Designing a remote learning plan should ultimately be done when creating the district’s emergency preparedness plan. This article will define the components of a plan and provide samples from districts with completed and distributed plans.

Access Survey

Hopefully, districts have an idea of what type of access parents may have at home, although they may not know about what devices are available. If time allows, a short survey should be administered to determine which families may need support in setting up an online environment in their homes for remote learning. This would primarily be the case if the majority of families has access and the district is rolling out an online remote learning plan. 

Some families may be in need of special assistance and certain internet providers offer subsidized programs to these families and to schools to support connectivity in homes. Another option is to share wireless hotspots with families through the school library or a centralized district distribution location. 

In addition to loaner hotspots, districts may need to loan tablets or Chromebooks to students. A procedure should be developed by which students and parents sign a loaner agreement and take the device home from the school. These devices can be borrowed from classroom sets or roaming carts. A precise inventory should be maintained so that it is clear which devices are going home with students. 

All devices should work properly and have the latest updates prior to being loaned out. Care and feeding directions should be shared with families so that they know exactly how to manage the devices while in their homes. Cables and power plugs should also accompany every device.

• Best Webcams for Teachers and Students 2020
• What is Google Sheets and How Does It Work for Teachers?
• Effective Online Learning Practices

Lesson Content

Recognizing great content is important to a successful transition to remote learning. Content needs to be engaging, align with existing lessons, and should be easy to navigate for both teacher and student. 

Many students are familiar with digital content and eLearning but may not be accustomed to using this type of content for remote learning. This is also not the time to try a new product that will require getting accustomed to or deviate too much from the curriculum currently being covered. Using existing digital resources that are either subscriptions or accompany text adoptions, or using Open Educational Resources (OER), are the best options for remote learning. Remember, the goal is to be as seamless as possible in covering the curriculum and the least disruptive to lesson and unit flow.

OER include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge. Additionally, these resources follow the 5R Framework.

Openly licensed educational resources have two things in common: free access to the content, resource, journal article, data, knowledge artifact, software or standard; and a formal grant of rights and permissions giving the user many of the rights and permissions copyright normally reserved exclusively for the creator or other rights holder. In short, open equals free access and open licensing to retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute. 

Districts should assess what they have available and ready access to for remote learning. 

Below is a chart describing the variations of digital learning options:

See a sample eLearning Lesson from LaGrange Highlands District 106 (IL)

Communications

A major component of any plan is how you plan to communicate the plan to others. Parents need to be reassured and provided clear directions on what to do to support their child’s learning as well as information on where to check to find more information. 

If using a call out system, be sure to let parents know the time of day to expect a call and be consistent with that time for the duration of the event. Any information sent via a phone message, text message or email should also be saved on the parent portal. This enables parents who may have missed the message to find it in a known location. If you don’t have a parent portal, provide the information on the district website parent page. 

Using local television news channels and radio news stations are other ways to keep the public informed and provide direction on where parents may find information. The more clear and concise information provided, the less stress will be on your parents and ultimately on school staff.

Training

Preparing for emergency situations should be an ongoing practice. That said, if time has not been available to thoroughly train staff in the procedures or practices that will be executed during an emergency, then some type of on-the-fly training may be necessary. Teachers and staff must know what their role is during an emergency event and need to be prepared to teach in an alternative way. 

Using online training courses is probably the most effective way to inform teachers and provide an ongoing resource. If online training is not available or you do not have time to create a course, then connecting via videoconferencing or participating in a webinar are good options. Staff development support should be available to teachers throughout an event, including phone numbers.

Read more tips on setting up a Remote Leaning Plan in Dr. Kecia Ray’s “Remote Learning Playbook.”

Tired of the cost, complexity and insecurity of Windows and macOS software? ElementaryOS might be the solution. The current version of the Linux based operating system is not only easy to install but allows the safe loading of third-party apps and services. While it has an improved Calendar, a bunch of new keyboard shortcuts and is easy to connect with a WiFi hotspot, it is more secure than other operating systems. ElementaryOS may have fewer school-related apps available compared to Windows or macOS, but the price is right: just pay what you feel it’s worth.

Today’s students have more access to sophisticated, professional programs than ever before. Thanks to new institutional models in educational licensing, undergraduate and graduate students across the disciplines can build fluency in established suites and emerging software programs. 

The equation changes dramatically after the academy, however. Aspiring artists who want to continue working with commercial tools can face financial burdens that extend well beyond student loans. 

Adobe, in particular, is a juggernaut. More than 90 percent of the world’s creative professionals use Photoshop. Adobe Creative Cloud mobile apps have been downloaded 310 million times, according to the company's 2019 report. An Adobe Creative Cloud single app subscription costs $20.99 per month, and the Creative Cloud all apps plan clocks in at $52.99 per month. After free trials end, stark realities set in for recent grads.

Forging a New Path

Interdisciplinary artist Sishir Bommakanti has a unique perspective on software, particularly 3D scanning and animation programs. Bommakanti received his undergraduate degree in Illustration at Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, and received his master’s degree at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Minnesota. Both degrees focused on illustration, storytelling, and experimental approaches to image making.

“I focused on traditional drawing and painting for my studies,” he said, “but during that time, I learned animation completely on my own, as well as 3D scanning. I also started learning about point cloud processes to visualize data.” 

Hard Truths About Software 

With interests in various mediums, Bommakanti is passionate about open-source software and the open-source community.

“A reoccurring issue for students,” he said, “is their fear that they will lose access to their mediums of practice after they finish school. Industrial-grade programs are expensive, and students just coming out of school with debt, and learning how to work with loan repayments, are not thinking about investments to these programs.”

The leasing/rental model allows for monthly or yearly payments. This flexibility may appeal to some artists, but there is a catch. “Trying to freelance as a 3D animator involves paying a monthly or yearly license for a program, but then you'll need Adobe programs like Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects, which is another subscription." 

If an artist is also developing a sculpture practice, programs like ZBrush and Mudbox are different from a standard 3D-modeling program. In some cases, a dedicated simulation program is required—yet another license. Users will need a license for a rendering solution, such as V-Ray, Octane, or Redshift. These various subscriptions can add up for an emerging artist who wants to pursue an animation practice, or a creative professional building a freelance business.

One solution is to pursue open-source programs. “I use Blender 2.8 for a lot of my work,” Bommakanti said. “Not only is Blender free to download, but it also has an incredibly strong community that allows for better plugins and optimization. Recently, its quality has been praised. Major animation companies are adopting it to help cut costs.”

Unity and Unreal are also "free-to-use" software, but with conditions. This approach allows artists and programmers to learn new languages and skills without steep financial commitments—or turning to piracy.

There is a healthy debate about the best possible path for software after graduation, but what is clear is that competency isn’t enough. Digital artists need access.

Scalability

Some open-source suites can be more difficult to find than commercial solutions, but taking the open route will ultimately help higher education students as they mature in their careers, Bommakanti said. “What you learn in open source can be adapted to other programs.”

Without lower-cost alternatives, Bommakanti worries that VR, 3D scanning, and animation will become cost-prohibitive skillsets. Workstations and peripherals are also significant investments. Exclusivity rather than inclusion will stymie broader innovation. The vitality and creativity of digital disciplines might suffer.

Experimental Practice

Exploring new methodologies and new software programs is integral to Bommakanti’s practice. He aims to push the 3D category in experimental directions, from capture and data visualization to collage. For Bommakanti, each mode can articulate a different message.

“My approach is more of a volatile chemist, creating chemical reactions with experimentation,” he said, but "there is always one thread of a story or event. I find myself leaning towards a narrative, regardless of medium or approach.” 

Through his unexpected practice, Bommakanti hopes to promote open-source, free, and affordable alternatives. 

“I personally didn't even consider this path until I was able to build my first computer. Even with a mid-range computer, one can obtain free platforms like Blender, Unity, and more affordable programs such as Agisoft PhotoScan to experiment with 3D scanning and volumetric filmmaking, without worrying about the price. These communities are built on support, and now being part of these communities, I'm posting my process freely as a thanks.”

Community Collaboration

Bommakanti often sends his 3D art to the subjects he scans as keepsakes while also viewing the digital artifacts as records of impermanence. “This is what we are exploring for the future,” he said, “how this tool can be used for accessibility.”

He pointed to a Unity developer, Keijiro Takahashi, who provides free scripts for the Unity community that can be leveraged for Photogrammetry. 

For Bommakanti, collaboration is also practical. “If I have the opportunity to create a library of point cloud assets from crowdsourced images, and I am able to use them for my experiments, I would, in return, send 3D data back for their own use.” 

3D for Documentation

3D scanning is used in documentation missions across the Middle East, and it can be controversial. “It's a layered discourse,” Bommakanti said, with myriad viewpoints.

“3D capture should never be a replacement for restoration,” he noted, “but purely used as a form of documentation that can help in the process.” Digital data—from a million pictures of a church or a 3D scan—will inevitably be edited, making exact replications impossible. There is another aspect to the restoration conversation revolving around mimesis and limits of imitation. “My stance is that 3D scanning is a tool of documentation, but not in restoration.”

Within 3D scanning models are point clouds—sets of data in space that contain the X, Y, and Z coordinates and RGB color information. One example of a complex dense point cloud video produced for archival purposes is the scan of an endangered Heritage Site in Syria.

Fixed Yet Unstable 

Particle emitters are used in 3D to make fluids, sand, particles and other reactions. Often used in a practical process for commercial, realistic productions, Bommakanti is utilizing particle emitters for experimental processes. The goal is to see how scanned environments and people look once they turn into particles that are constantly moving yet retaining some form. Inspired by the “literal atoms we are created from,” and micro designs creating macro structures, he is using test scans as tools of inquiry. Conceptually, his work is informed by “the unstable environments of dreams.”

Document to Distort

Bommakanti’s practice converges photography, collage, and storytelling sensibilities. He creates scans of his daily life—people he knows, places he sees, mundane events, and sights of the quotidian—knowing that they will be transformed.

“3D scanning gives me the opportunity to archive ‘the everyday’ and use the archives within an illustrative process,” he commented. “I am scanning these with the intention that they will be collaged, distorted, and be used as elements to build my own worlds.”

Data Meets the Mythological  

Both data-driven and divergent, Bommakanti's practice bridges the realms of the surreal, mythological, and wonderfully weird. Seeing raw data motivated him to contextualize it within an artistic framework. “How scientific data is visualized inspired me to make these 3D environments,” he said. 

The science of rendering is precise, however, and errors have become a binding factor in his practice. “I consider them happy accidents, to paraphrase Bob Ross,” he said. 

Capturing point clouds and rendering them knowing that they will not render accurately is a deliberate choice. The trial and error informs the process, and the method allows for controlled experiments. “I like to think of them as impressionism, where the impression of the scene or person is there," Bommakant said, "but is simplified in its form, like a Cezanne.”

Cinematic Eye

A recent project brings Bommakanti closer into the realm of experimental animation. In the video, he and artist Brian Heart mix point cloud processes with cinematic, narrative elements. “Eventually, the plan is to create an animation that feels like a dream world in which the camera travels,” Bommakanti said.

Margot Douaihy, PhD, is the author of three books. Her latest is Scranton Lace (Clemson University Press). Find her on Twitter @MargotDouaihy.

MORE INFO

Sishir Bommakanti
https://sishir.com
http://sishirphoto.tumblr.com/ 

3D Scanning Artists
https://www.instagram.com/huangwhsuan
https://www.instagram.com/eggnot1

Alexander Porter, Creator of Depthkit
https://www.instagram.com/alexicon3000

Az Balabanian, Photogrammetry Artist & Cinematographer, & Host of Research VR Podcast
http://azadux.com/photogrammetry 

Brian Heart  
https://www.instagram.com/brain____________________heart/   

Keijiro Takahashi
https://www.keijiro.tokyo

Volumetric Filmmakers Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/volumetricfilmmaking

Good repositories of Open Education Resources (OER) are starting to flourish at all levels. MERLOT is the de facto search engine for finding curated OER resources. George Mason University’s Masons OER Metafinder (MOM) is probably my current favorite. The Orange Grove is the Florida’s OER Depository. Ck12.org provides a find range of student support resources. More exhaustive listings can be found at the UW-Superior library and the Fort Hays State University library. 

How do we keep the resources we find organized? For that we need to look to a range of curation tools. A few years ago a list of 26 curatorial tools started with Pinterest, which is effectively one of the most common basic curatorial tools. eLearningIndustry.com lists what it considers the top ten free educational curation tools. One of those is Diigo, which I think may be the easiest to use of its genre. 

If you are questioning the best way to use these curation tools in schools, there are several good starting points. Teacher Challenge has a short 90 second video explaining electronic content curation along with several more videos and images at the site. Emerging EdTech provides nine ways to use content curation in the classroom. The eLearning Coach website has a brief article on how to build a site from curated resources. 

As we continue to move toward multiple information sources whether to supplement or supplant traditional textbooks, curation tools will become more important for educators. 

EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) and Intellus Learning, an educational platform as a service company, have partnered to provide academic libraries with a content curation, assignment, recommendation and analytics tool.

Intellus Learning allows instructors to access high-quality open education resources (OER) and other openly licensed content, as well as their institution’s academic library materials to help meet budgetary goals. Students can engage with assigned course materials via the institution’s learning management system, including all EBSCO resources to which the library subscribes.

[Where to Find & Curate OER Resources]

Faculty can curate and assign pertinent OER and library content to students. The Intellus engine also offers a reporting dashboard that provides real-time insight into students’ engagement with the assigned materials.

Guest post by Steve Baule, Educational Leadership Professor at the University of Wisconsin – Superior: As the school year begins, one of the struggles many teachers have is finding good repositories of Open Education Resources (OER). The two biggest challenges to using OER sources seem to be finding them and having the time to curate those appropriate for one’s courses. The OER Commons is a core site with resources from pre-school through adult education. MERLOT is a search engine for finding curated OER resources. It provides some curation tools as well as resources. The Orange Grove is the Florida’s OER Depository. Ck12.org provides a find range of student support resources. Opened.com is a resource site that includes a wide range of assessment materials they cover all areas, but seem to have a wealth of math materials for all levels of students. College Open Textbooks is a great site for those looking to support dual credit or Advanced Placement courses. Additionally, College Open Textbooks includes a link to the OER Handbook for Educators 1.0, which is a good primer for those still learning about how to use OER sources. As the new school year starts, ensure your teachers have the resources to be successful in using OER sources. Happy New (School) Year!

[Give Audio and Text Feedback Quickly With This Google Docs Add-On]

On October 29, 2015, the U.S. Department of Education launched #GoOpen. The purpose was, and still is, to expand and accelerate the use of openly licensed educational resources in PreK–12 schools. The driving force behind #GoOpen centers on equitable access to high-quality, digital resources that can be adapted to different classroom contexts. Much of the work that led to #GoOpen started with a brief, but profound, statement by President Obama:

“In a country where we expect free wi-fi with our coffee, we should definitely demand it in our schools.”

This line delivered by President Obama became the mantra behind Future Ready, The National Education Technology Plan, and #GoOpen. It’s a humbling experience to reflect on #GoOpen and on how the movement that we at the Office of Educational Technology launched a year ago has grown from a pithy, comical hashtag to a commitment to equity and access for all students regardless of their zip codes.

This past October, I had the opportunity to keynote the Tech & Learning Live Princeton conference. I talked about #GoOpen and how it has evolved over the course of the past year and I attempted to anticipate where it will go in the coming year. I used three vignettes to tell my #GoOpen story: What is Open Education?; How I personally got involved in Open Education; and Why you should #GoOpen. I shared stories of successes and failures along the way towards my fellowship at the U.S. Department of Education. But the most important message I wanted to convey was a quote from a letter penned by Abigail Adams to John Adams on October 16, 1774, when John’s voice was not being heard during the first meeting of delegates in Philadelphia:

“You cannot be, I know, nor do I wish to see you an inactive Spectator.”

Both educators and students have been inactive spectators in the teaching and learning process for far too long. For decades, school districts and states have been handing educators scripts in the form of textbooks and proprietary software. #GoOpen puts creative content control back in the hands of education professionals across the country. Educators are our most valuable one-to-one learning device. They are far more dynamic and flexible than iPads and were collaborating in creative ways long before Chromebooks were released. Like that of John Adams, the voices of American educators must be heard. Educators must not serve as inactive spectators in the teaching and learning process.

Educators are some of the most innovative professionals in the country. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, teachers field and engage hours of questions and problems daily from students and facilitate the learning process for 21.2 elementary students per class and 26.8 secondary students per class. In addition to their classroom duties, educators spend countless hours outside of the classroom honing their skills and advancing their love of learning. Rather than creating more time and space for educators, a myopic, scripted curriculum gets in the way of the innovative teaching process.

However, we have an opportunity in PreK–12 education to change this script and nurture innovative practices within the classroom. It’s happening at several schools across the country already with the adoption of openly licensed educational resources (OER). The Hewlett Foundation defines openly licensed educational resources as “teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge.” Fundamentally, OER allow school districts to reinvest in the teaching profession and bring creative, local content control back to educators.

I invite those who think OER and movements like #GoOpen are trends or phases in education that will pass to recall how Blockbuster video laughed off Netflix streaming. The education publishing industry is about to meet its disruptor. Since #GoOpen launched on October 29, 2015, 77 school districts and 18 states have committed to #GoOpen. These are numbers I never could have imagined a year ago. And these numbers will only continue to grow.

The greatest success of #GoOpen to date has been how educators and district leaders are talking about OER. #GoOpen is not just a conversation about transitioning away from textbooks; it’s a transformative approach to classroom practice that incorporates inquiry, project-based learning, and personalized and blended learning paradigms. Schools like Lawrence Public Schools in Lawrence, Kansas, are using a Teachers On Special Assignment, or TOSA, model to pay classroom teachers extra for their time and efforts in curating, organizing, vetting, and implementing OER. #GoOpen is not just about a medium shift; it’s a complete redesign of pedagogy.

After my keynote, I was asked what classrooms will look like in two, five, and ten years. My answer is pretty consistent. I hope that when we look inside every single classroom in this country we will see students with access to every instrument for learning that they need. I hope that every student will have an equal opportunity to create, author, and design his or her own learning. I hope that every teacher in this country will have the opportunity to grow professionally and learn from his or her peers across the globe. I hope that school districts and states will turn their backs on publishers of static instructional material and reinvest in the intellectual expertise of educators. Devices and technology will create new efficiencies and economical gains in the coming years, but they will only be effective if every student can access them. Only then will teachers and students no longer be spectators but active participants in their own teaching and learning.

Innovation does not have to be associated only with the latest application from Silicon Valley or the savvy keynote speaker. Rather, innovation can exist and flourish in our classrooms across the country. By nature, educators are researchers and designers within their classrooms, and they have always thrived on the ability to share and repurpose. As educational leaders, we must find ways to reinvest in the profession of teaching and celebrate the innovative work that educators design on a yearly basis. Fostering a shared culture of learning and instructional design within an academic institution can support teacher leadership and have a great impact on student growth. Openly licensed educational resources can help spark this culture and promote innovative teaching and learning as the materials that educators create daily are shared. It’s time that we recognize the innovative capacity of all educators.

#GoOpen is only one small step on this journey towards educational equity. I encourage you to step forward, find out more, and #GoOpen for every student and educator in this country.

Andrew Marcinek is the former Open Education Advisor at the Office of Education Technology. He currently works as the Chief Information Officer at Worcester Academy (MA).

T&L READER SURVEY DOES YOUR SCHOOL PLAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GO OPEN INITIATIVE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION?