The provincial government has funded licenses for the Zoom application that will soon be available to all K-12 educators who wish to offer an online curriculum after the suspension of in-classroom learning in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding for the app was made available for all public and private schools in the province for the purpose of giving teachers a common, consistent platform to communicate and share lessons with their students.
See also: B.C. launches new online portal for K-12 students after suspension of in-person classes
Educators are still working on planning out the best ways to continue schooling for the rest of the year based on the needs of students and families in their community.
“Continued learning will vary for each school depending on the needs of students. Some options include online learning tools and/or resource packages or assignments emailed or mailed from teachers to parents,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Education.
For those who choose the use the Zoom app, the licensing agreement complies with B.C.’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
School technology administrators will have the ability to control permissions and privileges, while disabling features that are unnecessary or inappropriate.
Students will be given a unique website address, so they can access their virtual classroom without needing an individual account.
The server itself will be based in Canada and have added encryption to ensure safety.
Access to Zoom will be given to educators through their school districts this month.
See all the latest updates about the global COVID-19 pandemic on Vancouver Island
As of the time of publication, there are 1,013 cases of COVID-19 in B.C. including 67 on Vancouver Island.
In good news, a total of 507 people have now recovered from novel coronavirus in B.C. This represents an approximate 50% recovery rate.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 887,907.
Over 44,290 people have died from the illness and 185,585 have made a full recovery.
