Like so many teachers, students, parents, and administrators, we’re uncertain about what this school year will bring, especially as school doors slowly start to reopen. Whether learning is going to be taking place in person, at home, or as part of a hybrid model, we know that we couldn’t let STEM learning opportunities fall by the wayside.
Like fellow members of the education world, we’ve realized there’s a bit more to educating the whole child than simply ensuring they have a strong foundational background in STEM. As the school year begins, STEM remains important, but we’re also committed to ensuring students have the chance to focus on social-emotional restoration.
We’re starting to learn more about the plans in the country’s largest school districts, which include remote learning, hybrid reopenings, and an attempt at full in-person education. But, there are still those educators who feel like it remains too unsafe to fully return to normal and probably plenty of others who aren’t completely comfortable with going back part-time either.
Despite so much uncertainty, there’s one thing we know for sure: We don’t want students to veer off course in terms of STEM and real-world skills development, so we’ve been working on creating custom STEAM kits that can be used to help educators teach key topics, allow students to work independently, and are conducive to different environments.
Reopening our school buildings will likely involve one of three action plans: in-person learning, hybrid learning, and remote learning. Once schools first physically closed doors in March, we did not think that things would still be in such a state of uncertainty come August, but the reality is that almost all school leaders are preparing for a back-to-school season unlike any other.
Some schools will not be reopening on the first day of classes but, in other districts, it’s yet to be decided what the approach will involve. Throw in this political pressure and you have a pretty volatile, potentially dangerous, and likely fluid situation for the rest of this summer and into the first few weeks of the year as everyone embarks on this unique journey.
We are uncertain about the long-term academic and social effects that this huge distance learning experiment will have on children and, of course, the emotional effects this has all had on countless K–12 educators. Even more so, in many states, they are simply uncertain about whether or not schools will be able to reopen in the fall and it’s not looking too good.
We’re putting together this running collection of remote learning resources for educators to explore during school closures caused by the coronavirus. We will make updates to this page regularly as new resources are provided from reputable education providers and we wish everybody lots of success in remote teaching and learning. You’ve got this!
Starting in early elementary, students can use the Root Robot to try block coding, move onto hybrid coding in upper elementary and middle school, and then use it to learn text coding in upper middle and high school. Since teachers and students now find themselves navigating remote learning, its newest features help make the Root even more appealing.
AI is a technology that’s made a pretty substantial impact on our lives—whether we realize it or not. Educators are now relying on technology to teach more than they ever have and, before we dismiss how AI can play a role, it might be worth knowing more about just what that role is and how it can help teachers and students as they navigate distance learning
