Last year Orono had to cancel school for six “cold days,” which was a record number in the district. There was also a state-mandated cold day issued by Governor Dayton; this was the first time this had happened since 1996. Because of this, schools are now turning to online learning in order to prevent the missed days.
Schools like Benilde St. Margaret’s (BSM) and Cathedral School in St. Cloud are turning to virtual learning. President of the Cathedral School, Michael A. Mullin, says that this type of learning was inevitable because students already do most of their work on their laptops.
“I think that this could be really successful at Orono because it’s safer and people don’t have to go into the cold,” said junior Emma Eastman. The cold days also pose a question of whether or not it is safe or not for students and staff.
The goal of the programs, although not the first choice of learning face-to-face, is a day of learning via technology hopes of avoiding extra days to make up ones missed. Additionally, it also benefits teachers, as well as students, by helping stay on-track with lesson plans and scheduling.
Lack of using virtual learning outlets it causes schools to risk the safety of students and staff by remaining open or by closing it and possibly forcing the school to add a day of school or multiple. It also sets back teachers and students when schools close. Closing school for a snow day also risks the chance of shortening break time.
Schools like Cathedral and BSM require teachers to post assignments and lesson plans by a certain time in order for students to be able to access the information. Students are then required to complete certain tasks and homework assignments by a specific time as well. Typically students are required to complete the assignments posted by the teacher during the regular class period.
“I think that I would actually like it because I wouldn’t be so distracted at home and would be able to just get my work done,” senior Jacob Williams said regarding how effective virtual classrooms could be in Orono.
Online schooling can also be very important for obvious safety reasons. With normal winter conditions like normal icey roads, snow fall, black ice, and inexperienced drivers creates a potentially hazardous and even possibly deathly scenario.
“I believe it is crucial to keep students off the roads during severe weather conditions, especially because many students are new drivers. Coming from a school where many students travel over 25 minutes to get to school, it is so important to find alternatives, such as online school, to insure the safety of everyone.” senior at BSM and former Orono student Margaux Brink said.
Although the online classroom allows students to remain in their homes, some students may not like online learning because it is secondary to face-to-face learning. Other options like Skype or Google Hangout are other potential outlets that can be used to teach lessons.
The Department of Education in Minnesota discussed how valuable online schooling is, how it can be accessed to all students, especially in a public school setting. Both Cathedral and BSM supply students with laptops.
Brink also said that although a snow day is called it can still be difficult for students to remain motivated and stay on task. “Unfortunately, the reality of cancelled school imposes the idea of a “free” day for students, which can be very hard to overcome when school is cancelled for whatever reason,” Brink said.
Virtual learning is a new resource for both students and teachers that will be continued to be accessed by more and more schools throughout the state of Minnesota as well as the rest of the country.