With the majority of districts shifting towards distance learning thanks to Covid, there have been plenty of interest and questions around how we implemented our Blended and Online program. The quick answer is – it’s a work in progress. The framework or platform (Learning Management System, or LMS) may be in place, but it is not ideal. The simple solution to all would be providing the association which we get our pre-made courses from (it’s Western Canadian Learning Network, aka WCLN) and offering troubleshooting support for those learning to operate Moodle as an LMS. This “here is the resource, good luck figuring it out” is basically the same treatment given to us when we started. I always wonder why some teachers think we’re better off because “we have everything online already”. There is nothing stopping them from simply scanning and uploading their worksheets, nothing fancy about rotating the camera on your phone to record your lectures, and nothing different about recommending Youtube videos for students to watch. If they’re not interested, then they too can access the same readily available online courses we do and join us in suffering the same issues: restrictions to content customization, broken links, random updates, missing/incorrect (teacher) resources, and of course, good intention for changes which lead to unintended catastrophic failures. It reminds me of a Reddit joke:
99 little bugs in the code,
99 little bugs in the code.
Take one down, patch it around,
123 little bugs in the code.
We’re not even that well versed in synchronous online meetings. Our blended program has mandatory face-to-face instruction so students who are struggling with learning at home still come in-person every week for help. I imagine this is the same issue that most brick & mortar teachers face; students who don’t do any work at home so that 70-80min block every day is the only time they make any progress. We have it worse – that one block once a week is the only time we connect with them. With Covid moving these supports online, these students lose out even more because they never engaged in at-home learning in the first place. Our district also recommends teachers to use Microsoft Teams of BlueJeans or Zoom for these online meetings. Not only are we unable to help you operate those proficiently, we also can’t help with Teams because we were introduced to it at the same time as everyone else.
Then there is the myth that our students are somehow better equipped to deal with distance learning because they’re already doing it. Students who enroll in these program are not all tech wizards. Like all other students, they exhibit a diverse spectrum of technological literacy. We have students who download, print, and submit hardcopies despite our marking being done online. We have students who swears by Apple devices and struggle to hand in assignments because they don’t know how to convert it to Word files; even though our school provides 1:1 Microsoft device. They also complain that resource links are broken despite repeated reminders of DON’T USE SAFARI. I even had a student who came in late-May and asked why I was surprised they didn’t Teams setup; they thought everyone was just going to pass thanks to Covid.
While I agree that blended teachers don’t have all the answers, as blended teachers we have at least had more experience with an online system – the positives and negatives. Our job requires that, whereas a brick and mortar teacher’s job did not previously require they have online content available. Many tech savvy teachers utilize online tools but it’s the switch to only having online tools that I think we are all experiencing together. As you said some students need that encouragement in person to dive into the learning. Teachers of those students, whether blended or brick and mortar, are all struggling to engage learners in these times and I appreciate that you shared this view.