Picture it: Your classroom is ready and decorated beautifully. You and your partner teacher are anxiously awaiting to welcome students back from a five month "vacation." You get a phone call from your principal telling you that she needs to talk with you in person as soon as possible. You walk into her office and are told that since you are a team teacher, you are going to need to teach your first graders virtually beginning in about two weeks.
The first day we were suppose to team teach
The thought of providing ALL instruction online scared me to death! I was not a confident user of technology at all and knew I needed to quickly grow in this area. I was so relieved to hear that there were going to be two more first grade teachers from my school in the same position. I seriously wouldn't have made it without them!
Distance Education
The definition of distance education has evolved over time. According to Simonson et al. (2019), distance education can be defined as "institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors" (p.31). They continue by saying that distance learning must include the four components of being institutionally based, having separation of the teacher and students, using telecommunications for interactions, and having effective learning experiences.
One of the challenges that I faced was ensuring that I provided effective learning experiences for my students. I wanted my online students to have the same developmentally appropriate, hands-on activities as their peers who were in the building. I didn't want my students to have to spend all day on the computer, but I also didn't want to inconvenience parents by requiring them to come to the school to pick up materials. It was very time consuming as the teacher to take classroom experiences and lessons and turn them into digital activities.
Challenges
Memis (2021) lists time, trust, resistance to change, and the lack of preparation as some of the challenges that teachers mention when asked about distance education.
One way that this challenge could have been overcome would have been to have some type of training for teachers and in this case the parents also. Simonson et al. (2019) states that "training of students and instructors learning and teaching at a distance is related to effectiveness and satisfaction" and that "technical support for students and instructors is critical" (p. 75).
Training for this position could not occur given the timeframe. The teachers quickly realized that parents needed training also. It seemed that every assignment we sent out, we would receive at least five emails from parents asking for help. It was so hard balancing our time answering questions, teaching, grading assignments, and creating lessons. There were many nights during the first nine weeks of school that I would go home and cry. I had 25 students on my roll, but I also felt like I was teaching 25-35 parents, grandparents, and/or babysitters. It was stressful to say the least. Shelby County Schools technology department quickly got to work and compiled a list of how to videos that we were able to share with parents. The other teachers and I began holding weekly Google Meets for parents who had questions. By the fourth nine weeks, I was providing lessons that were engaging, meaningful, and even differentiated...and I was no longer crying at night.
Another challenge I faced was ensuring that my students were able to have meaningful interactions with their peers and with me. Mehall (2020) defines purposeful interactions as a communication exchange that helps to meet learning objectives or interactions that build relationships. "Research regarding interaction and distance education technologies indicates that different technologies allow differing degrees of interaction" (Simonson et al., 2019, p. 70). One way that this challenge was overcome was by incorporating different ways for students to participate with assignments. Some of the interactive components I incorporated included Flipgrid, Slido, JamBoard, and Pear Deck. I also held optional Google Meets every Friday. These meets were not instructional times. They were times for us to play games, do art projects, and just talk. Mehall (2020) cautions that interactions must be purposeful and meaningful. To achieve this he found that these interactions must directly affect the intellectual growth of the student.
In August of 2020, I hated the thought of distance learning. But look at me now...choosing to participate in distance education by pursuing an Educational Specialist degree in Instructional Technology!!
By enrolling in graduate school, I have learned more about distance learning from the learner's point of view.
Positive
One positive thing about distance education is that the learner gets to determine when and where their learning occurs. My favorite courses have been ones that have a synchronous and an asynchronous component. I enjoy when there are synchronous activities like class meetings or small group discussions. It helps me to interact with other classmates, but I also enjoy the asynchronous component that allows me to complete assignments at my convenience and my own pace. This fits with the second component to Simonson's (2019) definition of distance learning where the teacher and students are separated which allows students to access course activities and information anytime and anywhere that is convenient for them.Another positive is that distance education opens doors for learners who may not have been reached without it (Simonson et al., 2019). This is true for me. If it wasn't for distance education, I would not be enrolled in graduate classes. Distance education makes it possible for me to spend time with my family, work, and pursue another degree.
References
Elsworth, S. (2018, August 8). What is team teaching? Classroom. https://classroom.synonym.com/what-team-teaching-4651920.html
Memis, C. (2021). Elementary school teachers’ views scale on the using Zoom in compulsory distance education during the pandemic: Psychometric Properties. European Educational Researcher, 4(2), 267–282.
New Girl. (2016, April 20). Happy Zooey Deschanel. [Giphy]. https://giphy.com/gifs/new-girl-fox-new-girl-jeff-day-l3V0dy1zzyjbYTQQM
Shelby County Schools. (n.d.). Technology. https://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/tech.html
Simonson, M., Zvacek, S., & Smaldino, S. (2019). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (7th ed.). Information Age Publishing, Inc.
Team USA. (2018, January 12). Nervous winter olympics. [Giphy]. https://giphy.com/gifs/games-olympics-3ohc15hpGuLpSTx960
Dana,
ReplyDeleteYour Memis quote about distance education challenges is spot on. That time and lack of preparation part truly hit home with me and I am sure most educators during the 2020 pandemic approach to learning. We were robbed of time to prepare and were given little to no preparation for how to design and implement a fully online learning experience for students. I served as an assistant principal during the shutdown, and I was overwhelmed with trying to support teachers in planning and developing engaging and meaningful lessons. I can only imagine what that felt like for teachers delivering the material. Kobrin et. al (2021) sharted that the key takeaway in working with adult learners is to find a balance in the amount of support and flexibility provided. This was extremely hard to do, and I think the same concept applies to teachers and students in the classroom. Simonson et. al (2019) also explained how the connections of learners, teachers, and instructional resources have become less dependent on physical proximity as communications systems became more sophisticated. What a blessing it was to endure a pandemic when we had the technology to support distance learning? In my district, we were already 1-to-1, but even in districts that were not they eventually received the funding to purchase devices. This would not have been possible 20 years earlier. I also agreed with your statements about having a balance between both asynchronous and synchronous activities. This supports the findings from Simonson et. al (2019) who found students prefer in-person learning, but they want the opportunity to learn when and where they want. Having a balance is the best of both worlds. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
References
Kobrin, J., Nicole Bullock, P.-G., Gierke, J., & Heil, C. (2021). Adult educators adopting technology in their classrooms through innovation, collaboration, and Inquiry. Adult Literacy Education: The International Journal of Literacy, Language, and Numeracy, 3(1), 49–54. https://doi.org/10.35847/jkobrin.pbullock.jgierke.cheil.3.1.49
Simonson, M., Zvacek, S., Smaldino, S. (2019). Teaching and learning
at a distance: Foundations of distance education (7thed.). Charlotte, NC:
Information Age Publishing, Inc.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDana,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. As a coworker of yours, I can attest to how hard it was for you and the two other teachers to teach virtually. However, I feel like you really found your niche. You truly rocked it! The parent component was definitely overwhelming when I did it for just the short amount of time. However, younger students could not have been successful without their parents. According to Raby et al (2021), "support children received from parents was shaped by factors including parents’ availability, which was affected by their employment, language barriers, and their understanding of the subject matter". We still deal with this today even with homework. We must support the parents in order for the parents to support the kids at home. Calera Elementary and those students were lucky to have you during virtual learning and in turn that it grew your capacity to pursue this degree. Simonson et al (2019) argue, “the evidence is quite clear that students of all ages can learn from instruction delivered using technology, and that distance education works" (p. 8). It worked at CES because of the amount of time, effort, and tears that you poured into it.
Thanks for sharing,
Erica
References:
Raby, R., Donison Laurel, Waboso, N., Harding, E., Grossman, K., Myatt, H., & Sheppard, L. C. (2021). School is closed! opportunity, challenge, and inequality in the early days of the pandemic. Journal of Teaching and Learning, 15(2), 40–59.
Simonson, M., Zvacek, S., & Smaldino, S. (2019). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (7th ed.). Information Age Publishing, Inc.
Hey Dana, I enjoyed your post! You really came up with some good challenges on things during online learning during the pandemic. "Transition from face-to-face teaching methods to more indirect methods, has forced schools into a flow of learning which is full of complexities and limitations (Rasmitadila, 2020). This process has had a great impact on school, teachers and students (Mailizar et al., 2020). In this process, individuals inevitably have faced specific difficulties and obstacles in institutions" (Özüdogru, 2021, p.3).
ReplyDeleteThis article connects with some of the challenges you faced during the pandemic and more things schools, teachers, and students faced. The text also mentions limitations of online learning. Some limitations mentioned were, "The Digital Divide is real, especially in rural and lower socioeconomic regions, contributing to a "haves and have-nots" situation. Even where the Internet is available, many potential students do not have ready access to powerful, modern computers, and if they do, they may not know how to use Internet resources" (Simonson, Zvacek, & Smaldino, 2019, p.109). This also is the reason for some of our online issues during the pandemic. I remember hearing from teachers in some districts on how difficult to provide wifi for students in rural areas. Thanks for your post.
References
Simonson, M., Zvacek, S., & Smaldino, S. (2019). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (7th ed.). Information Age Publishing, Inc.
Özüdogru, G. (2021). Problems Faced in Distance Education during COVID-19 Pandemic. Participatory Educational Research, 8(4), 321–333.