Distance Learning: What it is and How to Set Up a Home School Space for Your Kids

Does your school district support distance learning for the fall?

Here’s what you need to know!

Well, it’s official. Our school district has officially decided on distance learning for the fall.

In all honesty, my husband and I were pretty sure that was going to be the option we chose anyway, but now it’s looking like it’s going to be county-wide.

In fact, it looks like some sort of distance learning or virtual learning plan is going to be in place for a good number of schools in the country.

Whether you are in favor of, or dismayed by, the idea of distance learning, there’s a lot of ways to make distance learning work for your family.

It’s not ideal for all families, of course. There are many households where both parents work outside the home, or where there is a single parent, or where children have special needs and IEPs that need to be taken into consideration.

I feel strongly, though, that with the right attitude and know-how, you can help make the best of this unprecedented learning situation.

What is Distance Learning?

Just to get our definitions straight, distance learning, which is also called e-learning, virtual learning or online learning, is a form of education in which the main elements include physical separation of teachers and students during instruction.

Distance learning also utilizes various technologies to facilitate student-teacher and student-student communication.

In our county, students will have the option of procuring either an iPad or Chromebook from the school district to take part in online lessons.

School work will be graded (which is a change from the spring), and it’s as of yet unclear whether work will be completed via physical worksheets or online applications such as Google Docs.

There are a lot of unknowns. But what we DO know is that our attitude as parents will play a big part in how our children perceive distance learning.

To that end, here are some resources and ideas to make the most of this nontraditional start to the school year.

Resources and Ideas for Distance Learning

The more you know as a parent, the better this experience can be for all.

And there is no better time for families and students to learn virtually. There are so, so many resources out there to take advantage of.

And the vast majority of them are FREE!

Here are some of my favorite home schooling and distance learning resources. Hope they help you navigate these strange times…

Can Distance Learning Replace Traditional Classes?

In short, that is exactly what my county and many others are going to attempt to do.

My district made it clear that this was not going to just be a collection of online activities to choose from. Our virtual learning in the fall is going to be school, complete with attendance, grades and a mixture of large and small group activities.

Distance learning CAN replace traditional classes, but it’s definitely going to be a challenge. Though it’s one I think we can all rise to!

Lastly, here are some of my favorite online learning memes to help find some humor in these strange times!

There are so, so many resources out there. I’ve only highlighted just a few today!

Do you have a favorite homeschool/virtual learning/e-learning resource?

Please share in the comments!

Thanks so much for reading all about Distance Learning: What it is and How to Set Up a Home School Space for Your Kids.

Have a lovely day!

<div id="mediavine-settings" data-blocklist-in-image="1" ></div>