Tech Training for Parents/Guardians
When the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the suspension of in-person classes in March of 2020 we were all thrown into an emergency scenario that saw all stakeholders try their best to accomplish distance content delivery for their students. In all cases, educators relied heavily on the parents/guardians of their students to assist however they could. This included:
- picking up hard-copy packages from schools or via mail
- providing a device of some type
- assisting in whatever troubleshooting was needed
- learning alongside their child and answering questions as they arrived
- serving as a communication liason between children and teachers
Six months later we have had the luxury of having more planning time and, currently, have our students face-to-face with teachers at least part of the time. However, we know that some students are still learning via online platforms part- or full-time and we are all hyper-aware that this scenario is subject to change based on ever-evolving public health measures. Regardless of the specifics parents/guardians continue to play a more-involved role in their child’s education when compared to pre-Covid models.
In the same way that we cannot assume that our tech-savvy students understand how to use tech for education we have to realize that this applies to our families as well. As such, MVSD is working on offering parent/guardian tech training. These sessions would include topics such as:
- overview of Microsoft Teams
- PowerSchool Portal (how to access student marks, attendance, schedules, teacher info, etc)
- showcase what tech supports are available for MVSD families
- laptop loan program
- wifi hotspots
- learning platform tutorials
- tech support
- tech Q & A
At the time of this post we are currently surveying our families to determine interest so that we can effectively plan for the logistics of these sessions. While all information is already currently online, many of the intended participants of these sessions are not yet comfortable navigating technology to find and use this information; as such, in person sessions need to be provided to reduce this barrier. Once numbers are established we will be more prepared to plan out the logistics in a way that meets the current health protocols for gatherings.
Has your school/division planned something similar to support your parents/guardians in their navigation and use of ed tech for student programming?