Story courtesy Aiken County School District
In a building tucked away on Aiken’s northside behind a beautiful grove of giant oak trees, you will find 14 dedicated educators who provide high-quality virtual instruction to 220 students enrolled in Aiken iNNOVATE (Ai), Aiken County Public School District’s (ACPSD) online education program serving middle and high school students.
Located at 130 Avery Lane in Aiken, the new home of the Ai program is also a site utilized for student testing and District professional learning. Previously located in the G Wing at Aiken High School, Ai educators shared space with one another, which made teaching students at the same time challenging.
“When we had teachers sharing space, the students could hear the other teachers who were located across the room,” stated Ai Administrator and ACPSD Virtual Learning Coordinator Dustin Fowler. “Moving to a single building dedicated to Aiken iNNOVATE was a game-changer for us.”
Aiken INNOVATE’s new home consists of three secure buildings, a front office with conference rooms, a classroom wing, and a wing for student testing and hosting professional learning.
The additional space has helped educators and students focus on teaching and learning without unintended distractions.
For long-time educator Scott Ayers, having a virtual classroom is the best of both worlds. He loves teaching in a classroom setting, but for health reasons, he prefers being in front of students virtually where he can still provide individualized instruction and help students socialize and form friendships with one another.
“Our students are from all over the county, but you would think they were in an actual classroom by the way they interact and joke around with each other,” commented Ayers. “Aiken iNNOVATE is their home now, and this is as close to a traditional classroom as you can get virtually.”
Ai Physical Education Teacher Leigh Watkins says teaching PE virtually came with its own unique challenges, which were especially difficult while sharing classroom space. However, now having the room to demonstrate exercises has helped tremendously. Watkins begins each class session with physical warmups students can do at home, such as jumping jacks. They also watch videos together, often pausing to discuss and display specific techniques.
“This has been an exciting move for us,” Watkins said. “I love it here.”
Created as a response to educational challenges presented by the Covid pandemic, Ai first served as an option for families who either didn’t feel comfortable with students attending their home school in a face-to-face option or those who had health conditions necessitating an alternative educational setting.
Now in its second year, the virtual program has been able to adjust enrollment to those students who are best suited for virtual learning. Teachers and administrators monitor the academic progress of their students on a regular basis to ensure students are successful in their virtual courses.
“We watch the progress of the students very closely,” said Fowler. “We want them to be successful and remain in the program. In this setting, teachers can focus on teaching, and students can focus on learning.”
Also, with the closer proximity to one another, Ai educators have been able to collaborate more effectively to ensure any technical barriers are quickly addressed and eliminated.
“Our teachers are pioneers,” said Ai Administrator Christin Sosa-Gaston. “This isn’t something many people have done, so they are learning along the way.”
Ai teachers continue to bolster their own technological skills. Classrooms at Ai and across the District are being equipped with a ClearTouch projection system to provide a better interactive learning experience for students.
“This is an incredible group of educators,” Fowler said. “They all teach the same group of students, so they do get together and have conversations and share ideas about what works best for specific students. It’s a great combination.”
