Tuesday, November 18, 2014

E-Learning Banishes Snow Days from Indiana Schools



Shelby County school district in Indiana has decided to experiment with their educational approach and simply just rid themselves of snow days. The ancient practice of getting days off of school and playing in the snow are almost a relic of the past. Snow days are now virtual commuting days for lesson plans, education, and homework assignments. 

Children are issued a device that has all of the assignments loaded on them if it looks like they are going to have a snow day. Most students simply work online and can chat with their teachers and complete their work. When they don’t have Internet access they still have the assignments on the device to complete and can upload them when they return to school the next day.

Snow days become great days to focus on those skills that they did not do so well in the previous year but will be tested on this year as well. It is hoped that the devices ensure that students cut down on the amount of snow days as well as raise their overall test scores for the district. 

Education must continue to adapt and develop based upon the changing of the times. When schools first started they worked around the farming and harvest times. As the decades passed the automobile brought with it bussing and larger school districts. Eventually, we made it into the present time when online education and year-round learning are possible. 

There will be many school districts looking at Shelby County Schools to see if there is something beneficial in the model.  

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