Crosslake Community School

Online Special Education

Effective Practices
Gena Jacobson, Crosslake Community School
Sara Tinklenberg, Bloomington Public Schools
Kelly Dietrich, Indigo Education
Agenda
● Introductions
● MDE Guidance
● The Shift
● Effective Practices
● Sharing What We’ve Learned
Introductions
Gena Jacobson
● Crosslake Community School Special Education Coordinator
● Online learning experience 13 years

Sara Tinklenberg
● Bloomington Public School Special Education Lead Teacher
● Former Crosslake Community School Special Education Teacher
● Online learning experience 1 year

Kelly Dietrich
● Indigo Education
● Online learning experience 20 years
MDE Guidance
● MDE Special Education: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/sped/
● MDE School-wide: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/health/covid19/
○ Updates daily
○ Distance learning definition (MDE): providing students with access to appropriate
educational materials and ensuring they receive daily interaction with their licensed
teacher(s).
Shifting
● Our roles as teachers change
○ “Guide on the side”
○ Increase in student responsibility
● Learning becomes more flexible
○ Path, pace, time, place
● Prepare yourself & your space
● Know your school-wide distance learning plan
Special Education
● Staying the same:
○ Instruction focused on student goals & objectives
○ Strong relationships
○ It takes a village
■ Tap into that creativity
■ Collaborate
■ Use your team
■ When in doubt ask
Special Education
● Becoming more important in distance learning:
○ Structure
■ Schedules & organization
■ To-do lists
■ Problem solving skills
○ Planning ahead
■ Assistive technology
■ Accommodations and modifications
○ Communication, communication, communication
■ Develop a plan
■ Be consistent
■ Boundaries
Getting Ready to Teach Online
● Your equipment & space
○ Be patient with yourself!
○ Carve out a space
○ Consider whether your students will see you online
○ Consider what might be in the background that is personal
● Self care
○ Create a routine
○ Get up & Move
■ 20-20-20: every twenty minutes, look 20 feet away, for 20 seconds
CEC Webinar Online Teacher Routine
Getting the Online Classroom Ready
● Set clear expectations
○ Communication
○ Engagement
○ How to turn work in
● Think about the “first day of school”
○ Teaching students and families how to engage in learning in our distance learning classrooms
- be clear and organized
○ Teach students how to organize their learning space at home through video modeling or a
list of items they need (ex: - no math counters, so many we use beans?)
Getting the Online Classroom Ready
● Create a schedule for your students
○ Consider something similar to a personal learning card (or online calendar)
○ Visual schedules
○ Remember movement & regulation strategies
● Send out reminders with links, materials at the start of the day
● Prepare materials ahead of time
○ Also consider how you or paraprofessionals might support regular education teachers in
modifying and accommodating materials ahead of time (delegate!)
● Document, document, document
● Follow up the day with activities and reminders to help students with next steps, assignments &
deadlines
Sample Schedule Ideas
for Students
● The number one tip I have for families is
to build a routine
● Create a visual schedule of daily work
● If possible, send home materials to
make a visual schedule at home
● Don’t be afraid to keep it simple! Writing
out your daily routine on a whiteboard or
peice of paper would suffice!
Sample Schedule Ideas (links)

● Long Break Work Ideas

● Covid-19 Planning at Home

Personalized Learning Card Example
5 C’s of Student Engagement
Instruction
● IEP goals & objectives focused
● Consider how you might put the learning in the hands of the students
○ Constructivism
○ Projects & real life applications
● Give choices - Universal Design for Learning
○ Choices in how they learn and how they tell us what they’ve learned
○ Keep it simple: tic tac toe board or BINGO board
Document, document, document
● Communication
● Attendance
● What works and what doesn’t?
● Keep the due process river flowing..

.
Free web-based or app based learning
● I Know It
○ Online math learning for elementary students
○ Free teacher account for 3 months
○ Can assign individual lessons to each student in your class
● Fluency and Fitness
○ Three free weeks for parents (no cc required)
○ Combines math and reading fluency with exercises through video clips
● Epic
○ Remote student access through June 30th (no cc required)
○ Done through teacher - teachers can create a free account
Free web-based or app based learning
● Lalil
○ Adapted phonics and comprehension activities for K-2
○ Free for all - sign up as a teacher and add students to your class
○ Need to do a quick assessment for placement- would have parent/family member
assist with this part
● Scholastic Learn at Home
○ Free virtual learning resources for preK-9+
○ Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling,
meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families, or with
their teachers.
Free web-based or app based learning
● Brainpop.com
○ Free accounts for teachers and families
○ Brainpop is a group of educational websites with over 1,000 short animated movies for
students in grades K-12 (ages 6 to 17), together with quizzes and related materials, covering
the subjects of science, social studies, English, math, engineering and technology, health, and
arts and music.
● SplashLearning
○ K-5 math program
○ Web-based and app versions available free
○ Can create a class and then send out home invitations to keep track of learning
Other resources
● List of free educational apps currently available: link

● Supporting Students with Autism in Uncertain Times - PDF Packet link

● E-Learning in the Self-Contained Classroom link

● Families can create an account on the Smarty Symbols website, free of charge for 30 days and
easily create games, visual support to explain the Covid-19, visual schedule for home routines and
anything they need to make these coming weeks easier on the children. At
http://www.smartysymbols.com , select the monthly standard access and use promo code
HOMEVISUALS on checkout.
● Covid-19 Five Helpful Responses for Families (from Conscious Discipline) link
Other resources
● MDE >> Districts, Schools, Educators >> Special Education
● Wested Educator Resources to support remote learning - link
● Northwest Service Coop (MN) Distance Learning - link