Kindergarten teacher Latoya McGriff was ahead of the curve with using the internet to reach her students and their parents. Aiken County public schools are closed and have transitioned to distance learning. McGriff, a teacher at Warrenville Elementary School, has been using Facebook Live to teach both students and parents for the past six months on her weekly show, "Story Time with Ms. McGriff."
“When one of my kids came to pick up their distance learning packets,” McGriff said. “Their eyes watered up, they truly do miss me. They miss my classroom structure. It’s not just me, these students are going to miss having that classroom interaction with all of their teachers.”
Throughout this transition, the school district is working to equip teachers to educate students remotely.
“The district is providing virtual professional development sessions to help teachers learn how to use videoconferencing to engage parents and students,” Charlene Heard, Warrenville Elementary's principal, said. "Teachers also use other platforms such as ClassDojo to stay connected with parents and students."
Many of teachers packed white boards, magnetic letters and other instructional materials to model for students in preparation to leave their classrooms for weeks.
"Nothing replaces having students in the classroom," Heard said. "In small groups, and one-on-one with the teachers. Teachers are making every effort to recreate the classroom experience by using a variety of online platforms to meet the needs of their students.”
McGriff does have experience using Facebook Live to read to her students but the main challenge is that she cannot hear feedback from students on that application.
“Right now, what I’ve been working on is trying to figure out which app will reach my students the most effectively,” McGriff said. “For example, ClassDojo, I usually use that during class to track behavior and that’s all I’ve ever used it for. I have never used it to assign assignments. So now, I’m exploring more with it. Dojo has added some features to help with the distance learning because of the coronavirus."
Heard believes Aiken County's team of teachers will find the best method to engage students effectively.
“Ms. McGriff is a very innovative teacher,” Heard said “She is always looking for ways to engage children of all ages. She is an example of the dedicated teachers in Aiken County.”
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