H-BC students spend snow day e-Learning

During the last snow day when most Minnesota schools were canceled, lesson plans carried on as usual for students in the Hills-Beaver Creek School District.
As one of several e-Learning schools in the state, the district didn’t cancel classes on Jan. 17; rather teachers took attendance and delivered curriculum online.
“Early indications are that it went well,” Superintendent Todd Holthaus reported after H-BC’s first e-learning day. “There were no big glitches that I was made aware.”
The H-BC Board adopted the e-Learning (extended learning) option in response last fall to the 2018-19 school year that had nine snow days disrupt learning and require added days in the spring.
Under H-BC’s e-Learning plan, on days when weather conditions are too hazardous for travel, students stay home and complete lessons electronically or from an e-learning folder with paper materials.
Like snow days, e-Learning days are announced to families through the school’s outreach messaging system on e-mail, phone and texts.
By 10 a.m. on Jan. 17, students signed in to Schoology, Google and other applications set up by their teacher to complete their lessons.
High School English Teacher Megan Klumper said her students responded well to the first e-learning day.
“Most of my students know how to use the online resources that are available for us to use,” Klumper said. “They just went into Schoology and followed the plans like it was any other day.”
She said it helped that the district practiced before winter weather arrived.
“We basically ran the day as if they were at home,” Klumper said. “When they went to each of their classes, they were given instructions on what to do when or if we would have an e-learning day.”
Holthaus said it also helped that the last winter storm was widely forecast, so the district prepared for the possibility of e-learning the next day.
Teachers set up their lesson plans online and students signed in to show they’re participating.
By statute, students who don’t have access to the Internet are allowed time to complete the work in order to be counted as present.
Statute also requires teachers to be accessible both online and by telephone during normal school hours on an e-learning day to assist students and parents.
“I only had a few who asked me questions about the lessons given, and they did that through e-mail,” Klumper said.
She said she felt the day was productive for learning.
“For my class, the students did what they would have done in class,” Klumper said. “The only difference was that I wasn't there to answer questions.”
Some H-BC teachers posted videos of pre-recorded lessons, but most used printed instruction.
“I think as we experience e-learning days, we will learn what works best and adapt,” Klumper said.
She said e-Learning is a worthwhile learning avenue.
“The students were safe at home but were still learning,” she said. “In previous years, when there was a snow day, nothing would get accomplished. With e-learning days, the lessons are still on track.”
She said the district as a whole responded well to e-Learning.
“Change can be a bit confusing at first,” Klumper said. “However, the students and the teachers did a wonderful job at staying positive and doing what needed to be done.”
What was the best part?
“Of course, the best part was working in my pajamas,” Klumper said.
Little Patriots Preschool students don’t use e-Learning session, and elementary students store in their backpacks e-Learning materials that are kept updated with two days worth of relevant instruction.
The Minnesota Legislature approved e-Learning as an option for schools in 2017.
Participating districts can exercise the option five times in a school year, and all e-Learning lessons must follow strict guidelines in order to count for a day of school.