iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

Schmidt and Candice Dodson, the executive director of SETDA and a longtime educator and digital learning advocate in Indiana, both acknowledged that online learning typically requires ample preparation, training, troubleshooting and community buy-in. But this is not a typical situation. (Some educators have suggested new terms, such as remote delivery of instruction and emergency online instruction, to distinguish it from traditional online learning.)

For educators just getting started, Schmidt acknowledged that the by-the-book preparation and implementation is no longer an option. “Folks are going to have to forego some of those … ideal things for getting started,” she said.

Instead, she stressed that educators be forgiving of themselves and their students. As far as advice, she offered some key priorities for decision-making: