Online classes & COVID-19: How will the pandemic affect teachers and teaching?

As schools close and more and more people stay at home online learning seems to be growing exponentially. What are the advantages/disadvantages of teaching and learning online? In what ways does the teacher’s role change as classes go online? What tools turn out to be the most/least useful?

Read experiences shared by teachers around the world:

• This “forced” online learning has its issues! While learning still goes on, it does not take into account the learning or for that matter the teaching styles/personality that takes place in the face to face classroom. There are technological options, but they are not the same as the face to face and students with dated technology may find it difficult to keep up.
• Many people ask how teaching is not the problem with how to teach, but will there be real interaction from students.
• One of the biggest strengths of this online experiment is that teaching will improve simply because we are studying it. That extra attention has powerful benefits right off the bat. Keeping the social obligation and connected-ness seem to me to be the most difficult thing to accomplish.
• I prefer Moodle, but also will add that Google Meet or Hangouts Meet app (Android) helps a lot to teachers…
• We use Zoom, framasoft and google forms (this last is use to evaluate the students online). We follow students with phone or whatsapp (for visio).
• I don’t think online education levels the field, it provides opportunities but it comes down to the individual and their lust/thirst for gaining or obtaining the knowledge and their personal discipline.
• Google Meet or Hangouts Meet we can consider as same software/tool. Google meet works on our PCs and Hangouts Meet is app on our Cell phones. So, I will recommend to use just Meet for both tools 🙂 Next, Meet is fully integrated with G Suite, so you can join meetings directly from a Calendar event or email invite. All of the important event details are right there when you need them, whether you’re joining from a computer, phone, or conference room…

• We need time to learn in this way because the circumstances are extraordinary and they do not last for long. There is a need to treat the situation. Distance teaching is the only way, but teachers and students feel bored of losing the usual meeting
• The circumstaces are extraordinary. Students and teachers are not all ready to distance teaching. That is violent. But that change relationship to knowledge for students as teachers.
• It affect much especially in terms of time and hands-on activities in the part of the students. Online classes doesn’t support all the instruction to be given by the teachers because there are varied learners. Out of these varied learners based on my experiences, most of the learners want to learn by doing with the guidance and instruction of teachers. They are not totally confident to perform alone following what is in the video or audio…they love actual simulation.
• Electronic classes are a good way to communicate with students under these circumstances …. and it is an experience that must be developed …. because the world will likely undergo many adversities … due to the irresponsible behavior of some people.
• I believe the world is uniting around the decision of distance education and even all non-educational institutions use the services of Google from good programs to transfer lectures and direct contact with students or communicate in institutional work because it is the only way to condemn life and international work.
• I think this epidemic has made everyone think different ways, depending on the skills and capabilities the teacher possesses.
• Actually, some students are disadvantaged as a result of lack of requisite facilities, as well as finance to meet up to the test. There would, surely, be an imbalance in the learning process. Moreover, most teachers are not economically empowered enough to handle the technicalities of the trend. The authorities are simply good in dishing out orders, but are very poor in providing the enabling environment to carry out the orders. These would be the major setbacks to the process!
• There are some things which may never be done well online. Don’t stop trying, of course, but consider finding what online does well, and leveraging that. We may occasionally find something of greater value.
• This case (Corona Virus Pandemic) … We learned that science is a small village …. through the use of the Internet and scientific programs … in addition to using time to communicate with students … to maintain the educational process … and also allow Professors have the opportunity to develop their abilities to use modern technology to communicate information in a good way for students.
• I think that studying at the time will be through the internet, but it will not be better than it was before, because it lacks the practical part.
• In my school, I see more teachers learning to use technology that in my opinion, they should have been using previously (simple things like learning how to collaborate using Google Docs, and such), which is a positive. I hope that teachers will implement more technology into their classrooms once the pandemic eases up and schools reopen.
• This pandemic situation is affecting teaching seriously especially in developing and underdeveloped countries that are not prepared or that just switched to online learning, the students have little knowledge about the new learning process and for that reason learning did not go smoothly as expected.
• Though one major advantage of the situation is that all countries of the world now buckle up to provide alternative means in all situations.