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I have to admit that remote learning was and still is going to be a challenge for me, my incoming students, as well as for parents. Too much had to be learned in a short amount of time. I wish I would have been a bit more tech savvy in navigating this new way of delivering instruction. Towards the end of the school year though, I was more knowledgeable ten-fold about the technical aspect.

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Remote Learning this past spring was a new and interesting experience. While I had great children last year and a great experience. I worry that my new children will need more direction than my last group.

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Having remote learning thrust upon us so unceremoniously was at first exciting because it was new and I love new things. Also, my grade partner and I worked seamlessly to make the transition to our kids whom we knew very well. However, as the weeks started adding up and the network became more involved, the experience began to be much more exhausting and time consuming. I was going to bed at 3am nightly to wake up at 6 and 7am and repeat. The saving grace was that I knew my kids for two years so that made it easier; plus, I had very involved parents. I am looking forward to seeing how this will play out for the fall with brand new kids.

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Remote learning was certainly challenging in many ways.We certainly became a learning community, supporting and learning from each other. The parents for the most part were active in the their children's education, learning the platforms along side our students. I think that offering parents workshops on the technology was very helpful to them. The parent -teacher connection was definitely enriched by this experience.

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Remote learning posed some difficulties for me, as an educator, as well as a parent. Although I challenged myself to think of innovative and engaging ways to deliver my instruction, I struggled with finding a proper balance of time. Most of my time was used to plan, execute, and create videos/lessons, and I felt like I was working 24/7, while ignoring my children, my household, and not fully supporting my husband, who was also working from home. Towards the end of the school year, I felt like I had a better handle on remote teaching, and found a happier balance, but it still was not where I wanted to be.

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Remote learning had many positive and negative experiences. I was able to work collaboratively with grade level teachers across the network which allowed us to learn different platforms from one another. One major struggle was parent communication and the quality of student work at times.

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Remote learning was definitely an adjustment for both me as a teacher and for the students. The resources and assistance from faculty both inside and out of the network were excellent. GoGuardian, GoFormative, Google Classroom, Screencastify, and more made teaching and learning a lot easier. As difficult as the transition may have been, I’m confident all our students succeeded in learning the required topics and units.

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Remote learning was challenging at first but with time I have learned to enjoy incorporating technology in lessons for students that can be more engaging. I learned how to navigate many different platforms and support my students in different ways.

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Remote learning was definitely a learning experience. There were many challenges for both the teachers and students. We learned how to use google classroom and most of the components within in. Once we started google meets and go formative it was much easier to assist the students.

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The Spring had some challenges, my students stepped up and adjusted to remote learning but were upset that we were not together in the classroom. Many of my students yearned for the one to one and small group experience. My concerns are that many students were not attending their small group google meets and I had to constantly call families to see what was going on.

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During the spring there was a lot of new platforms of technology that were introduced that allowed for my 2nd graders to be able to complete their work easily. The googlemeet lessons that we had were really great to be able for students to get the instruction as well as see their friends. Parents were really great about communication and were on board with many of the changes that we made during our time online.

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Remote learning was difficult for me as well as my students at first. I felt it was easier for all after our google meets were up and running. It was interesting that some students who struggled in the classroom thrived with remote learning, while others students had a hard time with it. I look forward to working to make the fall a success for all students.

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This spring had some challenges and successes. I appreciate the multitude of different online learning platforms that were available to teachers and students. The online platform is a great addition to my list of teaching tools.

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Remote learning opened my eyes to how many resources are available online for students. My favorite resources are EdPuzzle, Flipgrid & Google Forms.

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I loved using the seesaw platform with my kindergarteners during remote learning. It was age friendly and allowed my students to be independent in their learning. I felt comfortable creating screencasting videos, although they could be time consuming to create. I loved collaborating and sharing resources with colleagues. Google meets were difficult with kindergarteners, but we tried our best with engagement. I am concerned how remote learning will look with a new class of kindergarteners who have never possibly been in a classroom or used technology. At the time of remote learning in the spring last year my students were already tech capable.

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Remote learning definitely had some successful moments. Throughout the year, my 4th graders loved using technology whenever we could. So a lot of them were very excited to have the chance to use the computer to learn the rest of the year. Once my students got comfortable with some of the new applications (ex. google forms, goformative, assisstments) they were able to focus on the material. I found my high and low students asking more questions then they ever did in class before because they truly had to reflect if they understood the material. I noticed my mids tended to work through as much as they could without ask questions, and I often conferenced with them most. I loved having the support of the parents and being able to connect with them more often than I would have in person! When forming small groups, I had to do it based on convenience for the families, so I had some really mixed level groups. Those ended up being more successful than my groups who were closer in level. Overall, despite the circumstances, most of my students really became invested during this time and those who struggled, I was able to communicate that to the parents and we made great next steps!

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The beginning of remote learning was a new experience for teachers, students, and parents. I found it difficult at first to teach new content to students over the computer since providing explanations was a bit more complicated than a quick one on one conversation in person. Once the staff and myself got comfortable with the platforms we were using, it was easier to open up communication with students remotely.

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I love educational technology. During the "normal" times, I would try and use as much tech that I can to support my lessons. It was a lot of fun figuring out new ways to teach and connect with the students as well as increasing their technological literacy along with the subject areas. There was totally a learning curve. The hardest part was coordinating with students and parents to understand the systems and programs we were using. I loved the ease of sharing media and enrichment to make the learning process more hands-on despite the remote nature

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Remote learning was a bit of a challenge. I personal needed to learn new ways to teach, with different platforms, and the students a new way to learn. We all learned very quickly

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In the beginning of remote learning there were many challenges because we were all unfamiliar with the technology. As we got more familiar with the platforms some of the students really blossomed. Remote learning was difficult for some students, but we tried to find different ways to help them adapt.

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Remote learning was great for some of my learners who were able to go at their own pace.  The students who were self conscious could look up words they didn't know to better their understanding and become more successful.  I found some students struggled with the independence of remote learning.
The collaboration with colleagues in terms of planning and sharing resources was incredibly valuable and helpful

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I was surprised at how successful remote learning turned out to be in the spring. I found ways to engage the students and motivate them throughout the entire process. On the other hand, most of the issues found during this process was the lack of technology assistance from adults at home. I found myself guiding those students through the technology part of the lesson more than the material at times.

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Remote learning success:
-google meets allowed for relationship building and real time instruction
-we were able to work collaboratively on resources across the district
-found some really great online resources (edpuzzle, goformative, etc.)

concerns:
-students missing class time/not completing all assignments
-lack of hands on experiences and manipulatives (especially with fractions and geometry)

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Remote learning took my students and I out of our element at first. This hands off approach posed a few problems in the beginning as I felt that I wasn't able to effectively reach my students. Families and students were also overwhelmed with the many different platforms used on a daily basis.

Once we gained a rhythm, students were able to maneuver through the different platforms more efficiently and I learned that less is just more! Once we were able to integrate small groups using video calling, things started to feel a bit more normal and my students were able to jump back into our safe learning space.

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Remote learning came with many challenges. However, a lot of good things came from remote learning that may have not happened if we were still in the classroom. Teachers were able to communicate and connect with parents in such a different and unique way. The teacher-parent relationships were stronger because we were able to communicate more & connect more because we were all facing the same or similar challenges. Remote learning also gave me the opportunity to learn many of the online platforms/resources that I've always wanted to learn and utilize in the classroom but never got around to it.

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I think my greatest success was forming relationships with my parents to become a teaching team. Working with kindergarteners you need a lot of help from the parents and I was able to get most parents on board and helping with online learning.
I also learned that it is very important to have support yourself and I feel that the teachers and administration at Icahn 6 were there to support each other.

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I feel that it was easy for me to adapt to the technology and come up with ideas to disperse content. But the hardest part was holding the students accountable for their work.

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It was indeed a roller coaster . I must say I was impressed with how my second graders quickly adapted to this new way of learning and gave it their all . I want to say that most of my class was interactive maybe only like a 10% struggled. We struggled the most  with finding the best programs that accommodated all learning styles.

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Remote learning forced me to become more familiar with helpful digital platforms and sites that can be used in and out of the classroom. I also became more comfortable with recording myself doing lessons for the students. The students who utilized them were able to go back and re-watch if needed, or just go back to specific parts. Parents also found them helpful because they could watch with their children and learn with them.

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Remote learning was challenging at the beginning!! However, I love how we were able to collaborate as a team to troubleshoot any misunderstandings. I am also proud of the students and parents for stepping up to the challenge!!!!!

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Thankfully, I had taught my students how to use Google Classroom for an animal research project a few weeks prior to our school closing. They were familiar with the platform, and for the most part were able to use it at home. Of course, I had some questions from students and parents, but there was continuous communication throughout the last few months.  In the beginning, I had a tough time using the many different tools and websites to support me in teaching my students important concepts. It’s very hard not being able to see how they are doing at home with their assignments and to be there for them If they were struggling. It was quite a journey and through this PD, I hope to learn how to continue to effectively support my students through this strange time.

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This spring I was able to work more collaboratively with my coworkers than ever before. I was also able to have the time to use many different aspects of technology in my lessons than I ever have before. It was great to have open communication with their parents and work with small groups to differentiate.

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During remote learning the students were successfully able to navigate and use google classroom and apps. They were trained since during the school year, social studies and ELA interactive lessons were uploaded in the site. Students started working collaboratively and created their own teams. It was refreshing to see how resourceful and creative they are.
TROUBLESHOOT, troubleshoot, support...

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Pros:

Used GoGuardian to help students in real time

Students could work at their own pace

Google Meets allowed for more tailored support to students

Cons:

Some students were more invested in online learning than others

Students would miss google meets

Difficult to motivate students

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Overall, the changes that were brought about by the pandemic effected many students differently. Indeed, most students who were responsible with their work in school continued to flourish, while others struggled. Online applications enhanced instruction, made grading easier and kept students accountable through the time stamps.

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The experience from remote learning this fall definitely provided such great experience with technology, using various online platforms, for students, parents, and teachers. In general, it was great to learn about several online resources and platforms that could be implemented both at home and in school. The technology background that my students had in the classroom definitely contributed greatly throughout the transition into remote learning. I enjoyed working with my colleagues as well, preparing lessons for the upcoming week. I has learned several ways to teach various concepts in different ways. As usual, there were some technical issues throughout the process.

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The transition to remote learning wasn't as challenging as I expected with my Kindergarteners. The parents played a significant role on the success we had during the spring. We were able to have all my students participate and complete working using Seesaw and most of them also joined the live sessions. A good number of my students' parents were essential workers and we were flexible with the students' schedules. I also experienced a successful collaboration with grade level teachers across the network. The most important challenges were the connection issues during live sessions and parents not allowing students to complete work independently even after we explained the expectations.

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Remote learning allowed parents to see and understand the actual struggles their child had with certain concepts. I was able to conference with parents and students almost immediately (in my scheduled time). In those conferences I was able to give parents guidance to help their child. At times, the accessibility to parents held students accountable. A couple students struggled throughout the last remote learning period because there was little or no guidance. I want to learn how to reach these students.

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I was actually surprised at how well my families took to the digital platforms. My parents actually had little difficulties with getting their children on and completing assignments. There were definitely connection issues that occurred but it is to be expected when relying on the internet solely. Although many of my parents were involved, at times it appeared they were too involved, meaning they were telling their children the answers as opposed to helping them get to the answers independently or with minimal guidance.

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Remote learning in the spring provided greater interaction with all the players in education. Most importantly, parents learned a new and/or greater appreciation for teachers. Many lessons were learned and team work for many became an even greater asset.

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Remote learning was quite the transition, as I had to figure out how to keep my students motivated while also maintaining personal relationships that are built and maintained in a classroom environment. The successes included more team collaboration, utilizing various apps such as flipgrid to make learning hands on for the students and fun, as well as using different assessment tools such as goformative that provided students feedback. There however were struggles such as students not meeting deadlines to turn in assignments on google classroom, the quality of student work, and lots of phone calls home to parents due to students being active on sites such as youtube during class hours.

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Success:
-Transitioning from in-person to remote learning
-Use of video and academic websites for students to research or use as a source
-I was able to connect to students easily but determining comprehension remotely was interesting

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Transition from the classroom to remote was a little bit of a roller coster ride. We had many students who were on board with being remote and some who did not buy into it. The ones who were really on board took off in success.  which made it a smooth ride. The ones who we had to keep on top of made it a real challenge because they did the work on their own schedule and we were unable to provide on the spot support the assigned school hours. Moving in to the fall with students knowing how remote learning work, I am hoping it will be smoother.

What I found to work great was keeping all assignments very clear and presented with a video of how to access the assignment with what the expectation was along with a step by step instructions.

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The transition wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Remote learning helped push me outside of my comfort zone and afforded me the opportunity to learn new teaching platforms. My students and I adapted quickly to our new learning environment. It was also very helpful to have colleagues to lean on and brainstorm with.

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Successes:
-The transition to the digital platform was quick and simple for both students and myself.
_ Admin/Teachers across the network helped and supported each other with the online  curriculum.
_ Google Meets lessons kept the teacher-students connected.
-All  parents  and students were involved!

Concerns:
- Students' work was not the same quality. ( quick and poor typing)
-Like Mr. Motie mention " Making the work not feel like busy work", that was  mentioned by my students or they did their work quickly to be done with school.
-Students dealing with the stress of COVID.

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Icahn 1 - 6th

Positives:
- Students who needed to work at their own pace excelled when allowed to do so.
- Utilized a variety of online programs/apps to help differentiate instruction.
- Weekly grade level collaboration allowed for curriculum development.

Concerns:
- Student involvement/engagement greatly varied. Many students rushed through work and did not actively engage with work just to get it “done.”
- Constantly tracking down student to join google meets and complete work.
- Many students were in distractive environments when on live sessions.

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I've had many successes from the remote learning in spring. I've got to learn and work with many platforms that I haven't used before. I've gotten a chance to work with and meet other grade teachers from schools in my network. I've also had perfect attendance and work handed in by students most of the time. Something that I would like to work on is building a strong rapport with parents as well as with the students in the beginning of the school. I think that will be a struggle initially, whereas they're meeting me virtually and not from school.

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With remote learning, I was able to engage more with students and parents. Parents were able to see first hand their child's effort and dedication to their school work. Collaborating with other teachers across the network was beneficial to create unique and engaging lesson plans for the students. I was still able to keep students accountable for their learning through the engaging lessons that were posted and completed. Working through connection issues and navigating websites was a daily challenge to overcome but overall, very positive experience.

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I was able to work collaboratively with grade level teachers across the network and be introduced to different apps and platforms to utilize with my students. The quality of the student work and the support fro parents was a struggle at times, as well as connection issues.

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Sean Motie

Successes
1. Was able to utilize multiple digitial apps to teach lessons
2. Students were able to easy understand and access the trnasition to digital learning
3. Worked collaboratively with instructors from other Icahns to create meaningful lessons

Concerns
1. Parent involvement and being able to hold parents accountable
2. Quality of student work when students are having an off day or off week
3. Making the work not feel like busy work