Lead Stories

Last week the parishes of Kingston, St Andrew and St Catherine came to a grinding halt.

Schools in these parishes remained closed and the assumption was that the teaching/learning process would also come to a halt. However, the students of the American International School of Kingston (AISK) middle school and high school were not allowed to watch television all day as their teaching/learning process was not at a standstill. Since the students could not physically come to school, virtual school came to them.

On Tuesday, students communicated with their teachers via email. Class work was emailed to students and students emailed their assignments back to their teachers. Homework was posted on Turnitin.com and students uploaded their assign-ments accordingly.

On Wednesday, teachers feverishly established virtual classrooms on a virtual classroom website and adjusted their lesson plans to teach online. Students were required to follow their timetables and meet their teachers in their virtual classrooms. Each teacher sent a link to their students, which allowed them access.

Despite a few 'hiccups', the virtual school was a huge success.

In pyjamas

With more than 75 per cent attendance, students logged in (many confessed they were still in pyjamas) and attended classes. Students could speak to their teachers and classmates, write on the whiteboard, communicate with their teacher via the message board, watch videos, view Powerpoints and even raise their hands. The students were fully engaged in this new and dynamic way of learning. Some students even asked to go to the bathroom.

The one-on-one laptop programme has not only demonstrated its success but has proven to be a 'saviour' in a time when learning could have been halted. AISK ensured that its students were not denied any teaching time and 'moved mountains' to ensure that its students experienced virtual school.

Now, students keep asking "when are we having virtual school again?"