forced home from school. Recently an Edweek.org article pointed out that the federal government and leading elearning companies are partnering to provide no-gap solutions for schools struck by the H1N1 virus.
The solution is to provide alternative online instructional tools to teachers so that they can rapidly create and deploy activities and resources to replace lost classroom time. For many teachers it will be as easy as posting digital PDFs or website addresses and prompting students to submit reviews/reflections or essays online in a digital drop box (maintaining classroom progress without necessitating physical attendance).
"Federal officials urged school leaders to look into digital resources, webinar support..., online courses, and virtual classrooms as possible ways of delivering education." ("Swine-Flu Plans Put E-Learning in the Spotlight", Edweek)
GlobalClassroom is in full support of this effort and we will continue to provide free digital classrooms to any teachers world wide who wish to be prepared for the H1N1 virus by creating an online classroom with resources and activities. The efforts teachers take today to secure and organize online content will ensure that schools and classrooms can keep running in the case of a school closure.
- Additional Swine Flue coverage by Edweek.org is available here.
- Federal recommendations for school continuity are available from the Ed.gov website.
In an effort to contribute to school preparedness GlobalClassroom has created the Flu Preparedness eSchool which is freely available to teachers and administrators seeking to learn more about being prepared and equipped to meet the demands of a global flu pandemic. In partnership with the University of Vermont and Dr. Jan Carney (of UVM) GC has created several resources specifically designed to impart this important information, including updates, videos, frequently asked questions and school preparedness plans. More information is available here:
- Flu Pandemic eLearning Center
- Preparedness course for teachers
- Preparedness catalog for Schools and Parents
Below is just a taste of what's available through this resource.
For more information please see our 9/15 Press Release or contact rwillis@globalclassroom.us.
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