Distance Learning Best Practices and Success Stories: PART 1

Recently, the Distance Learning and Technology Team sent out a survey to distance learning (DL) contacts statewide, asking them to share a DL success story or best practice that has made a positive change in how their program does DL or blended learning with a particular class or even with a particular learner. They were asked to consider sharing any story about a decision, practice, learner, programming change, teacher, or administrative action that made a positive impact and could benefit the field.

We would like to share some of those successes with you in a two-part series of articles, this being Part 1. Please consider contributing your own best practice or success story here!

DL Success Stories from MN ABE

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  Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan ABE created a DL resource page for their learners.

• A St. Paul Community Literacy Consortium member started using Google Voice to “text learners from my computer, which has been an effective way to communicate with them. I can text them about their DL progress much more quickly than making a phone call.”
• A SE ABE member started using Kahn Academy in their all math classes, with some students continuing to use it outside of class for additional proxy hours.
• At a small ABE program in SE Minnesota, each week, a staff member runs and downloads the Learner Daily Usage from Edmentum (Plato) and shares it with all the teachers whose learners are enrolled. It’s a quick way for them to see who is and isn’t working as well as see what content students are working on.
• At a large metro ABE site, the DL Coordinator is invited into classrooms by the teachers. They enroll students into MobyMax and assign content based on their class focus and CASAS/TABE reading levels. The DL Coordinator uses a slide show presentation and students follow along to orient them to MobyMax. Students use it outside of class as a supplement to their in-class work and to help with spotty attendance. MobyMax is super mobile-friendly so most learners can get on-boarded quickly.