Distance Learningin

Shelby County

Joan Greene and Faith PackTechnology Resource Teachers

Shelby County Schools

What is Distance Learning?

Distance Learning is instructional delivery that does not constrain the student to be physically present in the same location as the instructor.

Types of Distance Learning

• Collaboration• Curriculum Enhancement• Courses

Collaboration

• Between classes within the same county

• Between classes in two different counties

• Between classes in:– Another city– Another state– Another country

Curriculum Enhancement

• Virtual fieldtrips– Renowned speakers– Visits to real places– Talking to real people

Courses• Advanced

Placement• Foreign

Language• College courses

– Teachers– Students

Other Uses

• Professional Development• Video Meetings• Activities

– Spelling Bees– School to School competitions– Joint projects– Math Competitions

Benefits• Reduced Travel• Cost and time savings• Increased opportunities• Increased collaboration

How We Made It Work • Focused on promoting Distance Learning with teachers• Wrote it into the Formula Grant• Included week long training for

teachers in the grant, along with one free DL connection.

• Created video and showed it at a Principal’s meeting and a County Tech Meeting

Solving the Cost Problem

• Money put into tech budget each year to cover connections.

• School tech money is used• Some schools choose to charge a

small fee as if the connection was a field trip.

Daily Connection Setup• Daily Connections: Science, Math,

German• Teachers + facilitator • Equipment provided each teacher:

– Printer/Fax machine– Phone line– DL Equipment– Laptop

Requirements to Connect

• The connection must apply to the curriculum that the teacher is teaching.

• Teachers must complete a form on the Shelby County website.

http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/tech/distlearn.htm

Witness to History (Pearl Harbor)

Arizona Memorial Museum Association

The Underground Railroad Ward Melville Heritage

Organization

Meeting Sen. Richard Shelby

Gravity - Roller CoastersLouisville Science Center

ShakespeareIndiana Repertory Theatre

Collaborations• Plays• Experiments• Spanish lessons

Other Connections

• Transmission Tracker – Louisville Science Center

• The Rain Forest – Center for Puppetry Arts• Storytelling – Huntsville’s Early Works Museum• Egyptian Mummies – Cleveland

Museum of Art• Baseball Hall of Fame - NY

Distance Learning

Connects Your Students With the

Worldhttp://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/tech/distlearn.htm