Triton School Superintendent Jeremy Riffle brought up a discussion of e-learning for the corporation during the regular monthly meeting of the Triton School Board.
Riffle told the Board that the stance of the corporation on “digital learning” was that it was not a great instructional option for students or teachers. Riffle brought up an idea that the corporation’s teachers and administrators have been discussing — “asynchronous” learning — as an alternative.
From the perspective of instruction, Riffle said that the main idea was that it allowed for better planning.
“We can plan better when we know that it’s two weeks out and we’re actually in the middle of a unit and what tomorrow’s instruction is going to be like versus all of a sudden that next morning when you have a cancellation and snow flies now we’re creating lessons to be posted at 10 a.m.,” said Riffle.
Triton students do not always take their Chromebooks home overnight, and many do not have home internet even if they should. Riffle says it takes away that level of uncertainty for the teaching staff.
The learning day would be on a Saturday after the “snow day” was declared. The goal would be to have two weeks’ notice of when the Saturday learning would be offered. Students would be able to complete the tasks ahead of time or during that Saturday period. Those without home internet or just desiring to use the school’s resources would be able to do so on that day.
Riffle said the goal would be the second Saturday after the snow day, but it could be further off if necessary for the school to meet the 180 days of instruction requirement for the State.
“We get to the end of the year and say ‘hey we had two earlier in the year we need to make one of those up in order to be compliant with the State’ so we’re going to put it out there. So, it’s not an automatic two weeks out, but we’re going to give them two weeks notice to let them know when that’s coming.”
