[Simtrainer-l] Living Remotely!

[Schumaker, Jean]

Hi all-We hope you are safe and well as you are engaged in the global pastime of social distancing! We have been hunkering down in our homes without much break. Don and Carol have completed their church assignment at the temple in Omaha and moved back to Kansas City last November. Jean has continued to pound the keyboard as usual. Both of us have been working this week to help teachers who are remotely teaching the various learning strategies to students. (Please watch for another email about this!)

We have been very excited to hear from several professional developers who are planning remote workshops with teachers this spring and summer and actual workshops and courses in the fall. As you are involved in remote workshop activities and gain experience, please take a few minutes to share the lessons you're learning with us and other members of the Network through the listserv. We'd benefit greatly from your insights!

As you may have discovered, there is a growing array of resources available for teachers, parents, and students who are engaged in virtual learning. Here are a few that we've found to have merit:
* School virtually-https://www.schoolvirtually.org
* Digital Promise-https://digitalpromise.org
* Learning Keeps Going-https://wwwlearningkeepsgoing.org
* National Center for Learning Disabilities-https://www.ncid.org/covid19

As you begin making plans for face-to-face workshops when schools begin opening again, we want to underscore the significance of the role that you'll be playing because of a couple of things that we know. First, we know that many students are going to need intensive instruction once they get back in school. They are likely to have lost momentum and will need some specialized intensive instruction to help them "catch up." That's your fastball!  Second, school administrators are going to be looking for answers after they see how their students are lagging in performance, given almost six months of very limited systematic, well-designed instruction. Again, that's where you come in!  Third, all of us have worked really hard to ensure that the SIM "movement" continues to be strong and vital. We don't want to lose that vitality or our momentum as a team. Thus, we encourage you to think about how you can reach out to administrators and teachers and offer your assistance. We know you have a lot to share with them about how they can hit the ground running and move forward in positive ways. If you want some help planning remote workshops, please let us know.  We have a group of professional developers and staff members who have experience in this area who can share their expertise.  As always, we are thinking of you. Please stay safe and keep well. Please protect yourselves and your loved ones. Jean and Don
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