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| NEW DISTRICTS JOIN DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM |
Canajoharie has joined the full Distance
Learning program for the 2020-2021 school year.
A number of existing Distance Learning districts implemented
additional full DL spaces this past summer, including Berne-Knox-Westerlo,
Duanesburg, and Schoharie.See
Supported Video Sites.
65 Districts and BOCES across Eastern New York State are participating
in the Distance Learning and videoconferencing programs for
the 2020-2021 school year. |
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| REMOTE LEARNING RESOURCES AVAILABLE
FOR DISTANCE LEARNING INSTRUCTORS AND TA's |
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In an effort to help schools manage shifts to virtual learning,
continuity of instruction, and communication with stakeholders
and communities, the Distance Learning program is making a
series of important resources available.
Virtual Learning Resources
This resource site contains information about a variety of
online and virtual tools, who they are intended for, and how
to access them. Our recommendation at this time is that you
use the tools you already have or are comfortable using whenever
possible.
Online Conferencing Guidance
The BOCES of New York
State has created a website that will help any district, teacher,
and Board of Education better impact learning and protect
itself when using online conferencing in any format.
Distance Learning Practitioners' Meetings
Distance Learning Teachers, Teaching Assistants and Teachers
Aides are invited to participate twice a year (usually in
January and June) in a regional Distance Learning Practitioner's
Meeting.
Our most recent meeting was held on
Thursday, June 11, 2020. A recording of the meeting can be
found here
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| TELETHERAPY GUIDANCE & RESOURCES
FOR SCHOOLS |
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In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, school districts are having
to use online practices and platforms to connect with students
with special needs. Many districts are new to these practices
of teletherapy. This guidance is designed to assist school
districts with best practices and suggestions to consider
when transitioning to teletherapy.
Teletherapy guidance can be found here
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DL EXPANDS DISTRICT BORDERS
WITH NEW EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEARLY 200 STUDENTS
A new partnership between
NERIC's eLearning Service, Questar III and Coxsackie-Athens
School District is helping support the district's mission
of “Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's Possibilities.”
"The distance learning program
at Coxsackie-Athens has provided students here and in the
region with tremendous opportunities that they may have otherwise
not had access to," explained Carly Mead, technology
integration specialist for the school. "Our students
have options to enroll in cutting-edge courses in technology,
foreign language, business and American Sign Language, all
of which support the 21st century skills which are essential
to college- and career-readiness."
 In
the distance learning classroom, Coxsackie-Athens students connect
with instructors and students from such districts as Berne-Knox-Westerlo,
Brushton-Moira and Taconic Hills, a district also new to distance
learning as of this fall. During a French III class with Taconic
Hills, the students interacted through video screens, asking
and answering questions in French while the teacher observed.
“I think it’s interesting that the class is taught
this way,” shared a student. “I can find all my assignments
on the Internet. We even have a special app on our phones that
allows students to communicate with each other. It’s like
Facebook, but for school!”
In certain classes, the use of laptops has made distance learning
a virtually paperless experience for the students. When materials
are involved, a teaching assistant located in the classroom
aids students in placing their assignments on a document camera
for the teacher to see and verify. Later the assistant scans
the documents and sends them electronically to the instructor.
"The program here at Coxsackie-Athens has been a collective
effort between teachers, administrators, representatives at
NERIC and our professional partners at districts from all across
New York state," added Mead. "We are very pleased
with the feedback we have been
receiving from students about the programmDistance Learning
studentsing that is being offered this year and we are excited
about how our distance learning program will continue to enrich
the lives of students in the years to come."
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