How Digital Learning Could Increase the Number of Snow Days...But There's a Catch

Digital learning. Online courses. Chromebooks and iPads in the classroom.

They all spell the "death" of the snow day. Or so the experts say.

As computer technology embeds itself deeper and deeper into the classroom at all levels, it won't be long before students are required to check in and complete assignments, via a digital portal, posted on their teachers' websites. Many schools around the country have already gone to "digital learning days"--for example, Farmington River Regional School District uses "blizzard bags"--and the snow day offers a great opportunity to put new, glitzy digital learning technologies to the test.

Does this mean the death of the snow day?

In terms of the pure joy of finding out through a robocall, or this website, that students don't have to get dressed and go to school, that excitement will still be palpable. But what won't feel so great is that the release from all academic responsibility will not be present (presuming students actually did all their homework the night before).  Instead, students will have to check in with their teachers' web spaces and complete homework assignments online during the snow day. This is happening already in classes. If it isn't happening in your school, it is just around the corner.

So how do these digital learning days work?

As long as schools can prove that students are completing assignments and learning when they work from home--and learning management systems (LMSs) such as Canvas, Moodle, Schoology and Edmodo are very good at collecting the data schools will need--then state Boards of Education will allow these "snow days" to count as "time on learning."

(For those wondering about students who don't have reliable internet at home, provisions are in place to allow students to make up snow day assignments once students return to school. In most cases, students will have a few days after a snow day to complete the work for it to count as an assignment.)

Because doing assignments at home while the snow piles up on Route 7 can now count as a school day, it is the GSD Staff's professional opinion that Superintendents, knowing that they have a backup learning plan in place, will have the leeway to call more snow days. Why risk an accident when students can complete lessons at home?

Yes, these digital learning days will kill the soul of the snow day, but they will eventually lead to more opportunities for students to stay home from school.

The Usual Suspects

The temps have dropped into the high teens, which means some untreated side roads could be slippery this morning. Most schools will be session for a full day, but we do have a few delays to report from our region.

TWO-HOUR DELAY:

Farmington River
Mohawk Trail
Southwest Vermont SU
Berline (NY)
Hoosick Fals (NY)
New Lebanon (NY)

A Perfect Call

In the end, today's storm managed to be the perfect call for Superintendents and a bust at the same time.

The snow came in right on time at 9:10 at the GSD Home Office in Williamstown. By 11:30, when many high school students would have been let out for an early release, side roads and main roads were covered in 1.5 inches. The snow really picked up for a few hours before we saw a lull around 2:00 and then the changeover to rain was much quicker and much farther to the north than was expected.

Now, at 7 PM, the snow has returned and it is coming down a moderate clip. We'll see a few more hours of snow and another 1-3 inches on top of a layer of sleet/ice that is on top of about 4 inches of snow. Cleaning it all up by the morning will be a chore.

Snow totals from NWS Albany. You can add 4.5" from Williamstown at 7:00 PM to this list. 

There are always chances for delays the day after a storm, but road crews in all towns should have ample time to get on top of it by the morning commute. We'll leave a small percentage on the TNCM, but students will all be in school tomorrow.

So, what's next? Temps on Thursday will be chilly--high teens and low 20s with with a fresh post-storm breeze--and then another system will move in for Friday evening. This one has less moisture to work with so it will only give us 1-3 inches. We do not foresee any postponed games that night, but the drive home from those games could be slow. With the additional few inches of snow, hopefully the county's high school cross-country skiers will have their race on Saturday at Mount Greylock.

We do advise you not go out tonight as the roads are a mess. Take extra time to clean up tomorrow as the snow and ice will be stubborn to get out of your driveways and walkways.