AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Independent School District plans to have two virtual briefings this week giving students, families and staff a better idea of what their back to school will be like. One of the sessions will allow participants to take a look at "a day in the life" of distance learning at home and in-person learning on the staff.
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AISD said remote instruction will not look like it did in March, April and May, and it will be significantly better. It said remote learning isn't going to be sitting in front of a screen all day.
How will it be different than the spring? AISD said the district's academics, professional learning, technology teams and teachers "have been working hard over the summer to create high-quality, online instructional resources for students in all grades that will be much more comprehensive and robust than what existed in the spring."
In the presentation, AISD said remote learning will focus on:
- Community and connectedness
- Social, emotional and physical needs
- Reflection tools for students and families
- Tracking progress toward clear learning goals
- Authentic and meaningful feedback from teachers
- Engaging learners of all backgrounds
- Simultaneous interaction with teachers
- Options for students to work at their own pace
- Opportunities and resources for reteaching and support
AISD said these experiences will help create a more equitable experience for students in all of their school communities.
In the presentation, AISD said communication and course content will be delivered on one system for grades Pre-K through 12 on a system called BLEND (Canvas).
Through this one tool, AISD said students and parents will:
- Receive all communication about course assignments
- Be able to watch videos
- Access lesson content
- Submit assignments
- Receive feedback on assignments
- Communicate with their teachers
- Access Seesaw, a supplemental tool for grades Pre-K through 12
Other topics in the presentation were regarding specifics on what families should expect during the first three weeks of school and what types of learning tasks they will be dealing with.
In an AISD "Superintendent Check-In," the school district said all students will have either a Chromebook or iPad. It anticipates technology distribution will take place the week leading up to the start of school. You can find more questions and answers regarding technology here.
Events will be streamed on Facebook Live with closed captioning and consecutive Spanish interpretation.
AISD said questions can be submitted in advance on the Padlet app. Participants can also submit questions live during the event. The district said if you want more information, contact Courtney Liebich at courtney.liebiech@austinisd.org.
Manor ISD will also be holding return-to-learn sessions at 5:30 p.m. on July 23, 30 and Aug. 6. on Facebook and manorisd.net.
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