The Three C's of Remote Learning

We are on day 5 of 'remote learning' in our household. Three little girls who are under the age of 8. And a mum whose job at Microsoft is to support schools with the use of technology. To say I am torn between two loves is an understatement. Especially as it is a worrying time for children and stressful for the adults. Particularly, the brave and fearless teachers who go to school, despite the risks, to care for their students. And those teachers at home, working tirelessly, learning new technologies while trying to maintain calm for their students scattered across their catchment area and beyond. And then there are the parents, given a baptism-by-fire, trying to understand units of work, scrapping together pencils, paper, scissors and glue, and starring at websites as they slowly load and their child-student slowly loses interest. The struggle is real, folks. But the question is- is it worth waiting for that website to load?

There are a million different versions and interpretations of 'remote learning'. So how is a school leader, teacher, or parent able to evaluate the websites and learning platforms used for remote learning? A framework called '21st Century Learning Design' provides us with a good litmus test for EdTech Remote Learning solutions. I like to call it the 'Three Cs'

1. Collaboration. Are they able to work with others to create something? Are they able to participate in group work? Are they able to collect ideas, find consensus and assign tasks to complete a shared outcome? Working on a shared goal provides us with community, connection and purpose. This may be co-authoring a PowerPoint together on an assigned topic, it may be using OneNote to gather research and share ideas, or it might be a group work assigned to a channel within a Microsoft Team to chat, debate, create and present. Learn more about collaborating with Office 365.

2. Communication. Are they able to communicate with others on a 1:1, 1:few and 1:many basis? Are they able to share their thinking, get feedback, and respond? Are they able to use communication to foster a sense of community and connection? Staying connected is vital right now and communicating with each other is paramount to ward off the feeling of isolation. The pedagogy of remote learning highlights regular feedback, high teacher visibility, and frequent engagement from students as key to a successful online learning experience. This is easily achieved through Microsoft Teams through class posts, chat, feedback on assignments, and live Team meetings.

3. Creativity/Construction. Are they able to create something rather than consume? Are they able to make something that never existed before (even if just to them)? Are they able to take a different perspective, add their own thinking? Are others able to react to their ideas? Are they able to present their work and build upon the ideas of others? As our workforce slides towards the inevitable automation from machine learning and AI, the best future proofing we can give our students is creativity. Minecraft Education Edition gives students a space where students are able to solve complex problems. You can explore Microsoft MakeCode for a STEM challenge, learning to programme right from your browser. The Microsoft Family Learning Centre also provides a host of ideas to get kids creating rather than consuming.

There is a fourth 'C'. It is Compassion. We are all new to remote learning. Students, teachers, and parents are all just finding our way. Keeping the fourth C in mind may help determine exactly how much content, time, and interaction you should expect during a typical remote learning day. School is so much more than learning. It is learning social norms, it is a community, it is playing outside, it is goofing around with your friends, it is courage and excitement. It's trying new things. It's a day of experiences and people. The hope is that remote learning will allow us to stay connected, keep moving forward, and provide some semblance of normalcy. But we must be compassionate to this new normal. And put our well being first. Sat in front of a device all day is not good for anyone. Not teachers nor students. But by following the 3 C's you can ensure that the time you do spend online or with a device is human-centric, building future-ready skills, and highly valuable.