What has the transition to virtual learning been like for you as a learner?
As a learner the transition to virtual learning has been difficult to say the least. While I like to consider myself knowledgeable about technology and how to use/ fix technology, I don’t think I was quite prepared for this. As a learner it has been hard to remain motivated and organized. I have found it hard to keep my dog and cat out of my room while on a zoom class, or keep my rooster from crowing while I am trying to present to my class. I have also found it surprisingly hard to stay in contact with professors while they also must now work from home. However, while I state reasons for this being a difficult transition, I also must address that I am very excited that we have been given this opportunity. I believe that the transition to online learning is going to help strengthen not only the world, but the school as a whole. I am also happy to see that some of my professors have used this as an opportunity to try new things and to experiment more with online learning, which will benefit them in future semesters.
What are some drawbacks and/or benefits?
Aside from my general outline of my transition, some specific drawbacks include the difficulty of basically teaching myself. While two of my professors have had us on zoom twice a week so that they may continue to teach us as though we were still in the classroom, two of my other professors have decided to allow us to discover our own learning and essentially read their notes and then take quizzes and write papers on their notes. This is very frustrating for me personally because I have very bad anxiety and having structure and a plan are so effective for me, while simply giving me the reigns of my own education tends to stress me out a little more. For my two classes with little structure, the structure that we do have is this: for one of my classes my professor has been sending us notes every week, and now we must write a 3 page paper on the notes. The other class has been my professor sending us notes, and then every two weeks we must take a quiz on the notes. I am not exaggerating when I say that that is literally all the structure I have for those classes. Therefore, the drawbacks of virtual learning for me is that some of my professors have not seen this as an opportunity for a new way of learning, but instead simply as an inconvenience.
Now beside my drawbacks, I do actually have some benefits to this virtual learning. Since being home, I have been able to create my own schedule, which I love love LOVE doing. I am usually someone who enjoys doing nonstop homework from about 8:00 a.m. and working as hard as I can until about 2:00 p.m. By being able to create my own working schedule, I am able to set aside time dedicated to work and work alone, and then time that I can spend sitting in my bed and relaxing. I have also found that a benefit to virtual learning is how much it is bringing me closer to some of my professors. For example, just the other day I had a meeting with my advisor to plan my classes for next semester. The meeting was set to go from 4:30-5:00 p.m. We had already finished planning my schedule by 4:50, and then were talking casually about what was going on and how we each are adjusting to virtual learning. Cut to 5:30 and we finally finished discussing all the drawbacks and benefits we each had seen. I left the zoom call laughing to myself and thinking about how that conversation probably would have only been 20 minutes if we had been at school, but instead went on for a full hour, and over a zoom call too! While the transition hasn’t been the easiest or the best for my anxiety, I have found small joy and benefits that have helped me continue the last stretch of the semester and that have really opened my eyes to the learning opportunities we have been given.
What implications for teaching elementary students have you considered in relation to this situation?
I have no doubt in my mind that the transition for elementary school teachers and students has been the most difficult out of all grades. My mom is a teacher herself and has been doing virtual learning for her 6th and 7th graders. While I can see the struggle of teaching to that age range based off of motivation for those kids, it’s the younger elementary students that are having more trouble. Some students may not have access to online tools and resources, some may need to share computers with other family members, some may not have the help that they need at home in order to perform homework assignments. Not to mention that these kids are young and they may not understand what is going on out in the world. Elementary school teachers must also take into account that they have to be prepared for each student’s needs and what some can do versus what others can’t do. I can imagine how hard it is to simply plan one lesson that allows all the students to do and complete within a certain amount of time, much less an entire unit. I also understand that during elementary school it is a time of hands-on learning and allowing the students to touch and play and be interactive with the lessons, which is no longer an option over virtual learning. My heart goes out to elementary school teachers that are working through virtual learning right now because they are probably working around the clock.
This was a very heartfelt reflection on your experiences over the last month. I encourage you to share this with a wider audience if you feel comfortable because I think it helps others to know what we are each going through.
Olivia's Blog 
This was a very heartfelt reflection on your experiences over the last month. I encourage you to share this with a wider audience if you feel comfortable because I think it helps others to know what we are each going through.
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