Answering a call from federal officials, Microsoft Corp. and other education technology providers are making resources available to help keep instruction going should swine flu force schools to cancel their face-to-face classes.

Microsoft is aligning its Office Live Workspace, already available free of charge to educators, with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's call for technology companies to help keep home-bound students sick with the H1N1 flu virus connected to school.
 
The company has dedicated a special section of its web site to Office Live Workspace and H1N1, and the site--to be launched Sept. 16--includes videos and how-to tips to help teachers quickly and easily set up an Office Live classroom page.
 
Office Live lets teachers set up a class workspace in which they can share content, lesson plans, and curriculum. Students have access to the general classroom workspace, or they can use an individual workspace. Students also can comment and chat with each other on discussion topics, virtual presentations, and other materials. The virtual classroom spaces include file storage.
 
"These tools are being used by schools to do a lot of this type of work already, so we see this as a natural progression," said Anthony Salcito, Microsoft's vice president of worldwide education.
 
Salcito said Microsoft is hoping schools will take advantage of its free resource, which he said can provide for the kind of blended learning environment that might be necessary if an H1N1 outbreak occurs.
 
Earlier this month, Pearson Education developed a "continuity of learning" plan to help schools continue their students' education if attendance is disrupted as a result of the H1N1 virus or another crisis.
 
Scott Drossos, Pearson's president for school solutions, said Pearson is laying the groundwork to help schools keep learning going uninterrupted.

Pearson's plan, which the company gave to federal officials, includes a multi-tiered emergency-response system aligned to the severity of a swine flu outbreak, as well as an assessment of how well schools already are using online resources for core curriculum instruction, supplemental activities, and special-needs support.

The plan outlines several courses of action and timelines for current Pearson customers, as well as schools that are not Pearson customers, and includes an option for an immediate emergency situation in which entire school districts might need to close. The different solutions will meet the needs of schools that have a high degree of technology use, minimum technology capability, or no existing technology infrastructure, Pearson said.

Under the plan, school leaders will have access to communication toolkits that offer templates for outreach notices, as well as adaptable statements for local media. Pearson's national call-center network will help support teachers who are new to teaching with online resources, as well as individuals who are unable to access Pearson's outreach web site.