Blue Umbrella Official Feb 2020 issue | Page 6

Online w hiteboard sessions get new platform By Sabrina B. On Monday, February 3, Alpha Omega Academy switched over to a new format called Blackboard. It was created specifically for student-use. With Blackboard, teachers are able to work more interactively with students. Previously, AOA used GoToMeeting and GoToTraining, before switching over to Zoom. The formats were built mainly for adults to meet together and work on job-related projects. Blackboard, on the other hand, was designed with school-aged kids and teens in mind. The format was built with the idea of allowing teachers to host a classroom-type meeting that is easy to control and similar to a brick and mortar classroom. Alpha Omega staff started the process of switching over on January 31 and officially started using it on February 3. A great thing about this switch is that students can now book same-day meetings with their teacher. If a student has a question while doing an assignment, bookings can now be made only 5 hours in advance, instead of 11 or more hours. With this great feature, a meeting can be booked for noon, at 7am the same day. This is a great feature, as it allows for students to be helped on the same day that they got stuck.