7 Remote Learning Wins We’re Taking into 2023

#Tips

Erin Werra

by Erin Werra

Erin Werra EdTech Thought Leader

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What comes to mind when I say the following two words: Remote learning.

Stress? Exhaustion? Kids falling behind?

While all three of these memories could not be more true, remote learning also had its share of positives. Some of them were so good, in fact, they’ll be sticking around in 2023! Let’s take a look at seven.

1. Simplified enrollment with NSOE

Filling a lobby with lines of families all waiting to turn in reams of printed paperwork just to enroll their kids in school? Not anymore! The paperless enrollment revolution gained steam during COVID. Districts turned to New Student Online Enrollment to give families the freedom to register their students from the comfort of home. Families love the convenience of filling out custom forms online instead of printed packets with pen, and it saves major resources too!

2. Healthier classrooms with the Health Screening Tool

Skyward introduced the Health Screening Tool to make it easy for students and guardians to decide if they were a COVID risk and should stay home from school. The purpose of this tool has morphed, and it can now be used to help kids with any illness (flu, strep throat, etc.) determine if it’s best to stay home. When used at peak sickness times, this quick-check tool can help keep your hallways healthier. (Note: All health information is kept confidential.)

3. Virtual parent-teacher conferences

This has been a game changer! We were so excited when the CTO of a Skyward district told us his elementary school switched to virtual conferences and experienced a 100% participation rate in parent-teacher conferences! Can you imagine if every school achieved 100% participation? Making the switch to virtual conferences has the potential for incredible impact on parent engagement.

Watch these conference scheduler tutorials to see how it’s done—increasing conference attendance really can be as easy as that!

Teacher Power-Up (SMS 2.0)
Parent Power-Up (SMS 2.0)

4. Increased communication between teachers and families

Family engagement has always been important, but it became even more crucial when students began learning from home. Districts relied on the Family Access Message Center to communicate between educator teams and students’ families. (The Message Center is available for both SMS and Qmlativ districts. Learn more about the Qmlativ Message Center in this article.)

Push notifications also became a valuable tool. Most people keep their cell phones within reach (whether that’s a healthy habit or not is a topic for another day). But being able to send important, time-sensitive messages straight to parents’ devices was a helpful way to streamline communication.

5. Virtual school in a pinch

Though it seems pretty clear most schools won’t be returning to an entirely virtual environment anytime soon, having a virtual option as an as-needed Plan B is helping districts in a pinch. eLearning snow days, for instance, may stick around for the long haul.

6. A focus on device security

Ransomware attacks on schools skyrocketed during the pandemic. In fact, cyberattacks on education organizations increased at more than twice the rate of other industries. Districts pivoted their attention toward proactive device security—a focus which will hopefully remain going forward. Skyward’s vice president of information security shared his top 4 tips for districts. Be sure to give that article a read!

7. Employees’ access to vital information

If it wasn't already a priority, ensuring employees have a web-based portal like Employee Access to view their payroll, vacation balances, and substitute tracking information became more important than ever when safety dictated as few people as possible could remain in administrative buildings. But the benefits weren't just about accessing information from home. Districts also enjoyed less paper, fewer data entry errors, and a decrease in time spent making a chain of changes.

Did you know you can use the Employee Access Toolkit to teach employees how to use this portal? Learn more about this Toolkit here.

While the days of remote learning were certainly difficult, now that we’ve had a bit of time to reflect, it’s easier to appreciate some of the positive outcomes that resulted. When push came to shove, teams of educators created inventive, valuable tools that will continue to benefit K12 for years to come.