Welcome to New School Curriculum Group. We've created a case model for an education continuity program below:
Case Model - The Oakdale School District Emergency Response Learning Commons
We've created this sample community to demonstrate the process by which a school district can rapidly deploy an easy to use learning community that will provide for educational program continuity in the face of extended school closings or unacceptably high absentee rates due to the outbreaks of a pandemic illness like H1N1, or other natural disaster events. This learning community is specifically designed to meet flexibly address the broadest needs of a community including students, teachers, and parents.
This site is a demonstration site, designed to give district leaders, administrators, teachers, and students an opportunity to test how an emergency response system would work, and what the capabilities and capacities are that would be impacted by the implementation of an emergency response. As you look over these pages, it is important to note that all of the content you see can be easily changed and updated by non-technical staff and district resources.
If you would like to be granted guest login credentials or have any questions you would like answered, please contact Stephen Wilmarth at New School Curriculum Group. eMail: Stephen.Wilmarth@Gmail.com or call 860-227-1225.
National Flu Readiness Guidelines released by the US Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education recently released new recommendations regarding schools' Continuity of Instruction policies in anticipation of flu season, many of which hinge on using technology to deliver education. Along with sending home hard-copy packets of information with students in case of a flu outbreak, the document suggests making use of online materials and content, using conference calls and webinars to hold off-site lessons, and recording class meetings with audio and visual equipment to be viewed later.
In response, New School Curriculum Group and GoingOn open source Social Learning Solutions have teamed up to establish a continuity of learning plan as part of a nationwide readiness initiative. We've pulled together information and resources designed to help schools, districts, and states get prepared for flu-related school closures.
Leading education publications like eSchool News and Education Week have been running articles discussing how schools should approach "curriculum continuity" programs, and it's clear that online learning and the Internet can make a big difference in helping students keep up with schoolwork even when school doors are closed. Check out more information regarding the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, from the US Department of Education here.
Featured Sample Course
See our sample Algebra I course as an example for how school curriculum content can easily be published to the Web, where students can access the materials, information, videos & podcasts, and assignments anywhere, anytime. This system can represent a complete system of online instruction and can be easily and quickly deployed as an emergency response to school closings due to pandemic outbreaks or other natural disasters. This sample course can demonstrate how school districts can effectively "immunize" their programs and continue curriculum under any circumstances.
Helpful Resources
In the event of an epidemic, New School Curriculum Group and GoingOn Social Learning Solutions are well suited to serve communities in need across the country, so that students do not fall behind any more than absolutely necessary. Its "open" (free and ever-evolving) repository is built on an "open" (fully customizable) platform. A School District or individual school homepage will bear the "Continuity of Learning" seal and link, which would help any user -- state official, district administrator, principal, teacher, or parent -- to locate exactly what they need or provide a home for what they want to deliver to the community.
The website accepts most file types as attachments -- Open Office and Microsoft Office documents, and PDFs are the most common -- and also allows members to create wiki- or HTML-based text documents that can be collaboratively developed and edited. The site delivers video and interactive content. Uploading is simple and fast, and is fully supported through online training materials and tutorials (see How-To section, below).
State Landing Pages
We can provide a layer of landing pages at the state level. A state landing page can serve as a space to explain Continuity of Learning, and provide an entry for people using online learning resources for the first time. All state landing pages will conform to a pre-designed format and theme as directed by the relevant state department.
In addition to "open" materials that can be downloaded or used as needed, the pages contain links to other state and district websites. Important documents, such as PDFs of letters to parents, can be attached for download. As users become registered members, a state site can send regular email newsletters targeted to their citizens' preferred uses of the site.
Resources for Members
New School Curriculum Group and GoingOn will develop a series of videos and guides for using the platform and content on our social learning community to address local solutions for Continuity of Learning. These materials will be provided as open source materials that can be customized for use by each local, district and state entities:
Become a Member
Video: How to Join & Log In
About Finding Resources
Video: How to Create, Edit & Collaborate
About Contributing Content
Video: How to Use Groups
About Connecting with Members
Video: How to Comment & Rate
Creating a New Group
Video: How to Search & Browse
How to Create & Edit Resources
Video: How to View a Resource
How to Use Group Features
District Groups
A district can have a group that people in the district -- principals, teachers, parents -- can join. (This can also be done at the school level.) Non-curricular documentation, like memos or forms, are shared via a Documentation library built within the group and members message one another by using a variety of easy-to-use, familiar messaging formats. In a closed group, both the messages can be limited only to authenticated group member.
School Groups
Clovis Online School: Teachers and community members are developing an online charter school in Central California. Using an open source learning community like GoingOn, they will share their ideas about curriculum content development and content sharing.
The ECO Charter School: The Environment Community Opportunity (ECO) Charter School in Camden, NJ, empowers students to realize their vast intellectual and social potential by teaching them to think critically and creatively, and by guiding them to unite mastered skills and content knowledge to create and pursue their own opportunities. Again using an open source social learning platform, this closed group is a location for ECO teachers to co-develop their K-4 curriculum.
School Collections
Schools can use the groups as mentioned above, or can create a member account for their school buildings. Each school can then set up "containers" for teachers, subject areas, grades, et cetera. Individual teachers can then join social learning community and insert their resources into the school's containers.
Some Additional Group Examples -
Nassau BOCES Curriculum Area Projects (CAP): This group is for Nassau County, NY districts. A folder structure has been established to accommodate curriculum writing projects. District writers may work independently or collaboratively to generate appropriate curriculum objectives.
San Jose Unified Technology Leadership Forum: The SJUSD technology leadership program is dedicated to the development of powerful teacher leaders and to the effective infusion of technology into classroom teaching and learning.
Watch EdWeek Streaming Video Presentations of Interest
Cellphones as Instructional Tools
This is an archived presentation. The live event occurred Thursday, July 23, at 4 p.m. Eastern time.
Cellphones have been called “the new paper and pencil” or “the new laptop,” and they could be in the hands of as many as 10 million to 15 million schoolchildren in the next few years. For their instructional potential and ability to connect students to the Internet, mobile devices are quietly making their way into schools in the United States and abroad. What does your district, school, or classroom need to make this technology leap? Guests will discuss policy and implementation issues and offer practical curriculum ideas for every subject.
Presenters:
Elliot Soloway, professor, School of Information, School of Education, and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan
Liz Kolb, education technology instructor, University of Michigan and Madonna University; author, Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education
Ron Myers, principal, Trinity Meadows Intermediate School, Keller, Texas
Moderator:
Elizabeth Rich, online editor of teachermagazine.org and Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook
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Enrolled Students Login
School Continuity Sample Courses
We are pleased to offer the following courses to our students.
For more information, please visit GO Online Learning