Planning a school program is challenging enough without having to worry about social distancing, mask wearing, sanitizing and surviving a pandemic.
Like it or not, COVID-19 was here. As it was and is our aim to prevent its spread, Alaska's Dillingham Adventist School saw the need to find alternate ways of sharing with family members, friends and the community.
The internet and social media are effective tools that allow fast and easy ways to communicate with several individuals in a well-organized manner. For our small school, using any platform outside of Facebook was something out of the ordinary. Now DAS had to do what most everyone was doing: learning how to make online schooling work efficiently. As scary and intimidating as this task appeared, it was also a perfect opportunity for the teacher and students to learn something new using project-based learning (PBL).
According to the Autodesk Foundation, one of the advantages to using PBL is significant improvements in classroom engagement. The platform also gives teachers the opportunity to build stronger relationships with students as they work together through the learning process. After significant time away from face-to-face classroom learning, these benefits seemed especially appealing. This wonderful instructional method allowed DAS students to collaborate as they "learned by doing."
Narrowing down what medium to use highlighted the Wi-Fi challenges of living in the Bristol Bay area. For those who have high-speed Wi-Fi service, YouTube and Instagram provide the best mediums for sharing. However, in Dillingham the church’s local radio station was the best platform.
The technology-rich era we live in makes connecting with family, friends and the community easy. However, it was PBL that allowed DAS students to collaborate, problem-solve, and enhance their creativity and critical thinking. Most importantly, it provides the school a larger platform to proclaim the gospel message.
By God’s grace, DAS’s new outreach will help fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28, as it is the school’s mantra. Through the Holy Spirit’s working, the school will use the tool God has blessed us with to present "Jewels for His Kingdom," using our music and messages.
The internet and social media are tools with the ability to reach every person even to the “uttermost parts of the earth." Please keep DAS in your prayers as the student body continues to learn and share His Word, bit by bit.
Bella Dull, Dillingham Adventist School fourth-grade student, sets up the camera to shoot YouTube content.
Declan Baumgartner, Dillingham Adventist School sixth grader, ensures the necessary equipment is connected to the computer.
Kadence Bowers, fourth grader, and Erica Shade, ninth grader, work to position and focus the camera for shooting.
