Although Ohio County Schools students are not in the classrooms, they still get to see and hear their teachers present lessons.
School system Innovation Coordinator JoJo Shay said students and teachers have benefitted greatly from Screencastify. The technology is a tool that allows educators to film and edit their lessons and make them available for students. Students can then view their teachers’ Screencastify videos on Schoology and the school system’s elementary education website. Students have access to their teachers’ email addresses so they can then submit questions. Students can also speak to their teachers in real time in Google Hangouts.
Shay said Screencastify has been quite beneficial since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of schools on March 13.
“While our set of technology tools has prevented our students from suffering a lapse in instruction, Screencastify has been an important way for our teachers to stay in contact with them,” she said. “We encourage the teachers to record five-to-seven minutes of instruction to show students how to learn and understand a concept. Screencastify has provided our students with a way to watch and listen to their teachers even though they aren’t with them.”
1-to-1 Initiative
Ohio County Schools’ utilization of Screencastify began two years ago with the creation of the school system’s 1-to-1 initiative which provided all students in high school and middle school with their own Chromebook. The school system has provided professional development for teachers that includes the utilization of Screencastify since that time. Shay said she didn’t realize how important that training would be.
“It has been such a useful tool since we’ve had to adjust instruction due to COVID-19,” she said. “It has translated so well in a situation we couldn’t have predicted. It has allowed us to provide instruction from the moment that schools were shut down. The framework was in place to easily adapt to the situation.”
Shay said the students are taking advantage of their teachers’ Screencastify lessons. She noted that there have been nearly 20,000 hits on the school system’s elementary website in the past three weeks. She commended Ohio County Schools teachers for doing all they can to meet the educational needs of their students.
“They are utilizing it well,” Shay said. “The teachers that didn’t typically use it have reached out for help so that they can provide lessons for their students. It’s been wonderful to see the way in which our teachers have risen to the occasion.”
