Total words written today: 1,104
Manuscript total: 2,152 of 150,000 (estimated)
I just did the math and…
I realized I only have about five or six weeks left of my master’s degree program! Yippee!
I “go back to school” today, unlike many across our nation, after a one-week spring break. It’s been fortunate for me that my master’s program at USC was online from the get go, which means that “going virtual” and having class on Zoom is all status quo for me. Today is my “blended learning” class, which I have learned is a fancy way of asking and answering the question: “What’s the best way of using and promoting technology in the 21st century classroom, especially given equity issues inherent within the digital divide?”
When we started that class ten weeks ago, I know none of us would have guessed how very real-world that question would become in a matter of just a few months.
Virtual school is still school, people!
I admit that I went into my online master’s program with a healthy dose of skepticism about learning in a virtual environment. I was attracted to the convenience of taking classes online, especially since the other option I was considering was the University of California – San Diego, which is about a forty-five minute drive one-way from home.
Gahh.
* raises hand to volunteer for online classes instead *
I worried I wouldn’t get the same quality of education online, BUT it was USC, after all, and the Rossier School of Education there is consistently ranked top 20 nationwide. (Fight on, Trojans!) So I took a deep breath and jumped into my online program.
Guess what I found out? Online school is still school! And my experience has been amazing. I have learned a ton, and the quality of my education, I suspect, is every bit as high as it would have been if I drove an hour and a half, three times per week, to take my classes.
I’d taken “online classes” in the past which mainly consisted of posting answers in a forum to questions that the professor would ask after a reading, and THAT is not a great educational experience. But that was also fifteen years ago. Classes through a platform like Zoom, where you have class in real-time, you can see your professor and classmates, and they can see you, feels just like a “real” class to me. So do the relationships you form: I’ve made solid friendships with my classmates that I anticipate will last even after we graduate.
So if you’re worried that going online will hurt the education of millions, it doesn’t have to.
I’ve gotten so comfortable with taking classes via Zoom that I’m a little surprised (though I guess I shouldn’t be!) by all the scrambling and worrying local school districts are doing over the likelihood of moving operations online. It also makes me grateful to have my “blended learning class,” which frankly I thought was a bit stupid until recent events showed me how uncomfortable many teachers are with the intersection between new technologies and learning.
Of course, the big issue remains equity.
At our school, we don’t yet have a firm plan to have classes online because not all our students have Internet access — or computers, for that matter. It’s strange to think that the United States is supposedly the wealthiest nation in the world, and yet a fair number of the kids in our school don’t have the ability to get online outside of looking at Snapchat on their phones.
I wonder if that will change after this semi-apocalyptic experience? And doesn’t it highlight the fact that we didn’t really have a contingency plan for what’s happening right now?
Anyway, issues of inequality in this country, and the way COVID-19 is bringing that out, is a whole other topic and you don’t want to get me started.
For now, I’m just glad that all these K-12 teachers will be forced out of their comfort zones and find themselves introduced to the potential and power that virtual learning has to offer. I really hope it triggers new learning for these teachers, and that the positive ramifications last long after the virus is gone.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! What are you up to today?
4 Comments
Jan · March 24, 2020 at 6:16 pm
I am glad you have the end in sight regarding the completion of your Master’s degree—it’s a great feeling after having put in so much effort toward accomplishing that goal, and you have certainly filled your plate with pending and fulfilled achievements. I got a Master’s degree with a totally online program because I was teaching fulltime, had other commitments, and could not take time off to travel or attend classes in person during the times offered in other programs. I missed things like physical transitions to classes like I had during my undergraduate years—leaves, snow, sounds, smells, people; finding a perfect seat away from everyone, or a hopeful one near someone—sounds a bit cheesy, but it’s what first came to mind when I actually sat and thought about it in comparison. However, there is absolutely no getting around the efficiency of online learning. Wham, bam, and all things considered. I am grateful to have had a full experience in my undergraduate time and also glad that particular Master’s degree was over and done as designed. I learned quite a bit about the dynamics of some educational systems that went pretty far against the grain of my sense of beliefs, but it is what it is.
I will fully own that I did a knee-jerk to the comment about ‘forced out of comfort zones’ because I have seen that used like a club by administrators who were enforcing a new policy or revised standards put in place by legislators or a board of directors. Most teachers are bright, creative, and adaptable—it’s necessary if the aim is to find a way to encourage learning for all the levels of ability in the room; some teachers are stuck, for sure—they open their mouths and your brain bleeds from silent screaming, and you just wish they would find a different place to be of service. I really don’t think the one size fits all works in education, for students or teachers—and I get that it is not an efficient concept, or one easy to administer.
Here’s some more ponderings—danger, soapbox ahead–I think any class has the capacity to shape into a data-driven, results based, productive but lifeless entity based on the dictates of the administration and the limitations or intent of the teacher. I have seen online learning used in the classroom by teachers who were fearless, a few who were gifted, others who were clueless, and many who were pedantic. I think it is easy to tag teachers as lazy or slow until you know the environment and history, so I am careful about generalizations and try to stick with what I know. I have found that many schools/districts do not have the funding distributed for enough computers, or for IT support to really keep up with the ongoing tech issues, be it software, hardware, or supplies like chargers, and extension cords. Not all programs support differentiated instruction to the extent often needed to address the needs of ESE, ESOL, or struggling learners. Many students are not reading at the grade level in which the course is offered, so even instructions are difficult for self-paced learning. Most students take easily to technology, but doing the actual work is still the same quandary—read, think, respond, and for English, hopefully, write.
So all of that to get to this—I think the current state of affairs which is forcing an instructional dependency on technology is positive in that it will cause everyone in education to do some shifting. Entrenched teachers have the opportunity to learn new things to inform their strategies; newer teachers have the ability to be more agile with support; administrators may come to see that materials and resources really need to be addressed as viable concerns, not complaints. Ultimately, the kids might benefit, which is why most people got into the field in the first place.
The Real Person!
Jan,
Sorry to make your knee jerk. The last paragraph of your comment is what I meant. 🙂
Sarah Wiseman · March 24, 2020 at 6:40 pm
Hey Eliza.
Happy Tuesday… again.
So, after a day of digging out a rat nest (yuk) … Chatting to neighbours over the wall and reading some EJ Noyes… I’m getting used to the idea of going back to work tomorrow too…
Sooo interesting to hear about your online learning experience. Great to get your take on it. I might pass your thoughts on the some anxious ex teaching colleagues.
It’s not just the US where teachers are unused/scared of the technogy… Not to mention access to the tech… there are still many poor, vulnerable kids without enough food, never mind access to a computer with decent Internet.
The school I worked in until 18 months ago is going ‘online’ next term.. After the Easter break. That is a private school, with mostly wealthy parents, but around here the issue is the extreme rural nature of the area… The infrastructure is just not there… So, I guess some kids will still end up missing out… (or spending the summer outdoors!?)
I know the staff there, and as the Computing teacher (amongst other things) knew their level of comfort with the technology… It varied a lot! 😊 But, like you said, online learning, done well, can be very good… But I can imagine that with kids younger than 7 years old it could get pretty tricky to keep them engaged. Lol! . Wow… I think there will be some huge learning curves… I sympathise with teachers on this… It’s going to be a ton of extra work… But, hopefully, in the end, positive. And, you’re right, I expect it to spark a huge change in the way things are done in education once the crisis is over. Hmm. Almost makes me want to go back into it… Almost! 😊 Haha!
I wonder if online virtual schools would work long term… I’ve read some scifi books where it’s the norm… Interesting!
As for government plans… Well, I mean, have non of them ever read any apocalyptic lesfic?? Ermmm, maybe not!
Hey, I hope your final term goes well. Enjoy! The teaching profession needs people like you!
X
The Real Person!
Yikes! Good luck with the rats!