Wednesday, October 27, 2010
No Snow Days for You!
I just read a very interesting article about the Mississinawa Valley Schools in Darke County, Ohio. Since Ohio school districts can only use three inclement weather days this school year, in the case of a cancelled school day, the students will be required to do online assignments from their home computer. I like the idea and also the rationale from Superintendent Lisa Wendel. She believes that this experience will help prepare students who attend college and will most likely take an online class as part of their college education. Of course many questions arise, such as what if a household does not have a computer? Snow days may soon become a thing of the past, just like using a hard-bound dictionary to check your spelling!
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Wow! Very interesting find! I definately enjoy my snow days, but think this idea is pretty inventive.
ReplyDeleteNow does this mean that the first 3 snow days are made up using online work or any snow days after the allotted three? I wonder if this could work for districts that go over the allotted time? I'm thinking not due to it being labeld "Student Contact Hours" but definately an interesting avenue to investigate.
I too like the thought of doing class work from home, not just on snow days. If only there was a way we could ensure that all students had a computer at home, it could be a regular practice. I know some people have a bad taste in their mouth about online learning, but I don't think it's such a bad idea. I know in my county there is much talk about budget cuts. They could save money on buses and since no one would be in the buildings, they could save on electricity as well.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I get just as excited as kids do on a snow day. I enjoy the ability to sleep in and get some lesson planning done without interruption. Requiring students to do online activities will require the teacher to post the online assignments. I agree that students will likely need to know how to use the internet to do online courses, but kids should be kids. Snow days are rare where I teach, and I intend on enjoying them.
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