CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Teachers at McHenry Community High School are taking digital learning to the next level.
English teacher Cara Vandermyde set up a green screen behind her desk taking herself, and her students, somewhere new everyday.
“Even though we’re in a different format, keeping students engaged is still what we’ve been doing under normal circumstances. The idea is just building those connections and trying to, at least for me, tap into my creativity whenever possible so that I’m enjoying myself and that translates to my lesson,” Vandermyde said.
Biomedical science teacher Leah Pelletier took note from other educators on TikTok and developed her own app for students and parents to download directly to their phones.
“I put the schedules, our zoom links so they’re easy access and my agenda for the week with the kids so they know what their homework is,” Pelletier added.
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“They’re going to try to explain, using all the information and knowledge they’ve learned, that they know how it started and they’re going to try to explain ways that it could have possibly been avoided,” Madson said.
Madson is also a digital literacy coach for McHenry Community High School District 156 and said an overwhelming number of teachers met for workshops this summer to share their ideas and help others navigate online learning.
“We had over 150 educators come in to learn about how we’re going to change our teaching," he said.
MCHS started the school year fully remote with no date set for a return to in-person learning.