Help is at hand for teachers, students and parents alike who have decried the lack of a standardised approach to remote learning.
Education chiefs are carrying out a series of training sessions in Google Suites for Education – a free online collection of tools and services geared specifically for schools and homes.
The sudden forced closure of schools in March due to the coronavirus outbreak meant lessons had to be given online with little warning, sending many teachers and families into a tailspin.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic and while remote learning was going on, teachers and schools were doing different things and persons were using a wide range of platforms,” said acting deputy director of education Jonah Greene.
“We want all our teachers to use the G-Suite for Education, simply because the security in G-Suite is higher. We want to use a platform where our students are protected and our teachers can operate on conditions that are the best for the education system.”
She said the training will ensure teachers are doing the “right thing”.
“Everyone in the system using one platform, and we standardising the process, will ensure our systems will have that momentum and that the quality of the instructions our students will receive will be better,” she added.
The training will be given at Princess Margaret School and will be divided into six phases.
Phase one will include the installation of all public primary and secondary schools as well as interested private and tertiary institutions into the administrative suite.
The second phase involves training of Google Suite administrators, which is expected to extend into the new academic year, while phase three is successfully completed where education officers with responsibilities for curriculum are trained.
Teachers will also be trained to effectively use the Google Suites and will in turn educate students in the intricacies of Google Classroom. Their sessions, which are already underway, include face to face tutorial, accompanied by self-paced online training.
Phase five will help parents familiarise themselves with the programme through the Government Information Service (GIS), channel 11.
The final phase will focus on trouble shooting and user support.