As the holiday break approaches, many of Lloydminster’s online students are getting one last hurrah together as their studies come to a close.
The Lloydminster Public School Division’s online students will be competing against each other for a holiday baking competition, much in the same vein as tv shows like Nailed It!. The school division is showcasing this, along with several other projects they’ve been undertaking this year to not only keep students engaged, but to also foster a sense of togetherness between the students and their teachers, even from far away.
Online Educator Teira Thomson says this competition especially is a way to connect in ways that might not have been possible before.
“It’s a way for us to connect with families, and connect with kids in a fun way, with something they couldn’t actually do in a classroom, with a virtual fun baking competition.”
Thomson adds that this is a way to finally get a break after plugging away on projects all semester long from home.
Other projects students did this semester have been work on things like virtual design and 3D Printing, for example, which many students have had the ability to learn from home, using technology like the TinkerCad program or Google hangouts to learn, design and send projects around. Students have also taken a virtual tour of the Google headquarters and learned some coding skills from Google Staff.
Thomson says this semester has not been without a learning curve, but students will come away with soft skills as well as some new technology they’ve learned.
“If you weren’t an independent student before, you’re certainly becoming a much more independent student, kids have to take a little bit more responsibility for their learning, and families are taking more responsibility for learning on their end.”
After the winter break, online educators will begin working on new ways to engage the students, but Thomson notes that they’ll be keeping an eye on how the next few months will be before finalizing plans that work inside their curriculum.