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Don't Lose H1N1's 'Teachable Moment'

By Patrick Russo

The H1N1 flu epidemic has posed a significant challenge to school districts across the country, as they wrestle with plans for how they might cope with a serious outbreak that forced schools to close for significant periods of time. Though the verdict may still be out on the ultimate severity of this flu, what is not in doubt is that the education experience for students must go on whether or not the classroom is up and running.

The immediate challenge, of course, is to keep students healthy during a highly contagious flu outbreak. But educational planning will always face such contingencies from unforeseen events, from hurricanes, floods, and health emergencies, to other incidents that affect school campuses. Such interruptions can’t always be planned for, and they cost teachers and students precious learning time. In a globally competitive environment, students and school districts don’t have the luxury of taking a lengthy “timeout” simply because the traditional classroom is not available.

The H1N1 epidemic can be a wake-up call for educators, forcing them to examine their approaches to student learning and to re-evaluate how they leverage the digital environment that kids inhabit for substantial portions of their day. In this unexpected “teachable moment,” we also have the ability to think differently about what we do in normal times with the tools available...