SAN DIEGO — A number of districts in the South Bay and East County began distance learning, Sweetwater Union High School was one of the districts that made the move on Monday.
Teachers will have a choice of using either Jupiter, Google Classroom, or Canvas to house their lessons, assignments, and activities. Google Hangout, Microsoft Teams, and Canvas will be the platforms for face-to-face video conferencing and classes.
There will be two possible ways of distance learning, Asynchronous and Synchronous, while schools remain closed.
Asynchronous Learning
Asynchronous, means not happening at the same time; for example, teachers will deliver content and resources to students via email, video, Jupiter, Google Classroom, etc.
Synchronous Learning
Synchronous, means happening at the same time; teachers will be available for students to reach out by email, a Learning Management System, or other communication means. Students and teachers are on the same platform at the same time.
Each Monday students will be given assignments for the week. The daily student schedule runs from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. for periods 1 - 6 and 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. for periods 0, 7, and 8. Teachers will be providing content through a combination of pre-recorded videos, face-to-face video conferencing, independent work, and small group collaboration, among others.
Teachers will be available at certain times and students will be on the same platform at the same time. But a big concern for every district that is using distance learning are devices and connecting for students.
Sweetwater Union says the district is prepping 2,400 laptops and is looking to buy an additional 3,100 computers and more hot spots to be distributed as they come in. School officials say one of the apps you won’t see the district use officially is zoom. While it’s been popular, some security concerns have been raised.
