Contributed READY FOR PRESENTATIONS — Jefferson County Educational Service Center Virtual Learning Academy Director Mark Masloski, left, Assistant Director Martariesa Fiala and United Local School District science teacher Shawn Hicklin will be presenters during the 2023 Ohio Educational Technology Conference at the Greater Columbus Convention Center Tuesday through Thursday.

STEUBENVILLE — Representatives with the Jefferson County Educational Service Center’s Virtual Learning Academy will be among the speakers during the 2023 Ohio Educational Technology Conference Tuesday through Thursday.

VLA Director Mark Masloski and VLA Assistant Director Martariesa Fiala attend with Shawn Hicklin, a science teacher for United Local Schools in Columbiana County, during the venue at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The OETC, which is presented by the Ohio Department of Education, is one of the premier P-20 state educational technology conferences in the U.S.

According to the ODE, it draws more than 4,500 educational technology professionals and enthusiasts to explore the forefront of P-20 learning and innovation in Ohio. It is designed to “cultivate partnerships, promote collaboration, deliver high-quality information and make technology accessible and enjoyable for educators” and attracts teachers, curriculum and technology coordinators, administrators, higher education professors and administrators, and everyone who is interested in learning more about what’s happening in technology today.

Masloski and Hicklin will present on “Online Learning Dashboard: The Unknown Feature of ProgressBook,” during educational sessions from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, while Masloski and Fiala will speak on “Looking to Track Your Students’ Offline Time? We Can Help!” on from 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Thursday.

Seventy-five percent of school districts statewide utilize ProgressBook but may not be aware of the feature known as the Online Learning Dashboard. Masloski said school districts that use ProgressBook and engage students in online learning will gain an understanding about the tool during the session.

“The Online Learning Dashboard in ProgressBook is the landing page for teachers’ materials. You can access courses, activities, grading screens, settings screens, the recycle bin, the ProgressBook Library and more from your dashboard,” he said.

Among some of the important features are courses which can be linked to one or more GradeBook classes and content such as learning activities, quiz assessments and resources that students can use. Custom content can be created in collaboration with other teachers and curriculum directors and all Online Learning Dashboard features align with state academic standards and enables blended learning.

Meanwhile, Masloski and Fiala will discuss tracking students’ offline time during remote learning with the Learning Management System.

“LMS tracks online time when students log into their accounts and complete assignments, which accounts for their seat time. These assignments can include content, engagement activities, and assessments,” Masloski commented.

E-schools have learning opportunities that are not tracked by the school’s online system and that take place offline or not on a computer. Schools also need to track student offline learning opportunities and have those opportunities checked and approved by teachers. These include non-computer, non-classroom learning opportunities such as reading, research, completing assignments offline, phone calls with students to discuss coursework, field trips and credit-bearing work experience. A teacher can certify these learning experiences so that the time a student spends doing them can be included in their seat time. The Virtual Learning Academy LMS supports students, teachers, and administrators to add the time students work outside the LMS. In addition to the time log, student work, including pdf activities, word documents, pictures, and movies, can be attached as evidence of the offline time.