Pandemic made digital learning a ‘critical resource’
Wilson County Director of Schools Donna Wright refers to them as “black holes” — the gaps in internet coverage that prevent her students from accessing online learning.
When the pandemic forced schools to close in rapid response, and administrators grappled with how to keep kids learning, those holes became even more apparent.
And, of all the challenges that Wright prepares for this fall, that is at the top of the list.
How will the state and the local community help ensure that every one of her district’s nearly 20,000 students has equal access if schools are again forced to operate online?
“No one’s ever planned — or had any kind of contingency plan — for something of this magnitude,” Wright said.
“Our world has changed . ... We have to change.
“This has been a wake-up call.” Digital learning has become a “critical resource” as a result of the pandemic, Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said.
As schools across the country canceled, Schwinn said, many gave kids laptops and told kids, teachers and parents to go figure it out. That didn’t work, she said. Now, districts across the state have the summer to prepare for myriad eventualities that stem from the unpredictability of COVID-19.
That includes the possibility of complete school closures or staggered scheduling to reduce class sizes and accommodate social distancing restrictions. In these scenarios , students may be asked to participate in online learning when they are not in the classroom.
And that quickly elevates disparities and questions.
For educators and parents at every level, one of the biggest concerns has been students’ access and ability to learn online.
Many private schools in Middle Tennessee easily transitioned to online learning, continuing classes almost like normal each day on Zoom.
Those parents feel fortunate that their schools have forged ahead. But public schools face additional challenges.
From kindergarten to college, internet and technology gaps present seemingly insurmountable issues, forcing some districts to analyze their ability to ensure every student has equal and reliable access to instruction in a virtual learning scenario.
Parents debate whether an online education is worth the same cost as classroom instruction while working parents of younger students worry about shepherding their kids through online lessons parents don’t have time to teach.
Needs beyond what a school system can provide
To prepare for what may come, several districts have implemented or bolstered their use of online learning platforms like Google classrooms and Schoology — a virtual learning environment that allows teachers to create, manage and share academic content while also interacting with students and parents.
Metro Schools conducted online training for 5,000 teachers in early May and expanded access so students from third to 12th grade could use the platform for lessons and discussions and parents could view assignments and teacher feedback.
More than 24,000 students logged on over a 30-day period ending the first week in May. And, MNPS officials say, anecdotally students are turning in more work than they did in a traditional classroom setting — even when the assignments were not for grades.
But, with any online learning, there are challenges. In Metro Schools, 31% of students, or more than 22,250, do not have a computer at home, and about 14%, or 10,000 students, do not have wireless internet.
Juliana Ospina Cano, executive director of Tennessee immigrant advocacy nonprofit Conexión Américas, sees the disparities in those she serves every day.
Not long after the pandemic began and schools closed, a dad walked to Casa Azafrán in Nashville to pick up a food box for his family. He was also concerned about a laptop for his child because, without transportation of his own, he had missed the pickup at school.
“This is prime example of what our families face,” Ospina Cano said. “A child who can’t do homework and who needs food on the table. That’s what keeps me awake at night.”
The issue is not unique to Davidson County. In Wilson County, Wright said there are three broadband providers, but their service boundaries are set in such a way that there’s a gap in the middle of them, leaving her students without access. “
“Broadband access is something people take for granted, but it’s not something that’s available to everyone — and it’s not just affordability,” Wright added. “Some rural areas are without it. That is a state, if not a national issue.”
Stopgaps don’t fix those issues. A smartphone may not be well enough equipped to run online learning platforms. City-enabled hot spots in public spaces don’t help if people can’t congregate in public. That all leads to complicated issues should the virus flare up again, stay-at-home orders return and remote learning become the only option.
“It will take conversations with state officials and all supporting cast to realize and provide resources our students have been in need of for a long time,” Metro Nashville Director of Schools Adrienne Battle said. “This pandemic has elevated that.”
To address technology access, the state has negotiated contracts so school districts statewide can buy laptops for as little as $180 apiece.
The coronavirus aid bill money will provide some financial support for these purchases.
The state also partnered with Trevecca Nazarene University to provide free training for teachers on how to design online classes, use technology to communicate with students and build interactive teaching content with videos, simulations and animations. More than 8,000 Tennessee teachers registered in the first week it was available.
“From a digital learning perspective, one of the big lessons we have seen is when you just put a device in front of a kid and say, ‘Click on this link and go learn,’ it doesn’t work,” Schwinn said. “We all have to be trained on how we approach learning.
Is digital learning worth college tuition?
At the university level, some parents and students wonder: If it comes to digital learning, is it worth it at all?
“The ability to dialogue, share diverse opinions, hands-on learning, exposure to multiple academic choices, that’s why we chose going to a university versus the free two-year community college,” said Debra Waters, whose daughter is majoring in criminal justice and creative writing at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.
“If this thing rears its ugly head this winter, that’s two semesters affected — or $20,000 down the drain.”
The real question for Waters is, if remote learning becomes a reality: “What’s the difference between University of Tennessee-knoxville and Phoenix online?”
Higher education administrators hope the choice doesn’t come to that.
Reach Jessica Bliss at 615-259-8253 and jbliss@tennessean.com or on Twitter @jlbliss.