In this day, it appears as if more
students are requiring homebound and home-based services. Homebound instruction
refers to academic instruction provided to students who are confined at home or
in a health care facility for periods that would prevent normal school
attendance while home-based instruction refers to services that are delivered
in the home or other agreed upon setting in accordance with the child’s
individualized education program (IEP). For these students, they receive their
instruction in a one-on-one setting in their location, whether it is their home
or another facility (hospital, detention center, etc.).However, as the numbers
of students who require home-based and homebound services increases, the
numbers of staff members available to provide those services has decreased.
What do we
do in cases like this? For students who are placed on home-based instruction we
cannot simply forego providing services; that would be a direct violation of
their IEPs. So what are our options? This is where the virtual classroom and
video conferencing come into the picture.
My vision
of the virtual classroom allows the student to participate in the classroom,
during real-time with their peers, so as to remain a part of the classroom
without being physically present. Softwares like Skype, Facetime, Google
Hangouts, etc. could all serve the purpose of allowing the student to remain a part
of the learning experience in their absence. For students who are not able to participate
in the virtual classroom in real-time, video conferencing could serve as an
additional option. Video conferencing would allow for the student to conference
with their teacher at a convenient time for both and receive one-on-one
instruction. While the students cannot be a part of the learning environment in
this scenario, they are still able to communicate with their teacher and
receive a form of direct instruction. One final option, possibly for a student
whose medical condition may not provide them with the opportunity to take
advantage of any of the aforementioned options, are programs that allow
teachers to record sessions (i.e. screencast-o-matic) that can be sent to the
student who can then view the session at their convenience.
With the
wealth of technology made available today the possibilities are endless for
students no matter what circumstances they face. As administrators and
educators, it is our responsibility to ensure that all resources that are
available and valuable are used to benefit our students in whatever way
possible.
