As the heart of winter approaches, so does the chance of spontaneous school cancellations and delays. Because the MCCSC covers such a massive area, getting to school in nasty weather can be quite difficult and dangerous for the majority of students that live on the outskirts of the school zone. That’s where eLearning comes into discussion.
Several corporations around the MCCSC, such as Brown County and Richland Bean Blossom in Ellettsville, have adopted the program, and many students and staff members have wondered why Monroe County hasn’t. It simply isn’t logical to have school if you’re putting your students in danger just by making them come to school.
“I think it’s coming. I think it’s coming, especially in higher education…I think it will be a turn coming and now that we have Canvas it should be a pretty easy transition” said Assistant Principal Jay True.
“Nobody likes to make-up snow days…we’re just a couple snow days away.”
A lot of the time students will be satisfied with two-hour delays, but there are still times when the questionable decision to have school or not have a two-hour delay frustrates some students in rural areas. Sure, being able to learn in a classroom environment is advantageous, but with the technological evolution that is currently taking place, it is logical to assume that most students will be able to smoothly navigate through a day of eLearning.
Senior Nick Waldon believes that the school system “care[s] more about us being here than they care about our safety” which may be a bit of a bold statement, but the last couple of winters haven’t strengthened their case.
On their eLearning page, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) explains that it “has provided teachers and students the opportunity to engage with digital resources, to collaborate virtually, and to develop digital skills that are used and valued beyond K-12,” along with the fact that it eliminates snow days.
Of course the main counterpoint is that not every single student has access to the internet at home, but, once again, it is realistic to think that practically every student has internet in this new age of technology. Of course, there will be growing pains with the implementation of such a system but patience and perseverance could pay dividends in the future.
True believes that one downfall could be “if you just take advantage of it and with the freedom it could become too easy.”
eLearning will definitely come into discussion several times in the next few years and it would not be a surprise if it actually got installed over that span. According to the IDOE, the MCCSC has already been awarded a grant for e-learning.
