With the announcement by Gov. Tom Wolf that schools in Pennsylvania would be closed for the rest of the academic year, educators are relying on technology more than ever.

However, using technology to deliver curriculum is not new.

“Teachers use different platforms to send assignments,” Northwestern Lehigh Superintendent Jennifer Holman said. “Seesaw, Google Classroom and Canvas are three of the most common platforms.”

Google Classroom has become essential to many teachers.

“It allows you to post a wide variety of announcements and assignments and it’s very easy to link anything from documents and slides in Google Drive to YouTube videos,” explained high school teacher Ann Way.

“I plan on using Google Classroom as the main hub of all work and information I will share with students,” Spanish teacher Paul Tomlin said. “Students will be able to work independently at first.

“Eventually, I’d like to have small group meetings with students using Zoom so we can get that much-needed practice to learn Spanish.”

Zoom is growing in popularity.

“We can have a class discussion and collaborate,” said health and physical education teacher Patricia Mengel, who is meeting with students via Zoom because it allows students to “communicate any ideas and questions they may have.”

Teachers are also using other platforms.

“I am putting as much content out on Google Classroom as I can but I also use platforms such as EdPuzzle to direct students to videos, post links to YouTube or to websites, and load documents and pdfs of reading assignments onto Classroom,” language teacher Linda Paist said.

Mengel will also post YouTube videos and use that platform to deliver “meaningful material that we have already utilized in my class,” and “an app [called] Flipgrid where students can reply with short 90-second videos of them doing some type of fitness like situps or planks.”

The shift from the traditional classroom is necessary but it is not without some challenge.

“Teaching online is quite the adjustment,” World Language Department Chairwoman Tari Carnahan said.

“Learning new platforms, gauging the time students will take to complete assignments and predicting student challenges in this whole new format is exacting and will present a learning curve for all of us.

“Though teachers have increasingly been using technology to deliver curriculum, the shift from traditional classroom to the virtual classroom will require both students and teachers to approach the change with patience and persistence.”

Tomlin agreed.

“I think there will be many challenges, although I’m still not sure what the biggest challenge will be,” Tomlin said. “If students and staff are flexible and motivated to solve issues, there’s nothing we won’t be able to overcome.”

High school Principal Aileen Yadush couldn’t agree more.

“We expect that we will be able to meet the needs of all of our students as we move to online learning,” she said.

“However, how those needs are met may look a bit different from it does when we are face-to-face.”

Language Arts Department Chairwoman Pam Henderson also discussed the new way of providing an education.

“We’re trying to isolate the most important part of our content,” Henderson said. “We’re not going to be able to grade in a traditional kind of way.”

In this new approach, adaptation is key.

“Assessments and presentation activities will need to be modified to meet the new mode of delivery and to allow students to show their strengths,” Carnahan said. “There are also particular challenges in creating makeup assessments in a different setting, keeping them fair for all.”

Tomlin spoke about adaptation.

“I think our students are adaptable,” Tomlin said. “The change to online lessons will be strange at first, but we’ll have the hang of it in no time. I’ve taken many online classes as a student myself, and the format grows on you.”

Henderson summed up the situation.

“This is a new world for everybody,” Henderson said.