Distance learning is a term that refers to any type of instruction that takes place without the direct presence of a person instructing a room. In Orono, students will be able to engage in a wide variety of learning experiences that range from asynchronous lessons and projects in Schoology/Seesaw or synchronous learning through Google Meet. Much like the each hour of the day, students will have different experiences as they engage in learning that is provided by high qualified educators who have been engaging in professional development about the best practices in online education.

In distance learning, we recognize that we will not be able to replicate the type of school day that would occur if our students were in our schools. However, our educators are committed to ensuring that students are receiving the essential learning targets of all subject areas during this time of distance learning. The amount of time that each student will spend on learning each day will be impacted by a number of different factors. We have asked all of our educators to provide 20-30 minutes of instruction, per subject area, each day. This will look different for each class and for each student, so please know that the actual amount of time that your child(ren) take to complete work could fall outside of those recommended time frames.

Yes, Orono will be using Google Meet as a video conferencing tool. We have had a vendor relationship with Google and are familiar with their data privacy practices. We have reviewed a number of other video conferencing tools, and Google Meet best aligns with our values around student data privacy and safety.