Sorry, Internet Could Banish Snow Days

That old bulldog barked again. Sir Winston Churchill, a clever wordsmith indeed, left us with a memorable quote apropos for today: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” One can imagine the old gent chomping on his cigar and spitting out that nugget of wisdom as the world was falling apart faster every day.
Unless you’ve spent the winter in Key Largo, Fla. or on Hawaii’s Garden Isle, it’s no surprise we have collectively worn out snow shovels, tossed out tons of salt and scraped more ice than normal. School children have been elated time after time as schools have been closed due to snow. It’s like merrymaking all night. It’s fun while it lasts, but then you get the tab, it’s time to pay the piper.
That means school days have to be made up. I’ve heard rumors of some schools considering trimming Easter (they call it spring) vacation down to the bare minimum to cover a few of those unscheduled snow days. Others, I’m told, are eying Saturday classes. All that shuffling to make it under the wire because public schools absolutely must close by June 30.
Also, in the event you’ve been snoozing for the past decade or two, there is a thing ratting around today known as the Internet. It’s a great invention even if Al Gore didn’t invent it.
I’ll let readers in on a little inside secret. When snow blanketed Cape May County’s roads March 3 and 17 the Herald editorial staff never made it into the office. You’d never know we stayed safely at home would you? You got your Herald on March 5 and March 19 same time and same place as ever, right? How did that happen? Thank the Internet and some tekkie folks who, before the need arose, foresaw how, using computers and the net, we could do at home what we do here, only without all the smiling faces.
Voila! If we could produce two editions of your favorite weekly newspaper, and didn’t darken the front door, what makes schools any different?
I won’t make any broad statements as did our illustrious governor about extending school days or anything like that, but why can’t school conduct classes via the Internet on snow days? Virtually every family with school children has Internet and a computer connection. Those who do not could be forewarned, and books sent home with future classwork when weather threatens.
Otherwise, rip out a page from a homeschooler’s “how to” book, and let the learning continue as the snow falls and roads are deadly.
How would it happen? Those tech-smart folks have you covered there, too. Ever hear of Skype? How about “Go To Meeting?” Two slick ways that pupils could, if planning in advance worked as it did here, see their teacher who would also remain at home while conducting class.
Would it be perfect? No, but it would be a start and put a dent into those dark days when classes are closed.
I had an interesting conversation with a county agent regarding teleconferencing. I noticed a webcam in the conference room of the office. She also was saying how much time she had to spend on the road, almost weekly, traveling to a distant campus to attend meetings. Why don’t you sit here and use the webcam? I asked. Her reply, it was tried one time, statewide. There was a complaint that someone could not see the person who was talking. So that ended the notion of teleconferencing, and everyone from all 21 counties hit the road traveling to and from that headquarters location, all because “someone” didn’t want to use technology. That is just plain wrong and a waste of tax dollars.
Given the smart folks in this county who have forgotten more about technology than most of us will ever know, I believe “school at home,” at least on snowy days, is just waiting in the wings. There are rural parts of the nation where this is not a future thought, but reality. Children 30 or 50 miles distant from school buildings daily click into class, and join the rest of the activity from their home.
In the “connected” state of New Jersey, they should not be a distant dream or far-fetched goal. That Internet use would not have to be limited only to schools, but also to community colleges. It would not be too far a dream for them either, since both Atlantic Cape and Cumberland county community colleges offer on-line courses. Would a televised class at home be in the realm of the possible? Taken a step even farther, Thomas Edison State College offers online degrees; many Cape May County residents have gotten their sheepskins from that institution. That’s solid proof distance-learning is not only probable but possible.
Pressed on an inclement Sunday, tech-savvy churches could broadcast worship services to the faithful at home and connect with the Almighty.
At some point, we must seize the opportunities that surround us. It is time that facts be faced, time is money. School days are costly. To waste them is foolish when they could easily be redeemed using tools most families have at their fingertips. Especially with children of school age, busy hands are happy hands.
With today’s Internet and computers, there is no reason on earth (save for no electric) those tiny hands must be idle because Mother Nature decided snow was appropriate.