Out with the old, in with the new: Leyden tests E-Learning Day

District 212 students and staff weren’t at school on February 9. But thanks to the omnipresent power of technology, school was in session.

After more than two years of waiting for the snow day stars to align, and after a prediction or 10” – 12” of snow, Leyden finally held its first e-learning day. Faculty and students weren’t in their classrooms, but that didn’t prevent the school day from unfolding as everyone was connected via the internet. This is possible because the district provides each student with a Chromebook; and also ensures that the 20 or so students in need of Wi-Fi have the hotspots that give them access to the internet.

During Leyden’s inaugural e-learning day, students used their computers to complete about five hours of classwork from home. According to Superintendent Nick Polyak, teachers posted the day’s coursework by 9 a.m. that day; students had to check-in by 1 p.m. to confirm attendance.

And because it was considered an instructional day, students and staff won’t have a snow day tacked on at the end of the school year.

“An extra day at the end of the school year is not particularly useful,” Polyak says . “I believe an e-learning-day is a better option than a snow day because learning can take place anywhere. It also gives students the opportunity to develop autonomy.”

Tatiana Bonuma, principal at the West campus, says teachers were able to check their students’ progress via Schoology, the online learning management system that monitors students’ activities. “The practice day earlier in the year contributed to a smooth e-learning day,” Bonuma notes. “Teachers were able to engage the students in meaningful content related to current units of study. And many students shared that the e-learning day format allowed them to complete their coursework while being available to help at home.”

Polyak is evaluating the success of e-learning day by reviewing student attendance and gathering feedback from teachers, students and parents. If the results are favorable, Polyak said he and other superintendents would ask lawmakers to consider making e-learning an option for Illinois schools.

East Leyden senior John Auge does his classwork from home during District 212’s first e-learning day implemented on Friday, February 9.