China moves classes to internet, TV amid coronavirus outbreak

When the pandemic forced jails and prisons to ban educational classes and cut off visits between outsiders and their loved ones behind bars, some jailers opened their facilities to remote-learning and -visiting tools. The result is a boom in the use of video conferencing for literacy classes, vocational training, family visits, and even to enable incarcerated people to attend family funerals. Some advocates for the incarcerated worry that in-person interactions could permanently be replaced by video, even after the risk of viral infection has eased.

80 percent of overnight camps across the country have shuttered down due to pandemic. Camps that reopened had to change how they operate, by using a range of practices from apps to field guides, some have been able to safely reopen.

With school shut down due to the spread of coronavirus, distance learning has become the norm in many cities and parents have largely had to adjust their roles to include teaching and supervision. To help with this adjustment, teachers have begun offering online homeschooling classes that teach parents how to facilitate learning for their children.

As a way to help train frontline health workers in developing countries about childbirth practices and child health, a nurse practitioner launched a video production project to offer short instructional films. In the 10 years since launching the project, the films have overall been viewed "more than 450 million times on YouTube, and they've been downloaded more than 200,000 times in 200 countries."

West Virginia has implemented a digital platform that allows residents to sign up for notifications if leftover doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are available for use near them. Although the system is only accessible to those with internet, it has resulted in far fewer people phoning the hotline, which in turn has allowed for greater ease for those without internet access to sign up for appointments.

To counteract learning loss imposed by the pandemic, San Antonio teachers are focusing on the most essential skills- reading and math for kindergartners through second graders. By prioritizing a specific set of skills like phonetics and arithmetic, they anticipate students will stay on track with their grade level. “We knew we had to prioritize in order to stay on grade level.” Based on their own yearly assessments, it seems the strategy is working.

A collaboration between Ohio's Wooster City Schools and the College of Wooster has allowed for an enhanced educational experience for many students during the coronavirus pandemic. The partnership not only provides tutoring services to the K-12 students but has also "strengthened the bond between the college and its surrounding community."

Coronavirus-related loneliness increased demand for groups that help people make personal connections and new friends, even if at a distance. A New York MeetUp, “I wanted to do that … just not alone”, has seen attendance at socially distanced activities increase. “Living Room Conversations,” an online platform where volunteers host discussions on timely topics, saw 1,000 new members since March and a 62% increase in page views. The groups encourage vulnerability and connection, but are not meant to replace professional mental-health counseling for those who are struggling with loneliness and other traumas.

When schools across New Hampshire, and the U.S., suspended in-person classes as a result of the pandemic, each developed its own way of dealing with a new teaching landscape, including Beech Street Elementary in Manchester. Instead of having teachers individually their class, the school took a "collective approach" and had teachers work as a team, with each teacher in charge of one specific lesson, to deliver the lessons to all students within the same grade. The school also accommodated ELL students by relying on a translation app, and used social media platforms to communicate with parents.

As schools have gone online during the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers and administrators are finding low-tech ways to deliver educational lessons to the students without access to remote learning tools, such as basic internet. A few of the initial innovations include broadcasting lessons on TV, distributing printed packets, and curbside library book delivery.