10 Steps to Embody Online Learning During a Coronavirus Spread

The number of infected with coronavirus COVID-19 is growing rapidly every day. The number of infected as of March 31 exceeds 775 thousand. Coronavirus infection has made its way to all countries of the world, and it can only be stopped with the help of strict restrictive measures. In almost all countries of the world, quarantine is introduced. That mode directly affected students, as all tuition went online.

For many teachers, the online learning experience will be the first. We do not want you to screw up or fall behind the school curriculum. Therefore, we devoted this article to the strategies of online learning that will help you organize the learning process. Check out this to succeed in education during the coronavirus epidemic.

Preparation Process

To start with, you have to establish all the processes of online learning during a coronavirus. The thing is that you cannot just switch to distance learning. The staff is not used to teaching online. Also, you do not have the appropriate tools to provide online learning right away. Your task is to set up processes that allow every student to study from home.

1. Take care of digital opportunities

Students will need laptops or computers to access online platforms. However, not every family has the opportunity to provide laptops for all children. Some families have only one or two laptops, and children cannot use them at any time.

The problem is that during the coronavirus epidemic, both parents and children should stay at home. Naturally, the work of parents is more important than education, because it brings money to the family. Therefore, first of all, parents will use the laptop.

To provide online learning during a coronavirus, you should interview families and find out who needs additional devices. Make a list of the devices that are in the school and write them in family names. If the school is not yet quarantined, distribute computers between students and allow them to take them home.

Make the mobile version of the educational portal accessible. So you completely solve the problem of access to the online platform. Also, you should take care of the presence of Wi-Fi in each area. Your task is to provide Internet access for each student.

Make a list in advance of students who don’t have a Wi-Fi signal at home. If the school is suddenly quarantined, you can deliver the routers to the specified addresses.

2. Practice online learning

Imagine that your school has just been quarantined. If you weren’t preparing for this, it would take you one or two weeks to establish the process of online learning. You will have to teach both teachers and students how to use the online platform. There is also a threat that the site will be overloaded when all students become connected to it.

We recommend taking care of online learning in advance. Introduce digital literacy classes to prepare your staff for an emergency. Create an online platform and tell students how to use it. If you haven’t prepared for digital education, take a few online lessons to inform students.

Online education skills will be useful, anyway. Therefore, if you have not yet managed to put the school online, the coronavirus forces you to do it right now.

3. Ensure constant communication

The coronavirus epidemic has affected everyone. News is streaming from all sides, so people are very worried. You must ensure ongoing communication between parents, teachers, and administration. Add updates to the site regularly to report on the current situation.

Create chats in messengers to inform parents about changes. Designate responsible for adding posts and replies to posts. Add multiple communication channels to distribute messages and not overload each channel.

Create a section with the FAQ, and place it on the first page of the site. In this section, explain the rules of the Internet platform, how to communicate, and inform about the changes. You must tell how the training, homework, and grades will work. The FAQ section should contain all the necessary information that students may need when working with the site.

Create a guide on using the online platform and gaining access to the application. Provide material in all formats so students can access it from any device. Make sure that students received usernames and passwords from personal accounts. Explain to teachers how to connect to the platform.

4. Plan the working process

No matter how you try, you will not be able to transfer the school online in one day. Schedule an emergency meeting for employees and show them the concept of online teaching. Find teachers who have already experienced online learning during a coronavirus and ask them to give a group of lessons. You need to make sure that teachers understand all the processes.

Take a few days to prepare and launch the online platform. Compose a guide for using the site, and send it to teachers. Identify those responsible for managing the platform. If there are not enough teachers, identify high-performing students, and ask for help. Learn how other schools and colleges in the state function.

Do not start lessons immediately after teachers have finished training. The first few days are needed to test the platform, determine the speed of work, and troubleshoot. Do not download all lessons and publications in one go. Start with a few lessons to determine the speed and bandwidth of the site.

5. Finish the necessary work

Make a to-do list that you must complete before you go home. Make sure you transfer the necessary data to a USB flash drive or to cloud storage. Grab important documents and training journals, so you don’t come back for them.

Record the usernames and passwords to access online resources. If you do not have a computer at home, do not forget to pick it up from the office. Remind teachers to take home materials they need for teaching. Focus on the fact that quarantine can be extended.

Execution

After careful preparation, it will be much easier for you to move on to the implementation of the project. In the early days, you must constantly be in touch to monitor the operation of the platform. As soon as the site works, dozens of letters with questions from parents will begin to arrive in your mail. Collect their email addresses and set up a mailing list with answers to frequently asked questions.

Spend a couple of days fixing errors in the portal. Then get the programmers together and troubleshoot.

6. Make a daily to-do list

Both children and teachers need to understand how many tasks they need to complete in a day. Schedule your online classes and align with family opportunities. If the child is required to attend the lecture, place it in the morning. It’s easier for children to focus on their studies until they are tired. Parents, in turn, can do work in the afternoon.

Add lessons that don’t require live mode. For example, a lesson in literature or economics can be uploaded to the site, and each child will watch it at a convenient time. Conduct a survey to determine what time will be convenient for most students. Most likely, during quarantine, children will get up later. Therefore, we recommend shifting the schedule by at least an hour ahead.

Keep in mind that students will have a lot of questions regarding study material. We recommend setting aside a couple of hours in the evening. By the end of the day, both teachers and children have already finished their household chores and can chat. As for the live mode of the lessons, do not forget to add the ability to comment on the lecture.

Most likely, you will need to change the schedule you create. In the first week, observe the progress of the children and their reactions. Select multiple students with varying levels of performance and track their progress. At the end of the first week, ask each of them what disadvantages the platform has. Use the weekend to adjust the schedule.

Keep in mind that several lessons are difficult to conduct online. This is physical education, painting, and even anatomy. We recommend that these classes be held on separate days so students can prepare their inventory.

7. Make the studying interesting

Quarantine forces both children and their parents to spend a lot of time at home. The first week always causes stress and conflicts between relatives. Therefore, do not try to keep up with the curriculum. Give students time to get used to the new study mode. Online learning during a coronavirus does not have to be difficult for children.

Dilute familiar lectures with interesting facts and analogies. Teachers should interact with their students and let them give feedback—design short tests to reinforce new material. Adjust your curriculum to start with simpler topics.

How to make learning fun? Most teachers adhere to the same lifelong learning strategy. Our tips will help you facilitate online learning.

• Serve the material in small portions.
• Process messages regularly and collect feedback.
• Create small tests. Check if students have learned a lesson after each lecture.
• Establish communication between students. Create chats in several instant messengers and add children and teachers there.

Ask students what they would like to change in learning. Owing to feedback, you will quickly create a suitable mode of operation.

8. Make it easy

Make sure that students understand the work of the service on their own. Make it simple and understandable so that children do not ask their parents for help. Create step-by-step guides to using the platform so that everybody can handle it. Spend an online lesson on using the site and secure it on the site.

Do not expect parents to participate in the learning process. Of course, you can tell parents about the rules for using the platform. However, you should not force them to interfere with the educational process or understand the application.

Most adults continue to go to work, so they cannot keep track of the child. Make sure that the system records the absence of the child at the lecture. Also, set up an email notification to notify you of an upcoming lesson.

However, parents should understand how the learning process goes. Create a folder with materials for lessons, homework, and tests. Notify parents of news and changes to the platform.

9. Watch the emotional state of people

Online learning during a coronavirus requires restraint and emotional stability. At the time of quarantine, each person remains on his own with his fears. News outlets speak only about negative events and restrictions. Keep in mind that coronavirus can leave many families without a stable income. If parents are afraid of the crisis and are nervous, the same condition is passed on to the children.

Ask teachers and students to exchange phone numbers so they can call each other at any time. At each lecture, ask students how they feel. Tell positive news and share tips on how not to get depressed. Encourage the students and smoothly proceed to the lesson.

Homeschooling is very similar to distance work. However, at first, it’s difficult for a person to tune in to another schedule. The child has the opportunity to sleep before lunch, play on the console, or read books all day. Such problems are faced by novice freelancers.

Share tips on how to manage your schedule. Our tips can help you:

• Make a to-do list for the day, week
• Work at intervals, taking breaks every hour
• Create a daily routine, including leisure time and hobbies
• Avoid irritants
• Talk about your feelings

10. Adhere to established standards

Switching to online learning should not affect your habits. Keep wearing formal clothes and make-up. You must keep your activities within the framework of standards so as not to distract the children.

Look for apps that help you conduct online lessons. Display the presentation and explain each slide. Diversify your text with pictures and videos. Use programs that improve picture and sound quality.

Make sure that the lessons are designed attractively. Browse through the Internet to find new applications that make studying easier. Use the period of online learning during a coronavirus to acquire proficiency in digital technologies.