The technology- and people- behind distance learning

GRAPHIC: The Davis Joint Unified School District is currently using Cisco Webex, Google Classroom and Google G Suite to support distance learning during the pandemic (Max Villarreal-Blozis).

By Renee Xiang,

BlueDevilHUB Staff–

While Davis High students spent an unanticipated month-long break relaxing at home, school and district staff got to work. Classrooms were cleaned, emails were sent and a system for off-campus education was set up for the very first time. Everyone was navigating uncharted territory, and parents, teachers and students alike needed someone to turn to for answers. 

Davis High librarian Bruce Cummings recalls receiving numerous inquiries regarding the distance learning technology during the first few weeks of campus closure, as teachers received training on how to operate applications like Google Classroom and Cisco Webex.

“The week of March 30 through April 3, there were lots of meetings where teachers acting as trainers were presenting to other teachers,” Cummings said. “Then, of course, there was a flurry of questions and that’s when I began supporting teachers who would contact me after the meetings and say, ‘what’d they just say?’” 

Cummings had been acting as the unofficial designated tech support and troubleshooted technical difficulties for more than three weeks before being asked to be the official Davis High site contact. The job required responding to questions anyone might have about the distance learning technology. Additionally, he would serve as a liaison between the school and the district.

Meanwhile, employees at Davis Joint Unified School District’s technology department were working around the clock to flesh out an ad hoc structure of delivering quality education to students at home. 

“My role [in the school district] changed significantly,” DJUSD Instructional Technology Specialist Beau Runyan said. “I helped develop a distance learning support team to coincide with our technology support team. With this team’s input I designed and coded our Distance Learning Center on the DJUSD website to provide information and resources for students and families.”

Included with the Distance Learning Center is the Assistive Technology page, which focuses on providing support to students who may require extra resources for digital education. 

“My biggest focus was equity, making sure that every student was connected […] regardless of their circumstances,” Runyan said. 

Taking everything into account, the district decided to establish three main supplemental components that would make up distance learning: Google G Suite, Google Classroom and Cisco Webex.

Google G Suite had been in place prior to the school shutdown, functioning as a way to link students and teachers through Google Drive and Gmail. Some teachers had also set up Google Classroom at the beginning of the year as a way for students to keep track of assignments digitally, but for others, it was a new installation. It has now become the main instructional space where DHS students can find lessons and submit work. 

Finally, Cisco Webex is the video conferencing platform used universally within the district. According to Cummings, the main problem which arises with this application is that anyone who has access to a Webex link can enter the meeting, which has led to some issues where non-students showed up in a class conference.

Some teachers questioned why the school couldn’t implement Zoom or Google Meet, which was recently integrated with Google Classroom. DJUSD Technology Director Marcia Bernard provided some insight into how the program was chosen. 

“DJUSD built a matrix and carefully did a comparison between Webex, Zoom and two other platforms. Webex was selected as a result of multiple factors. Some key determinants that won out with Webex were in key areas of safety, security, accessibility features, productivity tools, and responsiveness to a large and quick implementation,” she said. 

All while the distance learning technology system was being set up, many things were still up in the air. Staff and administration especially grappled with a frequently changing date of return to campus.

“It was very much a moving target,” Cummings said. 

Initially, the school closure was only meant to last until the end of spring break. As the situation progressed, this was extended to April 30, then eventually to the end of the school year. Now, it is uncertain whether or not we will return to a normal setup by the beginning of the fall semester. 

“None of us at this point know what next year may look like, although I guess we have an inkling that it could possibly include an extended closure. If […] they decide school shouldn’t open [at the beginning of next year], I personally will be advocating for some changes in how we’re delivering distance learning, and I know some other teachers are too,” Cummings said. 

As mentioned earlier, some teachers feel that having remote class meetings through a platform which provides more security and restricted access would promote a safer learning environment. Students have also expressed their concerns over this issue.

Furthermore, the curriculum offered at DHS was designed to be taught in a classroom, not delivered online. Many teachers have expressed a desire to receive more training on how best to craft a course that takes full advantage of an online learning system. 

Either way, this atypical period of school closure will set a precedent for the future.

“While we accurately cannot predict when the COVID-19 pandemic will end and when and how schools will reopen, we are carefully monitoring the situation […] to make the best decisions for our community,” DJUSD Public Information Officer Maria Clayton said. “This distance learning period will be very helpful in informing how we respond to emergencies that necessitate school closures in the future.”


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