Bonk talks about how K-12 and other higher education settings had to adapt from face-to-face learning to distance online learning. Even thorough it was simple for those who had experience; he wanted them to understand how those who hand no knowledge would struggle to adapt to the new technologies presented to them. He covered synchronous signals and he went into depth about online technologies that pretty much shaped that distance appeal through video conferencing/chatting. The online video conferencing helped online institution because you can view the instruction from all over the world and interact with other students and scholars.
So how did online synchronous technologies save the world? Well, it all happened when the pandemic struck. You see workforce, schools, colleges, and universities had to adapt to distance work and schooling online. Bonk talks about Zoom saving these places from doom. And I feel the same way because I worked from home for five months and if the campus would’ve shut down and sent us home without pay or forced us to use our accumulated time, then I don’t know how I would’ve survived. I was issued a work computer and we did weekly Zoom meetings and had to complete a task tracker for them to see how our department benefited from working at home. By the time the campus opened staff and faculty were on campus maybe 25 percent.
Unfortunately, I had to be on campus five days a week, because I was not given the option to work from home once the campus reopened. My other coworkers were on campus two days a week and I didn’t like that. My daughter used Google Chrome Laptop as her form of contact with her teachers and classmates and YouTube to find videos for projects she needed to turn in. When I started grad school the online approach was familiar and new to me because I worked with Blackboard and WebCT, but I was introduced to Canvas, and I played around with it to get familiar with it. Completing grad school online also helped me gain new friendships with students from all over the states, one student in my group was in the area I worked and stopped bye to say hello, but I was on my lunch break.
Bonk referenced a lot of why questions in the reading and to answer them, I feel the educators used certain fun/silly antics to keep the students focused on what they were being taught. If something seems fun and exciting, then you will always remember when that particular teacher did it and what you learned that day. Most of these students need a reason to stay woke on video as the educator instructs. Yes, online/distance/eLearning has be around for years, but we have to congratulate those who stepped into online learning not know nothing. I believe online learning will continue to grow and foster the education system.
Since the university learned that some students have no internet access the library began to offer hotspots for them to keep during the online learning and those students thanks us because they simply could not afford internet or the service in their area was weak. Since I work in a library, I always ask the student assistants how they like online learning and some prefer the hybrid model. They told me they don’t mind the online learning, but some professors can be boring, and that is when they’d rather come to campus then to watch the professor talk on video. I’ve also been told that certain professors don’t answer the student’s responses, emails, and grade assignments. Sometime the students have to call the dean to get in contact with those kinds of professors.
I simply feel online learning is unit and that we have to work together in order for it to be successful. That means provide those trainings and let the student know that is okay to reach out if you don’t understand something. Also, inform the student to consult with their fellow peers for help too. During the pandemic I felt like there should’ve been more computer centers for those who needed a computer due space and access issues. Educators need to provide study and work packets for those students who just aren’t too good with online learning, those packets can come in handy and help the educator feel like that are back in the school setting when they grade them. Also, I think they should have designated teachers who only work online for those students who parents might not want them to be in school.
I don't know how the distance learning will be in the years to come, but I am sure with trial and error research that educators will become more comfortable with it.
Bonk, C. J. (2020). Pandemic ponderings, 30 years to today: Synchronous signals, saviors, or survivors? Distance Education, 41(4), 589-599. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1821610
It is very interesting that you were required to be in the office when other colleagues are allowed to work from home 2 days a week. I found that every IU campus had different policies. I agree that many of the teachers focus was simply keeping the students engaged. Also that most of the educators never received training for online education. I am familiar with Blackboard as well. I prefer Canvas over Blackboard.
I thought it was interesting that Bonk discussed the challenges and fatigue felt by teachers as they tried to keep students engaged online. I can see how having to administer and teach online classes for 6+ hours can be exhausting as it seems like the added distance, connectivity problems, and psychological issues brought about by uncertainty would get in the way of maintaining both instructor and learner presence in the virtual classroom. However, it is annoying that critics of learning experiences during pandemic blame the modality when teachers had not been properly trained to utilize it. This is mentioned in the Bonk article where the term 'remote teaching' was developed to separate what we all experienced from more mature online…