Into the Virtual World!
“Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
– George Bernad Shaw
In a flash, we moved from the real to the virtual world, from teaching in a room to teach on Zoom. As Covid 19 Pandemic has taken the world by storm, technology took the highest human hour. The education industry has also switched to online teaching and learning platforms, making learning limitless.
Stay Home, Work from Home and Learn at Home are the new normal now. Traditional methods of teaching are rapidly changing and reformed and teachers are coming up with innovative pedagogies to redefine learning in the virtual classroom.
The transition from the traditional classroom to virtual learning was a task at the beginning of the year as both teachers and the students were not familiar with online learning. Amidst all this, the teaching community was trained on the usage of different learning platforms and the latest technologies.
Online education allows for learning something beyond the norm. A learner has access to unlimited topics. The online option has brought education to us without us going anywhere, and it is more flexible.
Students began to familiarize themselves with the technology and started adapting to the change. Their progress was visible as they started to understand the new concept of learning. Online learning has made students more self-regulated and more individualistic in terms of learning. With various learning tools, students got the chance to express their understanding and post their questions/thoughtful responses to which the teachers gave feedback.
The announcement in Schoology is an efficient and effective means of communication to send messages, deadlines, assignments, and assessments.
After a whole year of online classes, we are into the second year and the experience has changed my perspective. Students have adapted to online education so well that they have now started to express themselves, answer every single question posed to them. They wait for the classes to begin and share the good things that happened to them. They enthusiastically participate in the learning activity during the classes, unlike the previous year.
This whole online education experience has been mind-blowing. I never thought I would be able to handle online classes for the young ones as I am not a tech-savvy person. It amazes me how I was able to successfully get a grip of it and deliver my lessons to my students. This is a lifetime experience and I will cherish it earnestly.
While moving to online teaching may seem overwhelming sometimes, it is the need of the hour right now. Various digital pedagogical techniques and tools are the only way to ensure continuous education in the coming times.
By, Rekha U, Educator
